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THE LORD'S SUPPER
An excerpt
from the bible study "Baptism and the Lord's Supper"
Christian Seminary, Studies for Christian Ministry
Baptism and The Lord's Supper are universally practiced by Christian
churches. These two rituals are known as church ordinances or sacraments.
Ordinances are rites that believers practice as part of their Christian
faith. These rites are outward symbols and testimonies of inward
spiritual grace. However the experience of baptism and the Lord's
supper do not create spiritual change. Only God through Christ's
shed blood can make us a new creation.
No act of man, or ritual observed, will create merit in a person.
Our very best works, no matter how well intentioned, do not change
spiritual reality. We can however publicly and privately demonstrate
our belonging to Christ by being baptized and having Holy Communion.
Luke 22:19-20 says the following in the Authorised (King James)
Version " 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. Likewise also the cup after supper,
saying, This
cup [is] the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you."
The New International Version translates the same passage as follows.
" And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it
to them, saying, ``This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance
of me.'' In
the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ``This cup
is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. "
This request from Jesus to remember Him in this way is a logical
one. We can see from His request that He truely understands us.
The act of eating the bread, and drinking the wine will remind us
that He has gone before us and paid the price for our salvation
with His body
and blood. Each time that we take the Lord's supper we are physically
reminded that He has died for each one of us individually. As we
share in the communion we also share the gift of His life poured
out for us.
When we have the Lord's Supper we are also in the fellowship of
other believers. We are reminded that we have been given the gift
of salvation by Jesus one by one, but also that He has given us
a living body, His church to be a part of. The Lord's Supper points
us back to
His death on the cross, forward to His present life in glory and
His church.
It is important to remember that the "Last Supper" above
was the celebration of passover. The passover is the most holy of
days for the Jews. The Jewish people eat the passover supper every
year to remember the covenant that God had made with them.
The Lord's Supper is also a covenant meal. It is a symbol of the
new covenant in Jesus' blood, not that of a lamb's. In the same
way as God made provision life and freedom for the Jews in Egypt,
God's action through Christ's death made a way to new life for all
believers. It is a reminder of the forgiveness that His shed blood
purchased for us.
What is meant by "This is my body"? Christ here has taken
the bread and broken it into pieces to that all of the apostles
could share it. On a symbolic level we can think of the bread as
we eat it as food for our souls. Christ, in His humanity, gave His
real earthly body over to death to create the believer, a new creation.
His work here on earth was daily a labor of feeding and nurturing
us. This ministry extends to this day through the Scripture.
The eating of the bread commemorate and confirm God's commitment
to us. The taking of the Lord's Supper also confirm our commitment
to Him. We are told to have Holy Communion in unity, so it also
commits us to each other and His church. Indeed the Lord's Supper
is thought of as a wedding feast. Christ is the groom and the church
(that's us), is the bride. (Ephesians 5:25, Revelations 19:9)
How are we to properly celebrate the Lord's Supper? Paul suggests
for starters that we should remember the time that it was instituted.
This was Christ's last sharing of passover with His disciples. It
is only a matter of hours before He will be lead away to death on
the cross. Both the fact that it is a remembrance of the passover
supper, and the imminent death of Christ tell us that the Lord's
Supper is a solemn affair. We would never treat a remembrance of
out earthly parents lightly. How therefore, can we treat a remembrance
of our heavenly Fathers work lightly?
Paul commands the church to order and propriety when taking the
Lord's Supper. He tells us that those who receive the Lord's Supper
unworthily are guilty of the body and blood of Christ. Instead of
being cleansed they eat and drink judgment unto themselves. This
does show that the penalty of taking the Lord's Supper in an worthy
manner is an individual penalty of judgment. This doesn't mean that
we are ever worthy to be in God's presence, rather it is our attitude
towards Jesus' work and death that we need to examine before taking
communion.
Therefore I believe that each individual needs to prayerfully consider
our heart attitude before taking of the bread and wine. I do not
believe that the church should prescribe tests to prevent those
who wish to, to sit at the Lord's table. In the same way we do not
claim to be able to read the state of another's heart, and where
it lies in relation to God.
How can we be unworthy to have Holy Communion? If we, in our own
heart, know that we don't belong to Christ, the unity with Christ
which makes the Lord's Supper meaningful is missing. If we are harboring
a known unconfessed sin, we are offending Christ by coming to His
table to share the meal with His children. If we come without repentance
we are not recognizing the holiness of Christ.
An excerpt
from the bible study "Baptism and the Lord's Supper"
Christian Seminary, Studies for Christian Ministry
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