By Dr. Terry L. Thompson
As the church
moves more and more into the Apostolic foundations, things
are beginning to change. For many years the focus of our church
meetings has been on great pulpiteering. While the preaching of God's word is of the utmost importance, I believe that we will begin to see the church move back to the
Lord's Table as our focal point. In this article, I want to cover some basics
about this table and clarify some
traditional misunderstandings about coming
to the Holy Communion.Let us begin
by reading I Corinthians 11: 18 - 34 "18 For first of all,
when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. 19 For there must also be factions among you, that those
who are approved may be recognized
among you. 20 Therefore when you come
together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you. 23 For I received
from the Lord that which I also
delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on
the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and
said, "Take, eat; this is My body
which is broken for you; do this in remembrance
of Me." 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the
new covenant in My blood. This do, as often
as you drink it, in remembrance of
Me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats this bread
or drinks this cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so
let him eat of the bread and drink of
the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks
in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For
this reason many are weak and sick
among you, and many sleep. 31 For if
we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord,
that we may not be condemned with the
world. 33 Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to
eat, wait for one another. 34 But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home,
lest you come together for judgment.
And the rest I will set in order when
I come."There are
several expressions used to describe this ordinance.Such as: Lord's
Supper (I Cor. 11:20), it is also called "the Lord's
table" (1 Cor. 10:21), "communion,"
"cup of blessing" (1 Cor.
10:16), and "breaking of bread"
(Acts 2:42). In the early Church it was also called "Eucharist," or giving of thanks (Compare Matt. 26:27), and generally by the Latin Church "mass," a name derived from the
formula of dismission: 'Ite, missa est', i.e., "Go, it is
discharged."The account of
the institution of this ordinance is given in Matt. 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25,
Luke 22:19, 20 and 1 Cor. 11:2426. It is not
mentioned by John.It was
designed to:(1.) Commemorate the death of Christ: "This do in remembrance of
me."(2.) Signify, seal, and apply to believers all the benefits of the new covenant. In this ordinance Christ ratifies his
promises to his people, and they on their part solemnly consecrate themselves
to Him and to His entire service.(3) Be a
badge of the Christian profession.(4.) Indicate and to promote the communion of believers with Christ.(5.) Represent the mutual communion of believers with each other.The elements
used to represent Christ's body and blood are bread and wine.
The kind of bread, whether leavened or unleavened, is not specified. Christ
used unleavened bread simply because it was at that moment on the paschal
table. Wine, and no other liquid, is to be used (Matt. 26:26-29).Believers
"feed" on Christ's body and blood, (1.) not with the mouth in any manner, but (2.) by the soul alone, and (3.) by faith, which is the mouth or
hand of the soul. This they do (4.) by the power
of the Holy Ghost. This "feeding"
on Christ, however, takes place not
in the Lord's Supper alone, but whenever faith in him is exercised.The earliest
written account of the institution of the Lord's Supper is in I Corinthians
11:23-26. The Corinthian church was divided, and many of its members were
selfish and self-indulgent. In their fellowship meal, therefore, they did not
eat "the Lord's Supper" (v. 20); for some overindulged, while others
were left hungry and humiliated. In response to this abuse, Paul reminded them of the
tradition that he had received and passed on to them regarding the
Supper of the Lord with His disciples the night He was betrayed."The Lord
Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 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.
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped,
saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as
oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."The terms Eucharist or thanksgiving and communion or
fellowship are often applied to the Supper, and each
highlights a significant aspect of this ordinance. "The Lord's
Supper" appears more satisfactory for the overall designation,
reminding Christians that they share the loaf and cup at His table, not their
own.The account
of the Last Supper in Mark 14:22-26 is roughly parallel to Paul's account but
with some differences (see also Matt. 26:26-29 and Luke 22:17-20). Both
accounts (Mark's and Paul's) record the blessing (thanksgiving) and breaking
of bread. Both refer to covenant in connection with the cup as His blood, though only Paul called this a new covenant
(see Jer. 31:31-34). Both contain a future
emphasis, though in different forms. Mark indicated that Jesus
said He would not drink again of the fruit of the vine until He drank it anew in the kingdom of God. Paul related
that "whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the
Lord's death until he comes" (1Cor. 11:26 NIV).All Christians
are unworthy to share the Lord's Supper, but His grace has provided for them in their unworthiness.
