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Heidelberg Catechism, Question 78

Question 78

Do then the bread and wine become the very body and blood of Christ?

Not at all; but as the water in baptism is not changed into the blood of Christ, neither is the washing away of sin itself, being only the sign and confirmation thereof appointed of God (1 Pet. 3;21); so the bread of the Lord’s supper is not changed into the very body of Christ, though, agreeably to the nature and properties of sacraments, it is called the body of Christ Jesus (1 Cor. 10;16).

Scripture references for paragraph 1

Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.

1 Peter 3:21

21And this water symbolizes the baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body, but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Acts 8:36

36As they traveled along the road and came to some water, the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is there to prevent me from being baptized?”

Acts 10:47

47“Can anyone withhold the water to baptize these people? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have!”

Matthew 26:26

26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”

1 Corinthians 10:16

16Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 11:23

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread,

1 Corinthians 11:26

26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Genesis 17:10

10This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, which you are to keep: Every male among you must be circumcised.

Exodus 12:11

11This is how you are to eat it: You must be fully dressed for travel, with your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. You are to eat in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.

Acts 7:8

8Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

Acts 22:16

16And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, calling on His name.’

Source and edition

Heidelberg Catechism. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879. RCA English, E. R. Good & Bro., Tiffin, 1879

Public Domain (historic text); CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikisource transcription). Source transcription.

Transcription licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0.

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