The Lord’s Supper

Verses

Christ instituted two spiritual/physical means in which we become one with our Savior and have our sins forgiven, Baptism which we discussed in the previous chapter, and The Lord’s Supper. We must believe in Christ’s spiritual words of institution, spoken over physical elements, with physical acts performed, enabling us to become one with our Savior, to be forgiven by Him. In the Lord’s Supper we believe in Christ’s words of institution which are said over bread and the fruit of the vine, physical elements, and which we eat and drink of, physical actions. These acts cannot be broken up into spiritual parts and physical parts. Bread and the fruit of the vine are merely bread, and fruit of the vine without the words. And the words alone do not let us partake of the body and blood of our Savior. But when the spiritual and physical are used together, the Holy Spirit mysteriously enables us to be one with Christ and receive His grace. We are in the age of reality, the New Covenant, through Jesus Christ. Jesus died for our sins and arose from the dead, our salvation is complete. Substitutions or representations for Christ are needed no more, we can once more unite spiritually with our God.

The Lord’s Supper, The Lord’s Table, Breaking Bread, Communion: These all refer to the same institution that Christ established as the promised New Covenant was introduced.

Christ was the promised Messiah, the Lamb who died for our sins. The Passover occurred when Israel was held in slavery by Egypt. The Lord’s last plague was that all first born males would die in Egypt. To protect Israel’s first born, the Lord had them kill a lamb and put the blood on their doors so He would pass over them when He took the first born from all in Egypt. This plague turned the Egyptian Pharaoh’s heart and he let God’s people go. God commanded them to celebrate the Passover each year. A lamb without blemish had to be chosen, slaughtered and eaten. The Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread united all believers in the covenant of God in one place. The blood from the lamb was sacrificed as an offering for sin. This ceremony was also to remind Israel of the promised Messiah, of the Christ (means messiah in Greek), the Lamb of God to come. Jesus was that Christ, He was the Passover Lamb. His body was sacrificed to unite all people spiritually with their God. His blood was offered as a onetime sacrifice for the forgiveness of all believers’ sins. The evening before Jesus was crucified, the night before the Passover supper was annually eaten, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. Jesus offered His body in the bread and His blood in the fruit of the vine for believers to partake off, replacing the Passover Lamb. We must also remember that Christ clearly offers us His body and blood as part of the New Covenant. And no covenant can have words added to it or changed from it.

Jesus had told the disciples once before He would offer His body and blood for all to partake of, that His flesh was real food and His blood real drink. The concept of eating flesh was hard for the Jewish crowd to believe, many left Christ that day. It was even hard for the disciples to understand. Jesus had earlier told the crowd that no one can come to Jesus or understand the truth except by the Father. Jesus further explained to the disciples that His words were spirit, spiritual words of life. That the Spirit gave life, had the power to make Christ’s body and blood available for all believers to partake of in and with the bread and fruit of the vine. That only those whom the Father enabled would be given the spiritual faith to believe in the words of Christ. Paul confirms that the bread and fruit of the vine do not physically change into Christ’s body and blood, that we eat bread and drink the fruit of the vine. But our Lord’s body and blood are present in and with the bread and fruit of the vine, for we sin against them by coming unworthily to the Lord’s Table. Paul also tells us that the Lord’s Supper is a participation in the body and blood of Christ, that Christ is present with the bread and fruit of the vine. Whether we believe Jesus is physically present in and with the bread and fruit of the vine, or only spiritually in the bread and wine, is not as important as that we believe our Savior is present. That Jesus comes to us in the Lord’s Supper offering His body to make and assure us we are part of Christ and His Holy Church, that He is part of us. Offering His blood to forgive and assure us our sins are forgiven. Jesus then asks us to continue the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him until He comes. When we partake of the bread, the one loaf, we are spirituality united with our Savior, with all the saints (believers alive or in Heaven) in our Lord’s one Holy Church. When we drink from the cup, we are offered Christ’s blood for the forgiveness of our sins.

The Lord’s Supper should be given to anyone who has been baptized into Christ and knows Him. Who believes the Word of God is to be followed and obeyed, who believes Christ died as atonement for our sins. Who believes Jesus is being offered physically or spiritually to them in the bread and fruit of the vine. Who believes they receive Christ’s body uniting them with their Lord, and His blood for forgiveness, in and with the bread and fruit of the vine. Who by examining themselves before taking The Lord’s Supper, comes to the table with a humble and repentant heart. Faith saves all, but any who love the Lord will desire to participate in the Lord’s Table. There is no set time or place to take the Lord’s Supper, but those who love the Lord will want to come to Him. The early Apostles and Christians made the Lord’s Supper part of their worship and came to the Lord’s Table every Sunday. And our Lord told us unless we have the love in our hearts to desire the Lord’s Supper we will have no place in Heaven.

All believers should receive both the bread and the fruit of the vine

Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper and was crucified on preparation day (if interested have verses on this subject). This was the day all yeast was to be removed, but still could be eaten, the day before the Passover meal was eaten. Jesus instructed the disciples to prepare the Passover Feast on this day (note: lambs were slaughtered on preparation day), which among other things would be removing all the yeast from the house. Therefore the bread was most likely unleavened (without yeast), but it could have been regular bread. And the fruit of the vine was most likely a special wine fermented without yeast, but it could have been regular wine, wine mixed with water, or grape juice.

A knowledgeable Elder, Pastor, or leader should read the words of institution

Christ’s words of institution:

The Lord’s words should be read over the bread and the fruit of the vine (either grape juice or wine). It is best to combine all of the words in Scripture that tell what our Lord said. Mt 26:26-29, Mk 14:22-25, Lk 22:19-20, 1Co 11:24-27

While they were eating Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples saying, “Take and eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it all of you. This is my blood of the New Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s Kingdom. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.

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