10. In what way do those who partake of the Memorial wine ‘share in the blood of the Christ’?

¹⁰ Concerning the wine that anointed Christians partake of at the Memorial, Paul wrote: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of the Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16) In what way do those partaking of the wine ‘share in the blood of the Christ’? They certainly do not share in providing the ransom sacrifice, since they themselves need redemption. Through their faith in the redeeming power of Christ’s blood, their sins are forgiven and they are declared righteous for life in heaven. (Romans 5:8, 9; Titus 3:4-7) It is by means of Christ’s shed blood that the 144,000 joint heirs of Christ are “sanctified,” set apart, cleansed from sin to be “holy ones.” (Hebrews 10:29; Daniel 7:18, 27; Ephesians 2:19) Yes, it is with his shed blood that Christ “bought persons for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and . . . made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.”​—Revelation 5:9, 10.

11. What do the anointed indicate by drinking the Memorial wine?

¹¹ When Jesus inaugurated the Memorial of his death, he handed the cup of wine to his faithful apostles and said: “Drink out of it, all of you; for this means my ‘blood of the covenant,’ which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:27, 28) Just as the blood of bulls and goats validated the Law covenant between God and the nation of Israel, Jesus’ blood made valid the new covenant that Jehovah would make with spiritual Israel, beginning at Pentecost 33 C.E. (Exodus 24:5-8; Luke 22:20; Hebrews 9:14, 15) By drinking the wine that symbolizes the “blood of the covenant,” the anointed indicate that they have been taken into the new covenant and are receiving the benefits of it.

12. How are the anointed baptized into Christ’s death?

¹² The anointed are also reminded of something else. Jesus told his faithful disciples: “The cup I am drinking you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am being baptized you will be baptized.” (Mark 10:38, 39) The apostle Paul later spoke of Christians’ being “baptized into [Christ’s] death.” (Romans 6:3) The anointed live a life of sacrifice. Their death is sacrificial in that they renounce any hope of everlasting life on earth. The baptism of these anointed Christians into Christ’s death is completed when after dying faithful they are resurrected as spirit creatures to “rule together as kings” with Christ in heaven.​—2 Timothy 2:10-12; Romans 6:5; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 50.

14. How are the anointed strengthened spiritually by partaking of the bread and the wine?

¹⁴ The final sealing of the relatively small number of Christians called to reign with Christ in heaven is nearing completion. Until the end of their life of sacrifice on earth, the anointed are spiritually strengthened by partaking of the Memorial emblems. They feel a bond of unity with their brothers and sisters as members of Christ’s body. Their partaking of the emblematic bread and wine reminds them of their responsibility to remain faithful until death.​—2 Peter 1:10, 11.

[Box on page 23]

“The Body of the Christ”

At 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17, Paul, in discussing the particular import of the bread for spirit-anointed brothers of Christ, mentioned “body” in a special sense. He said: “The loaf which we break, is it not a sharing in the body of the Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, although many, are one body, for we are all partaking of that one loaf.” When anointed Christians partake of the Memorial bread, they declare their unity within the congregation of anointed ones, which is like a body with Christ as the Head.​—Matthew 23:10; 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13, 18.