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 TESTAMENT, the Gospel,
proclaimed by a ceremony. And because that ceremony proclaims the Gospel,
everyone who believes the Gospel message it proclaims, the promise of
forgiveness through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, has that forgiveness.
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
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 the
Lord’s Supper, the word of Christ is the testament,
the bread and wine are the sacrament. And as there is greater power in the word
than in the sign, so is there greater power in the testament than in the
sacrament. A man can have and use the word or testament without the sign or
sacrament. “Believe,” says Augustine, “and you have eaten;” but in what do we
believe except in the word of Him who promises? Thus I can have the Lord’s
Supper daily, no hourly; since, as often as I will, I can set before myself the
words of Christ, and nourish and strengthen my faith in them; and this is in
very truth the spiritual eating and drinking.|” (Martin Luther, “The Babylonian Captivity of the Church”
1520.)
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