I remember when I was about 11 years old. I was at church on Sunday during Easter week. Our church had planned a special Communion service. I was outside playing with my friends and at the end of the service I made my way into the sanctuary.
As I arrived in the sanctuary, after playing for a while, I was both thirsty and hungry. A table had been set up in front of the altar, which was ornate with all kinds of fruit, and of course bread and grape juice … Yes, you guessed it … taking advantage of the opportunity I started to eat the leftover fresh bread and grape juice.
I had not asked anyone If I could “partake” of the elements (leftover elements). So, I was immediately rebuked and told to stop to my parents’ embarrassment. And indeed, it was embarrassing. I had completely ruined the reason why the local gathered body of Christ met that day. They were not there to merely partake of the Supper for physical nourishment, they were there to celebrate the life of Christ, his crucifixion, and new covenant.
You see, I committed the same mistake some people at the church at Corinth committed in the first century. They also partook of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. Paul describes,
“When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not” (1 Corinthians 11:20-22).
Some people were even getting drunk! At church! Indeed they “humiliated” God, violating the sacredness of the Lord’s Supper. Paul rebuked them.
The two main sacraments of the church, given by our Lord himself, are the Lord’s Supper and Baptism. His commands regarding both are clearly found in the New Testament:
THE LORD’S SUPPER:
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom” (Matthew 26:26-30).
BAPTISM:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20).
For more on “Baptism” read:
The Lord’s Supper Explained
First, the Lord’s Supper is an act of remembrance. The word Greek word anamnēsis, translated as “remembrance,” is only used in the New Testament four times. It literally means “to recollect.” Jesus himself used the word,
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:19-20).
As such, the Lord’s Supper should be celebrated on a regular basis. I believe the best frequency is once a month, but most churches vary depending on their doctrinal view of the sacrament.
Second, the Lord’s Supper is commanded. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” The Greek word poieō (“Do”), is a second person plural active present imperative verb, which also means it is a corporate act. Jesus told his disciples to remember his death and sacrifice, us included.
Third, the Lord’s Supper is rooted in redemptive history. Jesus met with his disciples during the Jewish Passover. As they remembered God’s deliverance of his people from slavery in Egypt, Christians are to remember Christ’s deliverance of our slavery from sin. The sacrifice of God’s perfect Lamb, Jesus, would replace the Jewish passover as the final Passover. Jesus made a new covenant, through his own blood. This covenant must not be forgotten, and it must be celebrated because it is the foundation of our Christian faith.
Finally, the Lord’s Supper is symbolic, not salvific. Barry Cooper, in an article titled “Four Views of the Lord’s Supper” highlights the four main doctrinal views of the Lord’s Supper:
- Transubstantiation is the official teaching of Roman Catholicism. Trans– means “change” and substantiation means “substance.” The idea is that when the bread and wine are blessed by the priest during the Mass, the bread and the wine are transformed into the actual physical body and blood of Jesus Christ.
- Consubstantiation. Martin Luther took issue with this view of the Eucharist, and his view has become known as consubstantiation—con- meaning “together,” and substantiation still meaning “substance.”Luther argued that rather than changing completely, the substance of the bread and wine coexists with the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist. Jesus Christ is present in, with, and under the bread and the wine whenever the Lord’s Supper is celebrated.
- Memorial. Huldrych Zwingli, who was around at the time of Luther in the sixteenth century, taught the memorial view of the Lord’s Supper. He said that Christ commanded us to “do this in remembrance of Him,” and that is all it is: an act of remembrance. The bread and wine are merely symbols, reminding us that Christ’s body was broken for us, and His blood was shed for us.
- Spiritual Presence. John Calvin, who was also around at the same time. His take on the Lord’s Supper has become known as the spiritual presence or real presence view. He took strong issue with the Roman Catholic view, and he definitely didn’t agree with Luther either. At the same time, he thought Zwingli’s view didn’t go far enough. The Lord’s Supper is more than just a memorial, Calvin said. It is certainly symbolic, but the symbols do more than merely represent—they actually bring to us the presence of Jesus Christ and His benefits.
I align myself with Zwingli’s memorial view of the Lord’s Supper. I believe it represents the more accurate analysis of the biblical text in relation to the Supper. I do not believe the Lord’s Supper is a means of salvation for those who take it.
Got Supper?
Throughout church history different words have been used for the Passover meal Jesus had with his disciples, which I have titled mostly as “the Lord’s Supper” in this article. In general, there are six ways in which the ordinance is referred to by Christians, depending on their denominational affiliation. Dr. Stephen Rummage, in his book titled Planning Your Preaching: A Step-by-Step Guide to a One-Year Preaching Calendar, breaks them down:
(1) The Lord’s Supper. Focusing on this name calls for sermons that emphasize the presence of the Lord Jesus as His church partakes takes of the Supper.
(2) Communion. Paul uses this term to refer to the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. The New Testament concept of communion -or koinonia– among believers emphasizes the life and service that Christians share together in the church.
(3) Eucharist. This word is often associated with liturgical and even sacramental churches. The term, however, is thoroughly biblical, lical, taken from the Greek word meaning “thanksgiving.”
(4) Passover. The supper that Jesus shared with His disciples on the night before He was crucified was a Passover meal.”
(5) Love feast. The love (agape) feasts were communal meals in which the early church ate together and observed the Lord’s Supper.
(6) Breaking of bread. This is another term in Scripture that bears a close relationship to the Lord’s Supper. Jesus broke bread at the table in the Upper Room. He revealed His identity to the disciples at Emmaus through the breaking of bread (Luke 24:28-35).
What do these terms imply?
1) They imply this significant sacrament reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice; 2) the importance of partaking it corporately with other believers in the local church; 3) that we should not forget to celebrate Christ’s life and thank him for his sacrifice; 4) that it is rooted in the Bible’s (Old Testament) message of redemption; 5) that our love for each other must be displayed when we take of it; and 6) that his body was broken on our behalf, as he freely gave of himself for us.
Finally, one really important thing must not be forgotten: Christ’s perfect atonement for our sins. Dr. Steven Lawson provides powerful insights on the matter:
In the New Testament, the death of the Son of God is revealed to be the perfect atonement for sins. Jesus said, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Matt 26:28). Christ said He would “give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). In shedding His blood, He announced that He would secure the release of those enslaved by their sin (John 8:32, 34, 36). When He cried out from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He declared that the full payment for sins had been made … By His substitutionary death, Jesus became “our Passover,” who was “sacrificed” for our sins (1 Cor 5:7). Paul writes, “In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (Eph 1:7). He “gave Himself up for us, . . . a sacrifice to God” (Eph 5:2). By laying down His life, Jesus “made peace through the blood of His cross” (Col 1:20). Paul continues, stating Jesus “reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him” (Col 1:22). When He laid down His life, Jesus “made purification of sins” (Heb 1:3). Christ was “offered once to bear the sins of many” (Heb 9:28). “We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus once for all” (Heb 10:10). He redeemed us “with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Pet 1:19). Concerning Jesus, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1 Pet 2:24). “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust” (1 Pet 3:18). Upon the cross, He became “the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 2:2; 4:10). “Jesus Christ . . . released us from our sins by His blood” (Rev 1:5) –– In the Expositor’s Magazine, No. 38.
May we NEVER forget the love of Christ for us and his grace toward us in providing our salvation through his sacrifice and death on the cross!!
Written by Daniel Messina
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