What is the Lord's Supper?
The Lord's Supper is the meal Jesus gave His church in remembrance of Him: the bread and the cup proclaim His death until He comes, and believers share it in faith, examining themselves, receiving Christ, and renewing communion with Him and with one another.
This question arose from studying Why do I need the church?.
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What the Scripture says
Jesus instituted it at the Last Supper
This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. And he took the cup, saying, this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. It is His gift to the church, given the night He was betrayed.
He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” Likewise, he took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
As they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks for it, and broke it. He gave to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, “All of you drink it, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins.
It proclaims the gospel
As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. It is a sermon in bread and wine, declaring the cross to ourselves, to the church, and to the watching world.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.” In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.”
It requires self-examination
Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat and drink. We come repentant, not perfect, but honest.
Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks the Lord’s cup in a way unworthy of the Lord will be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy way eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he doesn’t discern the Lord’s body.
For if we discerned ourselves, we wouldn’t be judged.
It is communion with Christ and His people
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a sharing of the blood of Christ? We, who are many, are one bread, one body, for we all partake of the one bread. It is a family meal around the one Table.
The cup of blessing which we bless, isn’t it a sharing of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, isn’t it a sharing of the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf of bread, we, who are many, are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf of bread.
They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayer.
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For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.” In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and gave to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” Likewise, he took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread, and drink of the cup.
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