1 Corinthians 11:25, commentary and pictures

On the night before his crucifixion, after supper, Christ took the cup as the new covenant in his blood and gave it as a continuing ordinance to commemorate his death. The cup represents his blood poured out and spilled for the sins of the world to cleanse all who seek pardon and receive him as Saviour. He gave this service in place of the Passover, to be kept by his followers in all lands and through all ages, since the Passover had pointed forward to him as the spotless Lamb of God and was fulfilled in his death. Drinking it is done in personal remembrance of Jesus, keeping his betrayal, suffering and crucifixion fresh in mind and proclaiming his death until he comes. Eating his flesh and drinking his blood in these symbols means receiving Christ by faith and obeying his Word, not eating his flesh literally, nor does the bread and wine become his actual body and blood.

Cup, Blood, and Covenant

The cup is the appointed reminder of God's love and of Jesus' life given for the world, drunk in remembrance of Jesus himself and of his death for those who receive him. It represents his blood, shed and spilled in his death for the sins of the world. That blood was poured out to cleanse from sin all who seek pardon and receive him as Saviour, and believers depend continually upon it for salvation. The ordinance keeps his betrayal and crucifixion fresh in the minds of his followers.

The cup is the new covenant, the new testament, in his blood. In sharing it Christ pledged himself as Redeemer, ratifying God's covenant by his blood. The bread and the wine together make a vivid illustration of the infinite sacrifice he made for the sinful world and for each person, with the bread recalling his broken body and the cup his blood poured out and spilled. In those symbols Christ is presented as crucified, the precious Saviour and sin-bearer who became sin for humanity so they might become the righteousness of God in him.

The drink that represents his blood is the pure juice of the grape in its natural state, not fermented, intoxicating wine. The bread likewise is to be pure and unleavened, because both elements represent his body and blood. Nothing fermented is to be used or placed on the Lord's table, and no intoxicating wine is to be placed there. Fermented wine would spoil the symbol of his blood and was not used to represent it.

To eat his flesh and drink his blood in these symbols is to receive Christ by faith and to become one with him in spiritual life, not to eat his flesh literally. It is joined with daily receiving his Word and doing his will, as the bread of life that satisfies the soul. Obedience to his Word nourishes spiritual life and unites believers with him. The representations are understood through faith, with the Holy Spirit preparing the mind to grasp the truths they convey.

Institution and Passover Setting

Christ instituted the Lord's Supper on the night before His crucifixion, after supper, and commanded its repeated observance in remembrance of His death. It stands as a continuing ordinance to commemorate His death, recalling His betrayal and crucifixion.

He instituted this service in place of the Passover, to be observed by His followers in all lands and through all ages as a memorial of His sacrifice. In doing so He turned disciples from Jewish rites and ceremonies, whose purpose was fulfilled when Christ came as the one effective offering for sin.

The Passover had recalled Israel's deliverance from Egypt and had pointed forward to Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, whose death brought redemption to fallen humanity. Its type was fulfilled when Christ died on the cross, reaching its fulfillment in Him. The new ordinance commemorates a greater work of atonement and final deliverance than that deliverance from Egypt, of which Israel's deliverance was a type. It was instituted in circumstances that recalled the danger and opposition surrounding Christ's last hours, which made its institution especially vivid to those gathered.

Remembrance and Proclamation

Drinking the cup is done in remembrance of Jesus himself, recalling God's love and His life given for the world and His death on behalf of those who receive it. The cup represents the new covenant established through His blood, and the service was set in place of the Passover as a memorial of His sacrifice to be kept by His followers in all lands and through all ages. The bread and wine make a vivid illustration of the infinite sacrifice made for the sinful world and for each person, with Christ presented in its symbols as crucified.

The service commemorates His humiliation, betrayal, suffering and offered sacrifice for the sins of the world, keeping His betrayal and crucifixion fresh in the minds of His followers. Partaking with spiritual understanding calls to mind the whole painful scene of His communion with His disciples, including His agony in Gethsemane and the abuse and suffering He endured. It keeps the memory of the crucified Saviour's suffering and death fresh among believers as an ordinance of the Lord's house.

The wine symbolizes His blood shed to cleanse the sins of those who come to Him for pardon and receive Him as Saviour, on which cleansing blood believers continually depend for salvation. The ordinance reminds them of that continual dependence and keeps their hope of eternal life before them as they meet and commune with Christ at the table, feeding on Him through the symbols of His broken body and shed blood. In this it commemorates a greater work of atonement and final deliverance, of which Israel's deliverance from Egypt was a type.

Partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine brings the scenes of His suffering and death freshly to mind. It keeps His crucifixion before the believer through the symbols of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, which are understood through faith as receiving His words, so that obedience to His Word nourishes spiritual life and unites believers with Him, with the Holy Spirit preparing the mind to grasp the truths conveyed. Believers observe it to remember His death until He comes, and by it proclaim His death until He comes.

Errors About the Ordinance

The cup is received in remembrance of Christ as a scriptural ordinance centered on bread and wine. It does not teach that the bread becomes his actual body nor that the wine becomes his actual blood. It is distinct from the mass, which replaced this ordinance with the claim that priests can turn the elements into his actual body and blood and offer them as a sacrifice.

The Supper is a memorial of his sacrifice that supports frequent observance, not merely an annual one. The cup represents his cleansing blood, on which people continually depend for salvation. It commemorates his greater work of atonement and final deliverance, of which Israel's deliverance from Egypt was a type. The claim that the sacrament is simply the Passover continued as an observance required only once a year has been treated as an error and set beside other disputed views about how often to partake.

Preparation and Order of Service

The communion service is to be preceded by Christ's ordinance of foot washing, the ordinance of humility, following the Lord's example. The cup belongs among the emblems of His death, and believers partake of those emblems only after that preparatory service. Partaking rightly requires necessary preparation, comes after baptism, and comes after washing one another's feet. When rightly partaken it brings the presence of the Lord with rejoicing and weeping, awful and yet glorious.

That preparatory service keeps Christ's humility and service in mind and helps remove pride, conflict, and striving for supremacy, so the heart can enter fellowship with Christ and receive the communion of His body and blood. It teaches believers not to exalt themselves over one another or foster division. In taking part they are to examine the conscience, remember the lessons symbolized, receive conviction of sin, and bring penitence. Right partaking is observed together with the washing of feet after humble confessions, and its observance brings gratification and does a good work.

It is a time for hushing controversies, forgiving those who have done injury, making right anything against a brother, and settling every difficulty with mutual forgiveness. No strange flame is to be brought to the altar, and no malice or hatred is to be cherished by those who meet round the communion table. Participation in the ordinance of feet washing is not obligatory before partaking of communion, and one who only witnesses feet washing is still welcome to partake.

The supper is a duty laid upon believers in God's Word to keep them humble and separate from the world and to keep them from backsliding like the nominal churches. Christ instituted the cup as a remembrance of His sacrifice and intended the supper to be commemorated often, practiced more frequently by believers, following the example He set as exactly as possible. Participation is not to be exclusive: each person is to take part publicly as a witness of accepting Christ as a personal Saviour, who gave His life to rescue believers from death.

The observance is a gathered church service, kept in the meeting of believers after speaking to the people, held as an evening meeting for communion joined with washing of feet. Sisters and brethren are seated apart, and the observance is a precious, solemn, profitable season to all who attend. Where it has never been practiced it is to be given by example, with washing of the saints' feet, men showing men and women showing women, until all heartily take part. It is a solemn, profitable, interesting occasion of weeping and rejoicing and humbling before God altogether, long to be remembered, with fitting talk when breaking the bread that moves the congregation to sobs and groans. The sacrament may be administered to a sick believer at the bedside, even when death is expected and it is thought to be the last communion before death.

Judas shared in the sacrament even though he was preparing to betray Jesus. Christ knew his purpose but still included him and gave him an opportunity to repent. The cup therefore shows Christ's longsuffering mercy toward sinners and teaches that those who are in error should not be abandoned or driven further into temptation.

Fellowship and Spiritual Blessing

Through this covenant all who receive Christ become children of God and joint heirs with Him, receiving every blessing heaven can give for this life and the life to come. His blood ratifies the covenant, and the communion service keeps before believers the infinite sacrifice He made for each person. At the communion table believers meet and commune with Christ, feeding on Him through the symbols of His broken body and shed blood, which keeps His sacrificial love and their hope of eternal life before them.

High and low, rich and poor, learned and unlearned meet together around the communion table as those purchased by His blood, without malice or hatred, having forgiven one another and settled disagreements. The bread and cup are symbols of the broken body and spilled blood of the precious Saviour, who as sin-bearer became sin for humanity so they might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The occasion is a solemn, precious, profitable and interesting season of refreshment, awful and yet glorious, marked by humbling before God with weeping and rejoicing together, long to be remembered. Fitting talk when breaking the bread moves the congregation to sobs and groans. Its observance brings gratification and does a good work, and is a precious season to all who attend.

Christ is in the midst and heaven is pleased, and on these occasions the Lord manifests Himself in a special manner with His presence to soften and subdue the soul. He expels selfishness, imbues believers with the Holy Spirit, and brings love and grace and peace and gratification into contrite hearts, leaving sweet peace.