After quoting several church fathers, Bird explains that for him, “The Reformed position is the one that has the most explanatory power for understanding Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist.” Instead of the church’s role or the believer’s faith being key, “the Holy Spirit energizes the elements to convey the presence of Christ and the grace that accompanies his work.”
Bird points to John Calvin’s statement that “to deny that a true communication of Jesus Christ is presented to us in the Supper is to render this holy sacrament frivolous and useless—an execrable blasphemy unfit to be listened to.” In other words, writes Bird, “No presence means there is no point and no purpose to this meal.”
