What is the Lord’s Supper?

We have seen in the previous article what is not the Lord’s Supper, and we want to look at what the Scripture says about the Lord’s Supper in today’s article.

Holy act set up by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself

As the time passed on, people from different confessions and churches developed a whole system of traditions and laws that are not let by God on the pages of the Holy Scriptures, and some are even contrary to those written in the Bible. It is not the same when we talk about the Lord’s Supper. This holy act was set up by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, as the Scripture says and it does not come from people:

When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” And when He had taken some bread and 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 in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. (The Gospel of Luke 22:14–20)(NASB)

The sign of remembrance of the Covenant between Christian and the Lord Jesus Christ

Apostle Paul writes further on, in the same first Epistle to Corinthians:

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (1 Corinthians 11;23–24)(NASB)

Through this act, Christians remember in a solemn way about the covenant they made with the Lord Jesus Christ, when they repented and chose to live in full obedience of God’s Word. At that time they became partakers of the promises of God concerning the inheritance of eternal life, of forgiveness and of the citizenship in the Kingdom of Heavens.

The proclamation of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death

The death of the Savior was one that paid the price of punishment with death for the whole humanity. Through this holy act, of partcipation in the Lord’s Supper, Christians testify this sacrifice paid by the Lord Jesus Christ, as Apostle Paul says further on:

In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:25–26)(NASB)

When unbelievers, those who didn’t enter the covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ, and who didn’t receive forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit, when these people come to church, they come across the sacrifice of salvation brought by the Lord Jesus Christ at Golgotha. We, all those who take part in the Lord’s Supper, show the effect of this sacrifice in our lives and we make them understand how urgent is their need to take up a correct attitude towards their personal salvation.

If you have not entered the covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ, or if you have entered this covenant, but you don’t live in accord with its conditions, your participation in this holy act is qualified in the Scriptures as to “eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner”. When was the last time you took part in the Lord Jesus Christ’s body and blood? Was your participation in this holy act one worthy of God or not?

The Lord’s Supper has one more very profound implication. This act implies a judgement and it is a judgement by itself. I invite you to read about this in the article that will be published tomorrow.

Translated by Djugostran Felicia