Online Bible Study - Foundations of Faith

The Lord's Supper

What is this special spiritual meal that God has given to believers?
It is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, in, with and under the bread and wine, given to Christians to eat and to drink. The Bible teaches us this in the following verses, Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20, and 1 Corinthians 11:23-25. (Please look up and read each of these verses from the Holy Bible.)

St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you. That the Lord Jesus the night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he broke 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.'"

Obviously, this is not an ordinary meal, not a simple eating of bread and wine. In addition to the physical act of eating and drinking, it is, according to the Bible, the spiritual eating and drinking of Christ's body and blood. It brings with it great and wonderful spiritual benefits. The spiritual benefit to the Christian is the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus said in Matthew 26:26-28, "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat, this is my body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.'" St. Paul in Ephesians 1:7 adds, "In whom (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."

Real Presence
Since we believe the Word of God in the Bible is divinely inspired truth, we must also believe in the real presence of Christ's body and blood in the holy meal.

In 1 Corinthians 10:16 the Apostle Paul writes, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"

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