What Is the Lord’s Supper (Communion), and What Is It Not?

The Lord’s Supper is one of the two ordinances Christ gave to the local church, the other being baptism. It is a solemn act of worship in which baptized believers remember the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ by partaking of bread and the fruit of the vine.

The Lord Jesus instituted this ordinance on the night before His crucifixion:

“And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
—Luke 22:19–20, KJV

The Names of the Ordinance

The Bible uses several expressions associated with this ordinance:

• The Lord’s Supper — “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20).
• The Lord’s Table — “Ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils” (1 Corinthians 10:21).
• Communion — “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16).
• Breaking of bread — The early believers “continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42).

The word communion speaks of fellowship, participation, and a shared identification with Christ and His people. It does not mean that the bread and cup literally become Christ’s body and blood.

The Lord’s Supper Is a Memorial

Jesus clearly stated its purpose:

“This do in remembrance of me.”
—1 Corinthians 11:24

The bread reminds believers of Christ’s body, which was given for them. The cup reminds them of His blood, which was shed for the remission of sins.

The elements are symbols. They direct our hearts to the actual sacrifice Christ completed upon the cross. The ordinance does not repeat that sacrifice or add anything to it.

The Lord’s Supper calls the believer to remember:

• Christ’s sinless life
• His willing sacrifice
• His bodily suffering
• His precious blood
• His substitutionary death
• The forgiveness purchased through His sacrifice
• His bodily resurrection
• His promised return

The Lord’s Supper Proclaims Christ’s Death

Paul wrote:

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”
—1 Corinthians 11:26

To “shew” the Lord’s death means to proclaim or announce it. The Lord’s Supper is therefore a visible presentation of the Gospel. It declares that salvation rests entirely upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.

The bread points to His body given for us. The cup points to His blood shed for us. Together they proclaim that Christ died in the sinner’s place.

The Lord’s Supper Anticipates Christ’s Return

The church is to observe the Lord’s Supper “till he come.” Every observance looks backward to Calvary and forward to Christ’s coming.

Jesus told His disciples:

“But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
—Matthew 26:29

The Lord’s Supper is therefore both a memorial and an expression of Christian hope. The Christ who died, arose, and ascended to Heaven will return.

The Lord’s Supper Expresses Fellowship and Unity

Paul wrote:

“For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.”
—1 Corinthians 10:17

Communion expresses the shared fellowship of believers with Christ and with one another. The church gathers as one body around one Lord, one Gospel, and one faith.

Because of this, the Lord’s Supper must not be observed carelessly while divisions, bitterness, disorder, or unrepentant sin are knowingly tolerated. The Corinthians were rebuked because selfishness and division had corrupted their observance (1 Corinthians 11:17–22).

The Lord’s Supper Requires Self-Examination

Scripture commands:

“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”
—1 Corinthians 11:28

Self-examination does not mean that a believer must become sinlessly perfect before participating. No Christian would ever qualify on that basis. It means that the believer should approach the Lord’s Table reverently, confess known sin, judge improper attitudes, and recognize the sacred meaning of the ordinance.

Paul warned against eating and drinking “unworthily” (1 Corinthians 11:27). The word describes the manner of participation, not a claim that some Christians possess personal merit before God. We come trusting Christ’s worthiness, but we must come sincerely and reverently.

Self-examination should include questions such as:

• Am I truly saved?
• Am I living in known, unconfessed sin?
• Am I harboring bitterness toward another believer?
• Am I treating Christ’s sacrifice lightly?
• Am I walking in fellowship with the Lord?
• Am I willing to make wrongs right?

The command is not merely to examine oneself and abstain. It says, “let a man examine himself, and so let him eat.” The purpose is repentance, restoration, and proper participation.

Who Should Participate?

The pattern of the New Testament indicates that the Lord’s Supper is for saved, baptized believers walking in fellowship with Christ and His church.

On the day of Pentecost, those who received the Word were baptized, added to the church, and then continued in the breaking of bread:

“Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
—Acts 2:41

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
—Acts 2:42

The biblical order is:

1. Salvation
2. Believer’s baptism
3. Addition to and fellowship with the local church
4. Participation in the Lord’s Supper

The ordinance belongs to the assembled local church and should be administered under its biblical authority and oversight.

