Two Aspects of Christ Breaking the Bread of Life

 

Two Aspects of Christ Breaking the Bread of Life

Matt 26:26 "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'"

1 Cor 10:17 "Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf."

1 Cor 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

Eph 1:22-23 "And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."

 

Aspect	Physical Body	Mystical Body
Symbol	The Lord's body sacrificed on the cross	The corporate body of Christ after resurrection (the Church)
Significance	Imparting God's life (eternal life) to believers	The means to accomplish divine administration, the enlargement of Christ's body
Distinction	Individual body, sacrificed for redemption	Corporate body, composed of many believers
Example	Jesus breaking bread at the Last Supper	Believers sharing bread together, becoming one body
Application	Believers receive Christ's life by eating the bread	Believers unite with Christ, becoming one body together
Relationship	Foundation: Through the sacrifice of the physical body, believers can receive God's life	Effect: Through receiving God's life, believers are constituted into Christ's mystical body
Related Scripture	John 6:35 "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'" John 6:57 "Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me." John 6:63 "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are spirit and they are life." Luke 22:19 "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.'"	Eph 4:16 "From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work." Rev 5:6 "Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth." John 12:24 "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

 

Conclusion:

These two aspects demonstrate God's complete salvation plan: from Christ's sacrifice on the cross (physical aspect) to the establishment of the church as His body (mystical aspect). These aspects are closely connected: Christ gave up His physical body to impart God's life to believers, and believers, having received this life, are built up as Christ's mystical body.

 

*Please refer to the July 2024 Anaheim, California, USA training Experiencing, Enjoying and Manifesting Christ (II) Week 16 Our Spiritual Food, Our Spiritual Rock, and the Contents of the Lord’s Feast