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.
“Did Adam and Eve fall because of the effects of the eating of the fruit of the tree ... or because they disobeyed God?”
Great example, but it doesn’t help your case. It is amazing how the entire scripture works together.
Eating of the fruit or disobeying? This is not an either- or thing. They cannot be separated.
The angels are spirit, and fell because of disobedience. Nothing physical involved.
Adam and Eve fell because of disobedience. They lost eternal life because of a physical act – eating the fruit. Christ later told us that we gain eternal life by a physical act - eating the physical bread turned into the flesh of the Lord. This example shows how God, because we are physical beings, uses physical things to impart His grace and life. Like water in baptism. Like bread. Like wine.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (John 6:53–56).
They are the literal words of Christ. He could have chosen to have a completly symbolic way to eternal life, but He did not. I don't know why He did it the way he did, but He did what He did and said what He said. He told us all the things necessary for eternal life. Baptism. Faith. Works. Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Christ. Scripture says so. They are all different. They are all necessary.