How Often Should It Be Observed?

The Bible does not command a particular schedule. Paul said, “as often as ye eat this bread” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Some churches observe it weekly, monthly, quarterly, or at other appropriate times.

The important issue is not the precise frequency but that it be observed faithfully, biblically, reverently, and with a clear understanding of its meaning.

What the Lord’s Supper Is Not

It Is Not a Means of Salvation

Partaking of Communion does not forgive sin, impart saving grace, produce regeneration, or help earn eternal life.

Salvation is received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
—Ephesians 2:8–9

The Lord’s Supper is for those who have already been saved. It is an act of obedience by believers, not a method by which unbelievers become believers.

It Is Not a Sacrament That Dispenses Saving Grace

The New Testament presents the Lord’s Supper as an ordinance—a command Christ gave His church to observe. It is not a religious ritual through which a church or priest distributes saving grace.

Grace and forgiveness come from God through faith in Christ, not through consuming bread and wine.

It Is Not the Literal Body and Blood of Christ

When Jesus said, “This is my body” and “This is my blood,” He was speaking symbolically, just as He said:

• “I am the door” (John 10:9)
• “I am the true vine” (John 15:1)
• “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35)

Jesus was physically present with His disciples when He handed them the bread and cup. His literal body had not yet been crucified, and His blood had not yet been shed. The elements represented the sacrifice He was about to make.

After speaking of the cup, Jesus still called its contents “this fruit of the vine” (Matthew 26:29). The substance had not become literal blood.

It Is Not Transubstantiation

Transubstantiation teaches that the bread and wine are changed into the literal body and blood of Christ. This doctrine is not supported by Scripture.

The bread remains bread, and the fruit of the vine remains the fruit of the vine. They serve as sacred symbols reminding believers of Christ’s body and blood.

It Is Not Consubstantiation

The Lord’s physical body is not contained “in, with, or under” the elements. Christ bodily ascended into Heaven, where He remains until His return (Acts 1:9–11; 3:20–21).

Believers enjoy genuine spiritual fellowship with Christ during Communion, but His physical body is not present inside the bread or cup.

It Is Not a Repetition of Christ’s Sacrifice

The Lord’s Supper does not offer Christ again. His sacrifice was completed once for all:

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.”
—Hebrews 9:28

“By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
—Hebrews 10:10

Jesus declared from the cross:

“It is finished.”
—John 19:30

No priest, church, ceremony, or ritual can repeat, renew, or complete what Christ fully accomplished at Calvary.

It Is Not a Common Meal

The Corinthians had turned the Lord’s Supper into a disorderly meal characterized by selfishness, division, and even drunkenness. Paul rebuked them and told those who were hungry to eat at home (1 Corinthians 11:20–22, 34).

The Lord’s Supper is a sacred church ordinance, not an ordinary fellowship dinner.

It Is Not to Be Taken Carelessly

The elements possess no magical power, but the ordinance is nevertheless holy because Christ established it and gave it profound meaning.

Some Corinthians treated the Lord’s Supper irreverently, and God disciplined them:

“For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”
—1 Corinthians 11:30

Their conduct demonstrates that Communion must not be reduced to empty ritual, entertainment, or routine.

It Is Not for Unbelievers

An unsaved person cannot truthfully remember Christ as his Saviour or proclaim personal fellowship in His saving work. Participation cannot substitute for repentance and faith.

An unbeliever’s need is not to take Communion but to receive Jesus Christ by faith.

It Is Not a Substitute for Christian Living

A person cannot live in deliberate rebellion throughout the week and then repair his relationship with God merely by partaking of Communion. The ordinance calls believers to honest self-examination, repentance, fellowship, and renewed obedience.

The Central Meaning of Communion

The Lord’s Supper directs attention away from human merit and toward Jesus Christ. It reminds the church:

• His body was given for us.
• His blood was shed for us.
• His sacrifice is sufficient.
• His resurrection assures our hope.
• His church is to walk in unity and holiness.
• His people are to remember Him until He returns.

Communion does not save us; it reminds us of the Saviour who does. It does not repeat Calvary; it proclaims the finished work accomplished there. It does not turn bread and the cup into Christ; it uses those elements to direct believing hearts toward Christ.