[Songs in the Night - April 16]
Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. Matthew 26:26
AS BREAD stands for and symbolizes all food, so
the teaching of this symbol is that whoever would have
the life which Christ has to give must accept it as the
result of his sacrifice.
He died that we might live.
The rights and privileges which he surrendered voluntarily
may be eaten, applied, appropriated by all who have faith in him and who accept him and his instructions—such are reckoned as having imputed to them
the perfect human nature, with all its rights and privileges
lost by Adam, redeemed by Christ.
None can
have eternal life except by the eating of this Bread
from heaven.
This applies not only to believers of this
present time, but also to those of the future age.
Their life rights and privileges must all be recognized
as coming to them through his sacrifice.
In a word,
the bread representing our Lord's body teaches our
justification through the acceptance of his sacrifice. Z'06-334 R3879:6 (Hymn 2)