But, at this Table, self-examination for
worthiness is out of place and is not scriptural. What Paul said was, "He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation." Unworthily is an adverb. Adverbs modify actions; adjectives modify nouns. The tragedy is that some were partaking in an unworthy manner,
not discerning the Lord's body Paul addressed this matter for the Corinthians and
for us, urging that Christians
examine themselves and respect the corporate body of Christ as they share the Supper of the Lord. The Corinthians could not keep their eyes on Jesus. They
used the infilling of the Holy Spirit as an opportunity for self-expression and
self-edification, not understanding
the purposes of God for the building up of the body.The
Corinthians took the Lord's Supper in association with the Agape feast, which
was a love feast, later outlawed by the Romans who outlawed the social
activities of Christians, but allowed them to keep the religious act of the
Lord's Supper. The Agape was a supper where the saints would meet in a house,
bring their supper with them, and follow the Agape feast with the Lord's Supper, the Communion. In their carnality,
they would come to the supper, the rich showing off, the poor intimidated by their small fare, and with the attention on their various
abilities to provide, they lost
sight of the Lord and some of them would even get drunk on the wine in the feast.In this 11th
chapter of First Corinthians, there are four different words in the
English: damnation, condemnation, judgment, and a rendition of judgment. These four words translate two
Greek words: krima or `temporary judgement' and katakrima [If
you want something temporary to
become permanent, you put 'kata' in front of it in Greek] In the original of the 11th
chapter, Paul contrasts ultimate
damnation, katakrima, with
temporary damnation or punishment, krima. It's the only place in
the New Testament where God knowingly
and willingly allows sickness on His people. The temporary punishment (krima) He allows is sickness, weakness, and death, in order to prevent, if possible,
the ultimate damnation discussed at
the close of the chapter, 'katakrima, that is laid on the world. God gets our attention by
letting His saints suffer krima. "If you eat and drink unworthily
in an unworthy manner, you eat and
drink (krima), temporary punishment to yourselves."Paul stressed the memorial aspect
of the Supper. "DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME." Christians were to remember that the body of Christ was broken and His blood shed for
them. As in baptism, sharing the
Supper is a proclamation of the gospel in hope, "until He comes." As the Passover was a symbol of the old covenant, the Lord's Supper is a symbol of the new
covenant. Christians remember the
sacrifice provided for their deliverance from bondage and the ultimate consummation in the land of promise, the kingdom
of God.The Supper
shared in remembrance of the past and hope for the future is
fulfilled in fellowship for the present. Time and again the phrase
"in Christ" is repeated in the writings of Paul. Union in Christ and
unity with Christians is a recurring theme. Not surprisingly,
therefore, one finds these emphases
related to the Lord's Supper. "Is not the cup of thanks giving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? and is not the bread that we break a aparticipation in the body of
Christ?" (1 Cor. 10:16 NIV). Paul was not talking about a
repetition of the sacrifice of Christ, but
a genuine sharing of fellowship (koinonia) with the
living Lord. Fellowship in Christ is
basic for fellowship in his body (v. 17).The cure is
to eat and drink worthily. Unworthily is defined as when you eat and drink not discerning the Lord's body, not seeing through these elements to what it is we are to
remember. Jesus made it simple: He took the bread and broke it saying,
"This is MY body." He took the cup saying, "This is MY
blood." He said, " As oft as you do it, REMEMBER ME."The
Corinthians' problem was that their eyes were everywhere else. The very
act of transferring your attention from Jesus, symbolized in
the Communion elements, to your own worthiness is to transfer attention from
the Lord to
yourself. There is NO place for My righteousness
at the Table. There is NO place for My attention to my
Unrighteousness. There is only room for attention to His righteousness
and His Grace by the blood of the Lamb. No one is worthy to
partake of the elements. We are made worthy by the blood of the Lamb. That is what
we are to see as we look at the elements.Satan has been
in the business of misquoting scripture from the beginning. Satan has been
walling God's people away by misquoting Paul. He does this to cause
people to bypass the elements because they feel they are NOT worthy
to partake of them. The starting point is NOT unworthiness, but the starting
point is His worthiness. There ought to be no guilt when we come to the
Lord's table.No doubt such
incur great guilt, and so render themselves liable to spiritual judgments.
But fearful believers should not be discouraged from attending at this holy
ordinance. The Holy Spirit never caused this scripture to be written to
deter serious Christians from their duty, though the devil has often made this use
of it. The apostle was addressing Christians, and warning them to beware of the
temporal judgments with which God chastised his offending servants. And in the midst of
judgment, God remem- bers mercy: many
times punishes those whom he loves. It is better to bear trouble in this world, than to be
miserable forever. The apostle points out the duty of those who
come to the Lord's Table. Christ focus is necessary to right of
attendance at this holy ordinance.What is eaten
is called bread, though at the same time it is said to be the body of the Lord,
plainly showing that the apostle did not mean that the bread was changed into
flesh. Matthew tells us, our Lord bid them all drink of the cup (Matthew
26:27) as if he would, by this expression, provide against any believer being
deprived of the cup. The things signified by these outward signs, are
Christ's body and blood, his body broken, his blood shed, together with all the benefits,
which flow from his death and sacrifice.Our Savior's
actions were taking the bread and cup, giving thanks, breaking the bread,
and giving both the one and the other. The actions of the communicants were
to take the bread and eat, to take the cup and drink, and to do both in
remembrance of Christ. But the outward acts are not the whole, or the principal
part, of what is to be done at the holy ordinance. Those who partake of it, are to take him as their Lord and Life, yield themselves
up to Him, and live upon Him. Here is an account of the ends of this ordinance. It 'is
to be done in remembrance of Christ, to keep fresh in our minds His
dying for us, as well as to remember Christ pleading for us, in
virtue of His death, at God's right hand. It is not merely in remembrance
of Christ, of what he has done and suffered; but to celebrate his
grace in our redemption. We declare His death to be our life, the
spring of all our comforts and hopes. And we glory in such a declaration;
we show forth His death, and plead it as our accepted sacrifice and ransom. The
Lord's Supper is not an ordinance to be observed merely for a time, but to be
continued indefinitely.
(Dr. Terry L.
Thompson's website: terrylthompson.org)