The Lord’s Supper

We believe that the Lord’s Supper is one of two continuing ordinances given by Jesus Christ to the Church. Jesus instituted it on the night before His crucifixion and commanded His followers to observe it in remembrance of Him.

The bread represents Christ’s body given for us, and the cup represents His blood shed for the forgiveness of sins. The elements remain bread and the fruit of the vine. They do not become the physical body and blood of Christ, repeat His sacrifice, or provide salvation through the act of receiving them.

The Lord’s Supper remembers Christ’s completed sacrifice, proclaims His death, gives thanks for His saving work, and looks forward to His return. It also expresses the shared fellowship of believers with Christ and with one another.

The Lord’s Supper should be received by genuine believers who examine themselves and approach in repentance, faith, gratitude, and love. Self-examination does not mean becoming worthy through personal perfection. It means recognizing the meaning of the Supper, confessing known sin, trusting in Christ’s completed work, and treating other believers with love.

We believe that all genuine believers may participate when they approach the Lord’s Supper with sincere faith and self-examination. Participation should never be careless or divisive, and the Supper should not be treated as an empty religious routine.

Supporting Scriptures

Christ Institutes the Lord’s Supper

Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26

Remembrance and Proclamation

Luke 22:19-20; I Corinthians 11:23-26

Fellowship with Christ and His People

Acts 2:42-47; I Corinthians 10:16-17

Christ’s Completed Sacrifice

John 19:28-30; Hebrews 7:26-28; Hebrews 9:24-28; Hebrews 10:10-18

Self-Examination and Worthy Participation

I Corinthians 11:17-34

Thanksgiving and the Hope of Christ’s Return

Matthew 26:27-29; I Corinthians 11:26; Revelation 19:6-9

Layman’s Terms

The Lord’s Supper helps Christians remember what Jesus did for us. The bread points to His body given on the cross, and the cup points to His blood shed for our sins.

The bread and cup do not save us, and Christ is not sacrificed again. His sacrifice was completed once for all. We receive the Supper to remember Him, thank Him, proclaim His death, and look forward to His return.

The Lord’s Supper is both personal and shared. Each believer should examine his or her own heart, but believers receive it together as members of Christ’s people.

Self-examination does not mean that we must make ourselves perfect before participating. None of us could approach Christ on that basis. It means that we take the Supper seriously, confess known sin, trust in Christ, and seek peace with other believers.

Further Study

Why the Lord’s Supper Is an Ordinance

The Lord’s Supper was instituted and commanded by Jesus Christ. Paul taught the same practice to the church at Corinth and explained that believers proclaim the Lord’s death whenever they eat the bread and drink the cup.

The Supper therefore belongs to the continuing worship and life of the Church. It is not an optional tradition developed by later Christians. The Church is to continue observing it until Christ returns.

The Meaning of the Bread and the Cup

Jesus used bread and the cup to represent His body and blood. These elements direct the believer’s attention to His death on the cross, where His body was given and His blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins.

We understand the bread and cup to remain what they are. They do not change into Christ’s physical body and blood. Their importance comes from Christ’s command and from the saving reality they represent, not from a physical transformation of the elements.

Christians have reached different conclusions about how Christ is present in the Lord’s Supper. We understand this fellowship to be spiritual and received through faith; the elements remain bread and the fruit of the vine.

Christ’s Sacrifice Is Complete

The Lord’s Supper does not repeat or continue Christ’s sacrifice. Jesus offered Himself once for all, and His completed work is sufficient to save everyone who comes to God through Him.

The bread and cup point believers back to that finished sacrifice. Observing the Supper adds nothing to Christ’s payment for sin and does not make us more deserving before God.

Because Christ’s sacrifice is complete, believers approach the Supper with gratitude and confidence rather than attempting to earn forgiveness through the ceremony.

Remembrance, Proclamation, and Thanksgiving

When believers receive the Lord’s Supper, they look backward, outward, and forward.

They look backward by remembering Christ’s sacrifice. They look outward by proclaiming His death to one another and to the world. They look forward by anticipating His return and the future fellowship He promised in His kingdom.

The Supper is also an act of thanksgiving. Believers receive it with gratitude because salvation rests upon what Christ has completed rather than upon what they can accomplish.

Fellowship with Christ and Other Believers

Paul described the cup and bread as participation in the blood and body of Christ. This does not mean that believers physically consume Christ. It describes genuine spiritual fellowship with Him and the shared identity of everyone who belongs to Him.

The one bread also presents a picture of the unity of believers. Christians come from different families, cultures, backgrounds, and circumstances, but all who trust in Christ belong to one body.

The Lord’s Supper therefore cannot be separated from how believers treat one another. The divisions and selfishness at Corinth contradicted the very fellowship the Supper proclaimed.

Self-Examination

Paul warned the Corinthians against receiving the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. His warning concerned the careless, selfish, and divisive way they were observing it. Some ate excessively while others went hungry, and they failed to recognize the sacred meaning of the gathering.

Receiving the Supper worthily does not mean becoming personally worthy of Christ’s sacrifice. No believer is sinless or deserving. Our confidence rests in Christ rather than in ourselves.

Self-examination means honestly considering our faith, conduct, relationships, and attitude toward the Lord’s Supper. Believers should confess known sin, seek reconciliation where possible, and participate with repentance, faith, gratitude, and reverence.

Who Should Participate?

The Lord’s Supper is intended for those who have personally trusted in Jesus Christ. Participation publicly expresses fellowship with Christ, acceptance of the Gospel, and identification with His people.

We believe genuine believers may participate even when they are not members of the particular local church serving the Supper. They should, however, understand its meaning and approach with sincere faith and self-examination.

Churches have a responsibility to explain the Supper clearly rather than assuming that everyone understands its meaning. Individuals also bear responsibility before God to examine themselves and participate with faith and reverence.

Memory Passage

I Corinthians 11:23-26