I appreciate your sticking on this topic. It is important.
Let me try to understand your context.
If, using your interpretation, when Christ said “For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink”, he meant spiritual or symbolic food.
So, according to your context, Real = Spirit = Symbolic
Questions:
1.Spirit is never used to mean “symbolic” anywhere in the Bible. Please show me an example if I missed one. How do you make this connection?
2.Do we get any benefit besides the physical nutrition from the bread, or a nice warm feeling from sharing the bread at the Lord’s supper?
3.Is it necessary to participate in the Eucharist?
If, using your interpretation, when Christ said “For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink”, he meant spiritual or symbolic food.
So, according to your context, Real = Spirit = Symbolic
Is the spiritual not real to you ?
I believe that Jesus is the sustenance of our spirtural life ... like physical bread is the sustenance of our physical lives.
1.Spirit is never used to mean “symbolic” anywhere in the Bible. Please show me an example if I missed one. How do you make this connection?
I don't use 'spirit' to mean 'symbol'. I believe that there is a spiritual realm of life.
2.Do we get any benefit besides the physical nutrition from the bread, or a nice warm feeling from sharing the bread at the Lord’s supper?
We are blessed in our obedience to the Lord.
And, in the vein of your question, ... may I ask the following ...2.1 Did Adam and Eve fall because of the effects of the eating of the fruit of the tree ... or because they disobeyed God ?3.Is it necessary to participate in the Eucharist?
Yes, it is necessary to participate in the Lord's Supper ... in obedience to the command of Christ ... "do this in my memory".Luke 22:17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves:
18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.
19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.