The Lord's Supper

by R. Lindsay, Hamilton, U.K. | Category: Key Truths From Corinthians | Sept 1983

Reading: 1 Corinthians 10: 14-22: 11:17-34.

Central to the privileges and exercises of the people of God from Pentecost onward has been the ordinance of the breaking of bread. So, it must have been with a heavy heart that the apostle Paul found that the observance of the Lord's Supper was one of a number of matters on which the Church of God in Corinth needed correction. In providing this, the Spirit of God, through the apostle, has given clear instruction for our day, not only concerning the errors to be avoided when keeping the Remembrance, but also with regard to the precise manner of its observance.

Divine Origin

The record given by Paul of the institution of the Remembrance provides a remarkable confirmation of that found in the synoptic Gospels. Matthew (26:2629); Mark (14:22-25) and Luke (22:14-23) all provide evidence of the events of that last evening spent by the Lord in the Upper Room with His disciples. By divine revelation. Paul had been given the same record. "I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you." No reasonable doubt can thus exist concerning either the establishment of the ordinance by the Lord Jesus Himself, the emblems used or the symbolism which they expressed.

In His inauguration of this precious ordinance, the Lord Jesus established a clear pattern. He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and passed it to His disciples. "And the cup in like manner after supper" (Luke 22:19,20). In the simple clarity of the record we are left in no doubt of the way in which the Master intended His Remembrance should henceforth be kept. His "This do in remembrance of Me." refers as much to the manner in which the ordinance is to be observed as the obligation on His disciples to keep it.

The comments made by the Saviour as He passed the bread and wine to the eleven disciples could not have been couched in simpler language. Of the bread He said, "This is My body, which is given for you," and of the wine, "This cup is the New Covenant in My blood, even that which is poured out for you." These words never fail to come to the believer with fresh power, evoking the response of adoring worship. That the Son of God, Lord of heaven and earth, should yield Himself to the sufferings of Calvary for me! Wonder enough that He should have become Man, having "emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant," (PhiI.2:7)! But He then became "obedient unto death, yea, the death of the Cross" (Phil. 2:8). The sacrifices of Old Testament days had spoken of this. They

were "types" of the great Sacrifice which was awaited. As He passed the bread and wine to His disciples on that last evening the Saviour knew that He Himself was about to become the ultimate sacrifice for sin. as through the eternal Spirit He "offered Himself without blemish unto God"(Heb.9:14). Whenever we keep His Remembrance. the work of Christ for us on the Cross of Calvary is brought before our minds, and from the hearts of the people of God there must surely rise a great response of praise and worship.

Thoughts of His death upon Golgotha's tree,

The spotless Holy One made sin for me.

How fathomless the love He then displayed.

When for my soul He full atonement made!

Observance in New Testament Churches

Apart from that first occasion. when the Lord Himself instituted the Remembrance with His disciples in the Upper Room. there is no indication in Scripture that it was kept other than within the context of a gathering of a church of God. Among some children of God there appears to exist a habit that, whenever a group of believers are found together, a service of "communion" may be held. But from the establishment of the first Church of God in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41,42), it is clear that part of the pattern of God's purpose for His people is that the breaking of bread should provide the basis of the central gathering of God's people in assembly activity. Certainly, this was the case in Troas (Acts 20:7). And even a superficial reading of 1 Cor. 11 makes clear that it was when the Church of God in Corinth was assembled "in church" ("Ye come together as a church" N.I.V.) that they ate the Lord's Supper. There is no question but that there was much wrong in the way in which the Corinthians were breaking the bread and they were experiencing divine chastening as a result. Nevertheless, they did hold firmly to the principle that the breaking of bread was kept as a recognized service of the church.

As he wrote to the Corinthians on this matter, the emphasis laid by Paul on the lordship of Christ is instructive. He refers to "the cup of the Lord" and "the table of the Lord" and describes the breaking of bread as "the Lord's supper." This insistence on the lordship of the One remembered surely demands that those partaking of the Remembrance should be men and women in whose hearts Christ has been acknowledged as Lord, with all that this implies with regard to obedience to His truth and claims.

The example of the Church of God in Troas. who "were gathered together to break bread" on the first day of the week. provides the key to the frequency and the regularity with which this important service is to be kept. The Corinthian church also met together on that day (1 Cor. 16:2). and so we would conclude that it was part of the pattern of behaviour of New Testament churches of God to observe "the Lord's Day" and on it to render obedience to their Lord's

command, "This do in remembrance of Me."

