The Lord’s Supper
Steven R. Cook
Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper on the night He was betrayed during the Passover Feast (Matt. 26:26-28). The Passover meal celebrated the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian captivity when the death-angel passed over the houses which had lamb’s blood on the door posts (Ex. 12:7). As the blood of the sacrificial lamb spared many Israelites from death, so the blood of Christ spares many from eternal condemnation.
The annual Jewish ceremony of the Passover meal served as a memorial to the Lord’s deliverance of His people (Ex. 12:14). Likewise, the Lord’s Supper is regularly practiced by Christians to celebrate Jesus’ incarnation and substitutionary atonement, which is the basis for our forgiveness of sins. When believers gather together to partake of the Lord’s Supper they are remembering the work of Christ on the cross and their acceptance of His sacrifice for them.
Jesus willingly gave Himself to be the
final Passover sacrifice (John
Matt. 26:26-28 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
The bread represents Jesus’ body which was nailed to the cross and judged as a substitute for all sinful mankind. The cup of wine represents the shed blood of Jesus on behalf of all those who enter into the New Covenant relationship with God.
1 Pet.
1:18-20 “Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from you vain conversation received by
tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the
foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”
Christ's substitutionary death on the
cross provided the means to reconcile the world to God so that through His
saving grace eternal life might be given to all who believe (John 3:16; 20:31;
Acts 4:12; Eph. 2:8, 9; Tit. 3:5).
Eating and drinking are acts of
faith because we trust that what is physically received is beneficial and
nourishing. Likewise, when we eat the
Lord’s Supper—which symbolizes His death and the forgiveness of our sins—by
faith we accept that what He did for us is beneficial in clearing our sin debt
and establishing a new relationship with God the Father. As eating food brings physical health, so
accepting the work of Christ brings spiritual health.
When the Christian eats the bread
he is saying “I accept the broken body of Jesus which was given as a substitute
on the cross for the judgment of my sin.”
By eating the bread, the believer is accepting the finished work of
salvation by Jesus Christ.
When the Christian drinks the
juice he is saying “I accept the New Covenant relationship offered by
Jesus. I understand that the New Covenant
was made possible by His atoning blood-sacrifice, and I trust His shed blood is
sufficient to secure the forgiveness of my sins.”
The communion is only significant to the believer who has trusted in Christ for salvation. If an unbeliever partakes of communion it has no meaning and only becomes a ritual without reality the reality of Christ.
Purposes of Communion:
1. To remind believers to have selfless harmony when they gather (1 Cor. 11:20-22).
2. To remember the selfless sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ in securing the forgiveness of our sins (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
3. To offer a time of self evaluation and consider whether he/she is guilty of selfishly sinning against other believers (1 Cor. 11:27-32).
4. To provide an opportunity to practice selfless love toward other believers in the church (1 Cor. 11:33-34).
Discipline to the Arrogant:
If an unbeliever partakes of the Lord’s Supper in a selfish manner,
mistreating others in the church, then he/she becomes guilty of a terrible sin
by showing disregard to those for whom the Lord suffered and died. This sin will not go unpunished, and the
believer who is guilty of this can expect divine discipline.
1. Weakness – physical & mental lethargy,
depleting the strength necessary to cope with life.
2. Sickness – Disease that inflicts the body and
compounds one’s weakness.
3. Sleep – A euphemism for death, because the
believer continues to eat the Lord’s Supper without humility before God and
love for other Christians.
The believer who has been guilty of eating the Lord’s Supper in an
unworthy manner needs to humble himself by confessing his sin to God (1 Jo.
1:9), and then to the offended believer in the church (Jas. 5:16).
Conclusion:
The Lord’s Supper is a solemn occasion in which the believer remembers
the Lord’s selfless sacrifice in giving His body to the cross for our judgment,
and shedding His blood for the forgiveness of our sins. Humility before God and with other believers
makes the memorial proper and meaningful.