The Lord’s Supper

2018-01-27

Let us look at what the Lord’s Supper is, what it is not, and why it is important. The Lord’s Supper is also called communion (1 Corinthians 10:16).

The Elements of the Lord’s Supper

Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and 1 Corinthians show us the same thing concerning the Lord’s Supper. Let us look at all the specifics.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. (27) And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; (28) For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (29) But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom. (Matthew 26:26-29)
And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. (23) And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. (24) And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. (25) Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. (Mark 14:22-25)
And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. (15) And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: (16) For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. (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. (20) Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:14-20)
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: (24) And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. (25) After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. (26) For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
  1. The bread represents Jesus’ body. Bread is the staple food in many societies, and that included first century Judaea. This bread is a picture of Jesus’ body, which is the real sustenance we need for eternal life. Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24
  2. Jesus’ body was broken for us. This event of the Lord’s supper was on the same evening that He was betrayed (1 Corinthians 11:23). Jesus was going to be tortured and killed for us. His dying resulted in our eternal living. Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24
  3. We partake of the bread of the Lord’s supper to remember the Lord and His sacrifice. This is not to keep our salvation or find favor with God. It is a solemn time to remember the Lord’s death for us. Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24
  4. The cup contained the fruit of the vine. Or, some manner of grape juice. Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:18
  5. The grape juice represents Jesus’ blood. The shedding of Jesus’ blood is the basis for our salvation: “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Romans 3:25). Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25
  6. The grape juice represents Jesus’ blood of the new covenant. The new covenant was inaugurated with the blood of Jesus Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-40). As all covenants have signs throughout the Bible, the cup of the Lord’s Supper is the sign of the new covenant. Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25
  7. We partake of the cup of the Lord’s supper to remember the Lord and His sacrifice. Much like the bread, we do this to remember what Jesus did for us; the juice is literally not His blood. 1 Corinthians 11:25
  8. The Lord’s Supper shows the Lord’s death until He returns. The Supper is a demonstration of the Lord’s death. It is to show us, and to any those who stand by, our partaking of the Lord Jesus, and how He is our sustenance. 1 Corinthians 11:26

Partaking of the Lord’s Supper Unworthily

In Corinth, people were eating before the rest of the church came together and Paul was reproving them for their behavior (1 Corinthians 11:20-22). Paul then reviewed the words of the Lord in the Upper Room in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, as we discussed in the previous section. Now, let us look at the results of what happens when we flippantly take the Lord’s Supper.

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. (27) Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. (29) For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. (30) For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. (31) For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. (33) Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. (34) And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come. (1 Corinthians 11:26-34)

The primary purpose of the Lord’s Supper, as we have seen in the previous discussion, is to remember the Lord’s sacrifice and demonstrate His death until He returns. In light of this, let us consider this passage.

  1. Drinking unworthily makes us guilty of the Lord’s death. Eating by themselves with no regard for the Lord made the people guilty. Consider what the Bible says elsewhere: “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29). If we flippantly and spitefully partake of the Lord’s Supper, then we can expect divine discipline. 1 Corinthians 11:27, 29
  2. We should examine ourselves before we partake of the Lord’s Supper. We should remember the death of Christ, His broken body and shed blood before and during the Lord’s Supper (and always!). 1 Corinthians 11:28, 31
  3. The divine discipline could result in sickness or death. Many in Corinth were sick or dead because they did not examine themselves before partaking. Once again, we see God’s chastening on us if we willfully sin in this matter. 1 Corinthians 11:30, 32
  4. The church should be assembled before eating. We must wait for everyone before partaking of the Lord’s Supper. 1 Corinthians 11:31

The Bible Does Not Teach Transubstantiation

Transubstantiation is the teaching that the bread and juice physically turn into the body and blood of Christ. It also is a means of salvation. These is false for a few simple reasons.

We know that the bread and juice do not become His body because, when He inaugurated the ordinance on the night that He was betrayed, He was physically present offering the bread and juice. After that, unto this day, Jesus is physically and bodily seated at the right hand of the Father (Psalm 110:1).

Jesus also said that the Supper should be done “in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25). This says nothing of, “Do this to keep your salvation.” It is a way to remember the Lord together in the local church.

You can read John 6:22-71 to read an entire passage that some may argue back with, because Jesus said, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53). There are multiple issues with this. First, Jesus said that eternal life comes by believing in Him alone in the immediate context three times (John 6:29, 40, 47). Also, Jesus said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Physical things have nothing to do with salvation; only the word of God makes the difference, because it is by believing His Word, the Gospel, we are saved.

The truth is clearly seen in all of these scriptures discussed above.

Conclusion

The Lord’s Supper is partaking of bread and the fruit of the vine in the context of the local church. The bread and the juice represent the body and blood of Christ, respectively. It is done so we can have a visual aid to remember what it took for us to be saved. Jesus was tortured and died for our sins, and by that, we live. If we abuse this ordinance of the Lord, there will be severe consequences. However, there is no salvific power in the Lord’s Supper. There is nothing we can do to initiate or sustain the grace of God given to us.