The price of our redemption is the body of Christ which is given for us and his blood which is shed for us. Among Christians no one doubts that by this giving of Christ's body and shedding of his blood the wrath of the Father has been satisfied and eternal redemption gained. But the question is, to whom does this promise pertain and who are the receivers of this benefit of Christ? To be sure, the teaching of the Gospel in general pronounces that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. But anxious and fearful minds, when they consider their sins, their unworthiness, their weaknesses, and their temptations, become so terrified and disturbed that dangerous doubts arise concerning the individual application, that is, whether I myself have with sufficient certainty grasped the benefits of Christ and so faithfully cling to them that my conscience can stand before the judgment of God. For this reason Christ in his Supper willed to confirm and seal to his disciples the demonstration and application of the promise of the Gospel with a certain and firm guarantee, so that in the face of all temptations faith can stand strongly and firmly in the assurance that it is a participant in Christ and all his benefits unto salvation.
Martin Chemnitz, The Lord's Supper
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