It seems clear, too, that in their gatherings to keep the breaking of bread, there was room for the early disciples to engage in other spiritual activities. There was "the giving of thanks" (1 Cor. 14:16), and the exercise of spiritual gifts for the edification of the saints (14:26). Part of the problem of the Corinthain church was that their pursuit of some of these gifts had gone beyond what was appropriate, and so the apostle Paul had to remind them of the need to "let all things be done decently and in order."

The keeping of the Remembrance should never be a mere formality to the people of God. We share "only bread and only wine," and recognize that these are no more than symbols. No Scriptural authority exists for the doctrine of transubstantiation. The Lord's explanation in the Upper Room, as He passed the bread and wine to the eleven, made clear that the bread speaks 9f H is body and the wine speaks of His blood. Yet, as disciples in churches of God together partake of the emblems, they share in a profound experience. "The cup of blessing ... is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread ... is it not a communion of the body of Christ?"

Week by week, as the work of Christ is brought before us in our sharing of the bread and wine of the Remembrance, the hearts of God's people are moved. It could not be otherwise. As we contemplate all that these simple emblems symbolize, and Calvary with its solemn sacrifice is brought afresh to memory, we thankfully respond in praise and worship. As a holy priesthood. we enter the heavenly sanctuary to offer up spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 10:19-22). This is described as "a sacrifice of praise to God ... that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to His Name" (Heb. 13:15). What a glorious, yet intensely solemn privilege this is, as we come before God offering as our sacrifice our appreciation of the Person and Work of His well-beloved Son. The repeated warning given by God to Israel with regard to their appearances before Him in Tabernacle service is one we would do well to heed, "None shall appear before Me empty" (Exod. 23:15).

Requirements of Spiritual Fitness

Paul was deeply taught in the privileges and consequent responsibilities of the holy priesthood service of the people of God. He was therefore greatly concerned When the practice in the New Testament churches fell short of the high standards demanded by their divine position. Thus, to the Corinthian church he was careful to point out certain practical matters implicit in the keeping of the Remembrance.

In I Cor. 10:14-22, he emphasized the need for disciples to be separate from all that is not of God. "Ye cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons." Primarily, the problem of idolatry was before him in these verses, but the overwhelming need that those who would come to the Lord's table should avoid contamination by anything which could destroy communion is clearly presented.

The need for holiness of life is further dealt with in 1 Cor. 11:27,28. Sin can creep into every life, and spiritual carelessness can dull the experience of every Christian. It is therefore possible for us to eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord unworthily. Participation at the Lord's table is a solemn experience, which must not be undertaken lightly. There is a need for regular self-examination, in the fear of the Lord, to ensure we measure up to the standards of personal behaviour demanded in His word. Among the Corinthian believers there were at least some who were failing in this respect. As a result, when they shared in the Remembrance, they were failing to see in the symbols of bread and wine the deep mystery of the Person and work of Christ. For this they were experiencing the judgement of God. "For this cause, many among you are weak and sickly, and not a few sleep." Clearly, God attaches great importance to the spiritual fitness of those who would remember His Son.

In the Church of God in Corinth there existed a major defect which was adversely affecting their ability to keep the Remembrance. Divisions had arisen among them, and the church was suffering because a divisive tendency was in evidence. There is no doubt that the week-by-week observance was continuing. But Paul was emphatic that their formal observance of the ordinance was empty of substance. "When therefore ye assemble yourselves together, it is not possible to eat the Lord's supper." The Remembrance of the Lord Jesus and the associated service of the holy priesthood must surely be carried out in churches in which that unity, so dear to the heart of the Lord, is evident.

"This do"

The divinely established ordinance of the breaking of bread occupied a central place in the service of New Testament churches of God. That its observance is part of the pattern of collective service of the people of God today is likewise beyond doubt. It is to be kept "till He come." It is equally clear that each saint in the churches of God is responsible to be present at the weekly Remembrance whenever possible. We must take heed of the exhortation to the Hebrew Christians, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the custom of some is" (Heb. 10:25). "This do in remembrance of Me," is a command to be observed to the end. As one faithful disciple has remarked, "What can we do with this but do it?"

R. Lindsay, Hamilton, U.K. | Sept 1983
Key Truths From Corinthians