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The Lord’s Supper
Instituted by Christ
It Was to be Observed After His Death
Only after
his death could it completely fulfill its purpose as a feast of commemoration.
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. Luke
22:19, 20
The
Mode of Administering The Lord’s Supper
The Elements Are Bread And Wine
The bread
which Jesus broke was obviously the unleavened bread of the Passover.
- There is nothing for or against using leavened or
unleavened bread.
We generally use the flat unleavened
bread, but any will suffice.
The wine
which Jesus poured was doubtless ordinary fermented juice of the grape.
- There is nothing for or against using fermented or
unfermented grape juice.
Obedience to the command requires only that
we should use the fruit of the vine (Matthew 26:29).
The
Lord’s Supper is Both Bread And Wine
Not just
bread.
- This would only provide physical healing for lost souls
who are in need of spiritual renewal.
Not just wine.
- While this renews man’s spirit, it does nothing for
the physical aspects of man.
Man is only made whole through the
appropriation of both elements.
The Partaking
of These Elements is of a Festal Nature.
The wine symbolizes the death of Christ.
- But it is by his death that we are made to live.
- Jesus drank the cup of
suffering!
We drink the cup of joy!
For he
that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not
discerning the Lord’s body. 1 Corinthians 11:29
Not damnation
as pertaining to eternal condemnation, but penal judgment is meant here.
The Christian
should not be deterred from participation in the Lord’s Supper because he feels unworthy.
- All the fitness God requires is to feel our need of him.
Communion is a
Festival of Proclaiming The Death of Christ
Whether or
not it brings perceptible blessings to us, it is to be observed as a means of confessing
Christ, testifying our faith, and publishing the fact of his death to others.
It is to be Celebrated by The Assembled Church
It is not a
solitary observance on the part of individuals.
- The celebration of the Lord’s Supper in each family
by itself is not recognized in the New Testament.
Because we observe the Lord’s Supper
when the whole church is gathered together, private commemoration becomes unnecessary.
- Private participation could be allowed for an individual
who was unable to share in the worship of the church.
The Symbolism
of The Lord’s Supper
It Symbolizes
The Death of Christ For Our Sins.
For as
often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he
come. 1 Corinthians 11:26
It Symbolizes
Our Personal Appropriation of The Benefits of That Death.
Purge out
therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ
our Passover is sacrificed for us: 1 Corinthians 5:7
And when
he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken
for you: this do in remembrance of me. 1 Corinthians 11:24
It Symbolizes
The Method of This Appropriation.
Through union
with Christ himself.
The cup of
blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which
we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10:16
It Symbolizes
The Dependence of The Believer Upon The Savior to Whom He
is United:
Then Jesus
said unto them, Verily, verily, I say into you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man,
and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. John 6:53
This is a
statement, not in regard to the Lord’s Supper, but in regard to spiritual union with
Christ.
- The Lord’s Supper only symbolizes this union.
The Lord’s Supper Expresses The
Fellowship of The Believer, Not With His Brothers, But With Christ, His Lord.
It is not,
primarily, an expression of Christian fellowship.
- Nowhere in the New Testament is it called a communion of
believers with one another.
- The Lord’s Supper is referred to as the communion of
the body and blood of Christ, and is a participation in him.
Historical Consideration of The Lord’s Supper
Not The
Lord’s Presence, But His Absence is Conspicuous.
The supper
reminds us that we are experiencing a real absence of his body.
- It is to be observed, “...till he come.”
Prerequisites
to Participation in The Lord’s Supper
Regeneration
It cannot be
partaken of by one who is, “dead through trespasses and sins.”
- We give no food to a corpse.
Baptism
The apostles
who first celebrated it had been baptized.
Wherefore
of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out
among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from
us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. Acts 1:21-22
The command
of Christ places the order of baptism as first after discipleship.
Go ye
therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I
have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Matthew 28:19-20
The symbolism
of the ordinances required that baptism should precede the Lord’s Supper.
- The order of the facts being signified must be expressed
in the proper order of the ordinances which signify them.
Otherwise the world is taught that
sanctification (symbolized in the Lord’s Supper) may take place without regeneration
(symbolized in baptism).
- Just as none but the circumcised could eat the Passover,
so baptism (the New Testament counterpart to circumcision) must be entered into before
eating the Lord’s Supper.
Church
Membership
The
Lord’s Supper is a church ordinance.
- For this reason, membership in the church naturally
precedes communion.
An Orderly
Walk
A disorderly
walk designates a course of life which is contrary to the precepts of the gospel, and my
be classed under four (4) heads:
- Immoral conduct
- Disobedience to the commands of Christ
- Heresy, or the holding and teaching of false doctrine.
- Schism, or the promotion of division and dissension in the
church.
Excommunication implies nothing if it does
not imply exclusion from communion.
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