Biblical Significance of the Holy Communion

We can look at the Lord's Table, the Eucarist or the Holy Communion in three main ways:

1. In relation to Christ

For christians the partaking of the Holy Communion has three main aspects.

Proclaimation

Paul said, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1 Cor. 11:26, NKJV, emphasis added).

Not everyone is a preacher. But, by the act of taking the Holy Communion we are proclaiming the Gospel not only to our fellow believers, but the whole world seen or unseen, to the Holy Spirit, the evil spirits and angels, good or evil what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross. We are proclaiming to the whole universe that Jesus Christ shed His blood and died on our behalf to redeem us. We are also proclaiming our faith in Him as our Savior and Lord.

Remembrance

Jesus said, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me" (1 Cor. 11:25, emphasis added).

It is said that, basically, a person can only remember about 40% of what he hears, 60% of what he sees, but 80% of what he hears, sees and does.

The application of this principle is also the same for the sacrament of Water Baptism and the sacrament of the Holy Communion.

The sacrament of water baptism is a symbolic act of identification of a person with Jesus Christ with His death, burial and His resurrection. Similarly, the sacrament of the Lord's Table is a symbolic act of partaking of the Lord's blood and body. These sacraments are not only heard, seen or heard, but seen, heard and acted out. The purpose is for christians to remember what Jesus has done for them.

Every time we partake of the Holy Communion we are reminded of the fact that Jesus died for us as sinners and that the cross is the ultimate demonstration of God's love for everyone of us.

Anticipation

Paul said, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1 Cor. 11:26, emphasis added).

Notice that we are not to proclaim the Lord's death forever. But, until He comes! In other words, we do not only look back and remember His death, but we also look forward to anticipate His coming again.

Someone said, "No past but the cross, no future but the coming". Our past before the cross is forgotten as we wait for the Lord's return.

Christians must believe that the Lord is coming again. He is coming quickly and suddenly. The New Testament ends with a prayer - "even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev. 22:20). All christians must pray this prayer often.

In my opinion, the only ultimate solution to earth's problems is the personal return of Jesus Christ. If He does not come back we will still be in a mess that we cannot get out of. This is the reason the Lord wants us to anticipate His return.

2. In relation to Christ's body

There are also three aspects:

Recognition

Paul said, "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body" (1 Cor. 11:29, emphasis added).

I think discerning is a better word. Believers are to look beyond what the bread and wine speak of. We see the Body of the Lord and we feed on the Body of the Lord. Because there is only one loaf, we are one body, the Church. When we look at the person sitting next to us we do not see just a person, we see a member of the Body of Christ - someone whom Jesus died and shed His blood for. The bread is the Body of the Lord. The people who partake of the Communion with us are the living body of the Lord - members of His Body.

Failing to discern the Lord's Body was a major problem of the Corinthian Church. They had wrong relationships between them. They failed to discern and that was the reason some of them were sick or even died. It could be the major cause of sickness and premature death among christians today.

Participation

Paul said, "For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread" (1 Cor. 10:17, emphasis added).

In the Communion we all are partakers of the same bread together.

Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you" (John 6:53).

In other words, the only source of life is in the flesh and blood of Jesus. Those who partake of the Communion have divine life.

Sharing

Sharing is another word for communion - they mean the same thing.

Paul said, "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?" (1 Cor. 10:16, emphasis added)

So, when we partake of the bread and the cup we are sharing the Lord with our fellow believers. We are reminded we are only a small group of christians in the Universal Church. We are also reminded of all the believers who lived before us. We are united in this Communion.

3. In relation to the world

It means separation from the world:

"Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you" (2 Cor. 6:17, emphasis added).

Paul said, "Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons" (1 Cor. 10:20,21).

Whenever we partake of the Communion we draw a line of separation between us and anything that is satanic or any occult involment. We cannot have a foot in both camps. We must not keep anything that does not honour the Lord. We cannot partake of the Lord's table and Satan's table.

God takes the Holy Communion seriously and we must do likewise!