UNDERSTANDING
THE LORD’S SUPPER
A Look at Christ’s Words by
Gary Ray Branscome
“This cup is
the NEW TESTAMENT [i.e. Gospel] in my blood, which is shed for you”
(Luke
The Lord’s Supper is more than just a
sign; it is the NEW TEST
Let me make it clear that I am not
saying that a person has to go to the Lord’s Supper to be saved. We are saved
through faith in Christ! The Lord’s Supper simply proclaims the Gospel in the
same way that a good Gospel sermon proclaims the Gospel. And, that is important
because some pastors emphasize works and neglect the Gospel. [See 1Timothy 1:5-7.]
Having said that, let us look closely
at what Christ actually said. The Bible tells us that, “Jesus the same night in which He was betrayed took bread: and after
giving thanks, He broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is
broken [sacrificed] for you This do in remembrance of me. In the same way He
also took the cup, after He had eaten, saying, This
cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for many for the
forgiveness of sins. As often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you
are solemnly proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes” (Matthew
26:26-28, Mark
Now look closely at His words. When
Jesus took the bread saying, “This is my
body, which is broken for you,” you need to ask, when was it broken? And,
the Bible tells us that it was broken for us ON THE C
Moreover, because the Lord’s Supper is
a ceremonial proclamation of the Gospel; everyone who comes to the Lord’s
Supper desiring God’s forgiveness, and goes away from the Lord’s Supper believing that they have forgiveness
through the shed blood of Jesus Christ has truly received Christ’s body and
blood, not as something physical, but as the atonement for their sin. Faith is believing
that Christ died for our sins! And, that is the message that the Lord’s Supper
was designed to convey.
This Do
Christ’s words, “This do in remembrance of me” tell us to do what He did every time
we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. In other words, because He said, “Take, eat: this is my body,” and “This cup is the new testament in my blood,
which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins,” those words are of key
importance. Those words are the words that convey the Gospel message. Leaving
out those words, or contradicting what they say undermines the entire reason
for celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and makes the Word of God of no effect (Mark
7:15).
Now let us consider the words, “As often as you eat this bread, and drink
this cup, you are solemnly proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes,”
(1Corinthians
A solemn participation in the Lord’s
Supper requires us to take it seriously. Christ does not want us to offer it to
everyone willy-nilly including a visiting Muslim (as happened in one church) —
or to children who are too young to examine themselves or know what is going on
(I know of one child who said he only took the cup because he did not like the
bread).
Likewise, Christ does not want us to
be flippant and irresponsible like those who would replace the bread and wine
with milk and cookies, or dispense with the ceremony entirely.
I am convinced that many Christians
profess to believe in Jesus Christ without really understanding what faith is.
The world assumes that faith is nothing more than believing something without
proof, and I have not yet found a dictionary that corrects that wrong
assumption by giving a solid biblical definition of faith.
However, to understand how the Lord’s Supper relates
to faith, think of someone who is burdened by sin and sincerely desires
forgiveness, yet lacks assurance of salvation because they have a worldly
definition of faith. If that person comes to the Lord’s Supper desiring
forgiveness, and leaves believing that they have forgiveness through the shed
blood of Jesus Christ, God has used the Lord’s Supper to give them faith — because
faith in Christ consists of believing that we have forgiveness through the
blood He shed on the cross. As it is written, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses
us of all sin” (1John 1:7).
The words, “As often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup,” tell us
that we are eating bread, not flesh (1Corinthians
In short, we should come to the Lord's Supper with a
humble heart, acknowledging our sin, desiring forgiveness, and believing that
Christ died on the cross to secure that forgiveness for us. For, by inviting us
to His Supper Christ is inviting us to receive His body (the body that was
broken for us on the cross) and to receive His blood (the blood that was shed
for us on the cross) not as something physical, but as the atonement for our
sin. And, by coming as He intended, and partaking as He intended, we are partaking
of His sacrifice, His death on the cross, and are, "solemnly proclaiming
the Lord’s death [as the source of all forgiveness] until he comes"
(1Corinthians 11:26).
Conclusion
Saving faith, the faith described in the words, “Whosoever believes in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life,” is not a matter of just believing something
in general, but a matter of relying on someone, namely Christ (John 3:16). Those who trust in Christ are relying on
what He did on the cross, His triumph over sin and death, to get them into
heaven.
Because our faith in Christ involves believing that He
“died for our sins,” it is impossible for us to have faith in Him
if we do not believe that we are sinners (1Corinthians 15:3-4). In other words:
How can we believe that He died for our sins, if we do not believe that we have
any sins? For that reason, true
repentance, a humble willingness on our part to admit our sin and need of
forgiveness, must precede faith. As it is written, “Repent, and believe the gospel,” // “God will not despise a heart that is humbled and sorry for sin”
(Mark