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Against the Lutheran criticism that a non-physical presence of Christ in the Supper must imply no real presence at all, Calvin argued that Christ is truly present by the work of the Spirit who, Calvin teaches, is able to unite as bond things otherwise distant. How can we be joined to Christ's body in heaven while we are still "pilgrims on the earth"? By the secret and miraculous agency of the Spirit, "for whom it is not difficult to unite things otherwise disjoined by a distant space." The problem posed to communion by the bodily ascension of Christ is overcome by the Spirit-bond of sacred union who raises our souls by faith and infuses life into us from our living Mediator and Head." The Spirit bridges heaven and earth, bringing believing communicants to heaven to feed on Christ and bringing the virtue of Christ's flesh and blood to believers according to promise.

The grace of Christ's animating, vivifying flesh and blood reaches believers only by the "virtue" of his Spirit. It is the Spirit who by his "secret agency" (arcana spiritus efficacia) makes feeding on Christ a reality." Hence the power and efficacy of the sacraments are not contained in the outward elements but are communicated entirely by the Spirit. In the wisdom of his own design, the Lord has been pleased to exert his energy by these instruments, which is the purpose he destined for them, and he accomplishes this without detracting from the virtue of the Spirit." The Spirit in his Person and activity thus pervades Calvin's exposition of eucharistic communion with Christ and functions as the "bond" between Head and members.

Correlatively in his teaching on salvation, Calvin famously calls the Spirit the "bond" of union with Christ. He is the nexus (or vinculum) who effects the communion of Christ and believer that results in the believer sharing not only in Christ himself but, as a consequence, in all his spiritual gifts or graces. Among these gifts, justification and sanctification are the most prominent, and describe distinct benefits belonging to those united to Christ. The role of the Spirit in the Supper and salvation, therefore, provides a still more immediate parallel between Calvin's sacramental and soteriological arguments.