Suprasubstantiation

Keith Mathison, Given For You, pp279-280:

Calvin’s doctrine of the presence of Christ [in the Eucharist] was never given a similar sounding name [to the Roman Catholic transubstantiation and the Lutheran consubstantiation], but I would suggest the term suprasubstantiation might be an appropriate and accurate designation. The prefix supra means “above,” “beyond,” or “transcending.” According to Calvin, Christ’s body is present in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, but the mode of his presence is not specifically connected with the substance of the elements. The elements of bread and wine are a necessary part of the sacrament, but they are not the primary focus. Christ is present by virtue of the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit, not by the transformation or combination of material substances.

Because Calvin taught that Christ’s body is made present in the sacrament by the working of the Holy Spirit, his view of Christ’s sacramental presence has sometimes been referred to as a doctrine of “spiritual presence.” Unfortunately, this term is often misunderstood to mean that only Christ’s Spirit or divine nature is present in the sacrament. Calvin explicitly denied any such idea. The term suprasubstantiation might avoid some of these misunderstandings because it communicates the idea that there is a real participation in the substance of Christ’s body and blood, as Calvin taught, but that this participation occurs on a plane that transcends and parallels the plane on which the physical sign exists. It communicates Calvin’s focus on the presence of Christ in the sacrament, not the presence of Christ in the substance of the elements.