# Calvin & Lord's Supper

The second error which the devil has sown to corrupt this holy ordinance, is in forging and inventing that after the words are pronounced with an intention to consecrate, the bread is transubstantiated into the body of Christ, and the wine into his blood. First of all, this falsehood has no foundation in Scripture, and no countenance from the Primitive Church, and what is more, cannot be reconciled or consist with the word of God. When Jesus Christ, pointing to the bread, calls it his body, is it not a very forced construction to say, that the substance of the bread is annihilated, and the body of Christ substituted in its stead? But there is no cause to discuss the thing as a doubtful matter, seeing the truth is sufficiently clear to refute the absurdity. I leave out innumerable passages of Scripture and quotations from the Fathers, in which the sacrament is called bread. I only say that the nature of the sacrament requires, that the material bread remain as a visible sign of the body.

As several others have treated this subject at large, I refrain from going farther. I only wished to observe, in passing, that to fancy Jesus Christ enclosed under the bread and wine, or so to conjoin him with it as to amuse our understanding there without looking up to heaven, is a diabolical reverie.

To such an extent has this been done, that the Mass, which in the Popish Church is held to be the Supper, is, when well explained, nothing but pure apishness and buffoonery. I call it apishness, because they there counterfeit the Lord’s Supper without reason, just as an ape at random and without discernment imitates what he sees done.

Be this as it may, on the one hand, in order to exclude all carnal fancies, we must raise our hearts upwards to heaven, not thinking that our Lord Jesus is so debased as to be enclosed under some corruptible elements

Excerpts from Short Treatise on the Lord's Supper (1541) John Calvin

# Novel thinking

He put forth a new idea: Christ's physical body being present apart from heaven would undermine the reality of his human nature. Declaring his own conclusion limiting Christ's body on this matter to be a mystery beyond his comprehension.

Calvin also rejected the idea that we partake of the body and blood of Christ with the mouth.

John Samson

One is drinking common wine and eating common bread that is not Christ's body and not Christ's blood.

Only if the Holy Spirit is found acting spiritually in the heart of the believing is there real value. For there are no effects in the things themselves. Nor can one be cursed by partaking of common bread and common wine nor nurished beyond its natural qualities without faith.

Concluding the real presence of the Holy Spirit (and not Christ) is found in the heart of the believer acting in faith and not found in the institution of blessing and amen by the minister nor is Christ to be found in real presense in the common bread and common wine consumed. Christ is limited and cannot be present.