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The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology - Saint Mary ...

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virtue of the death of Jesus. <strong>The</strong> blood of the sacrifice which was offered to<br />

God is the life which has passed through death, <strong>and</strong> makes atonement for<br />

the sins of men (Dogm. I. 271 seq., <strong>and</strong> 584). In the New Testament,<br />

consequently, the blood of Christ is not merely a concrete expression for<br />

death, but means the life of this death, that is, the propitiatory power of it,<br />

which forever dwells in the corporeal nature of Christ which has passed<br />

through death (Rom. iii. 25; Eph. i. 7; 1 John i. 7; Heb. ix. 25; xiii. 20, <strong>and</strong><br />

see, on them, Olshausen, Harless, De Wette, Bleek: Abendm. 63 seq). Ie,<br />

therefore, who, in faith, grasps the death of Christ, receives the propitiatory<br />

virtue of the blood of Christ--the virtue which dwells in the glorified body<br />

of Christ. Hence St. John (1 John v. 6-8) styles the Supper simply 'the<br />

blood.' As the appearing of Christ stood between water (Baptism) <strong>and</strong><br />

blood (death), thus water <strong>and</strong> blood still testify of Him. <strong>The</strong> blood which<br />

testifies of Him can be nothing but the Supper. <strong>The</strong> substance of the<br />

Supper is, consequently, Christ's death as a, power of atonement. But he<br />

who receives this power of the glorified bodily nature of Christ, receives in<br />

himself Christ's bodily nature itself, <strong>and</strong> in <strong>and</strong> with it the entire living<br />

Christ. This is the mystical meaning of the discourse of Jesus in John vi.<br />

Jesus Christ calls Himself the bread which has come down from heaven,<br />

which gives life to him who eats of it. From this thought He advances in v.<br />

51: 'And the bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the<br />

life of the world.' After the offence which the people took at Him, He<br />

expresses this thought still more strongly: 'Verily, I say unto you, except<br />

ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, <strong>and</strong> drink His blood, ye have no life in<br />

you. Whoso eateth My flesh, <strong>and</strong> drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; <strong>and</strong><br />

I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, <strong>and</strong> My<br />

blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, <strong>and</strong> drinketh My blood,<br />

dwelleth in Me, <strong>and</strong> I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, <strong>and</strong> I live<br />

by the Father, so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. This is that<br />

bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna,<br />

<strong>and</strong> are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever' (v. 53-59). <strong>The</strong>

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