What Is the Lord’s Supper, and Why Does It Matter?
Ordinary bread. Ordinary wine. And a meaning so deep that Jesus told his followers to keep doing this until he returns.
Jesus gave it to us himself
On the night before he was crucified, Jesus sat down with his disciples for a Passover meal. And in the middle of that meal, he did something new — he took bread and wine and gave them a meaning they had never carried before:
“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’”
This was not a casual dinner instruction. Jesus was about to go to the cross. In his final hours with his closest friends, he chose to give them a meal — a physical, repeatable act — so they would never forget what was about to happen and why.
What the bread and wine mean
The bread
“This is my body, which is given for you.” The bread represents Christ’s body, broken on the cross for our sake.
The cup
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” The wine represents Christ’s blood, poured out to establish a new covenant between God and his people.
Remembrance
“Do this in remembrance of me.” Every time we eat and drink, we are actively remembering what Christ did — not just thinking about it, but declaring it.
Looking backward and forward
Paul, who received this tradition directly from the Lord, adds a dimension that is easy to miss:
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
The Lord’s Supper looks in two directions simultaneously. Backward — to the cross, where Christ’s body was broken and his blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins. And forward — “until he comes.” Every time you take communion, you are proclaiming that the one who died is coming back. The meal sits between two events: the crucifixion and the return.
A cup Jesus has not yet finished drinking
There is a remarkable detail at the Last Supper that is easy to overlook. After sharing the cup with his disciples, Jesus said:
“For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
Jesus made a vow: he would not drink wine again until the kingdom comes in its fullness. And when he hung on the cross and was offered wine mixed with gall, Matthew records that “he would not drink it” (Matthew 27:34). He was keeping his word — even in agony.
This means that every time we drink the cup, we are drinking a cup that Jesus himself has not yet drunk again. He is waiting. The meal is unfinished. And when he returns, there will be a feast where he drinks it “new” with his people in the kingdom of God (Mark 14:25). The Lord’s Supper is an invitation to a meal that has not reached its final course.
It is not a party
The church in Corinth turned the Lord’s Supper into something it was never meant to be. Paul rebukes them sharply:
“When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing?”
The Corinthians had turned the communal meal into a selfish feast — the wealthy gorging themselves while the poor went hungry, some even getting drunk at what was supposed to be a remembrance of Christ’s death. Paul’s correction is blunt: if you want a party, eat at home. The Lord’s Supper is not a social dinner. It is a solemn, communal act of worship — joyful, yes, but never casual, and never self-serving.
Examine yourself
“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”
Paul’s warning is severe: eating “in an unworthy manner” brings judgment. But notice carefully — he does not say “if you are unworthy, do not eat.” He says “let a person examine himself, then eat.” The instruction is not to stay away. It is to come with honest, examined hearts — confessing sin, discerning what the bread and wine represent, and taking the act seriously.
“That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”
1 Corinthians 11:30 (ESV)
Paul connects physical illness and even death in the Corinthian church to their abuse of the Lord’s Supper. This is not superstition — it is a reminder that this meal is not ordinary, and God takes it seriously even when we do not.
What the bread and wine are — and are not
Christians have debated for centuries what exactly happens to the bread and wine during communion. The main views are:
Transubstantiation (Roman Catholic) — the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ, even though they still look and taste like bread and wine. Consubstantiation (Lutheran) — Christ is truly present “in, with, and under” the bread and wine, without the elements changing. Spiritual presence (Reformed/Calvinist) — Christ is genuinely present by his Spirit, but the elements remain bread and wine. Memorial (most Evangelicals, including the Evangelical Free Church) — the bread and wine are symbols, and the act is a remembrance of what Christ did. Christ is present with his people, but the elements themselves do not change.
What all Christians agree on: Jesus commanded it, Paul passed it on, and the church has practised it since the beginning. Whatever view you hold on how Christ is present, the command to do it is not in dispute.
Who should participate?
The biblical pattern in Acts 2:41–42 gives a clear order: those who believed were baptised, and then they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, and the breaking of bread. Believe first, then baptism, then the Lord’s Table. There is no example in the New Testament of someone taking communion before baptism.
This makes sense theologically: baptism is your public identification with Christ and his people. The Lord’s Supper is the family meal of those who have been publicly identified. You join the family first (through faith and baptism), and then you eat at the family table.
Different churches handle this differently in practice — some are more open, some more guarded. But the consistent New Testament pattern is: faith, then baptism, then the Table.
Hard questions
Should children take communion?
Paul’s instruction to “examine himself” and “discern the body” (1 Corinthians 11:28–29) implies a level of understanding that young children may not yet possess. The Lord’s Supper is not a snack or a fun activity — it is a solemn remembrance of Christ’s death. Most churches that practise believer’s baptism would say that a child should participate only when they are old enough to understand what the bread and wine represent, to examine their own heart, and to take the act seriously. This is not about excluding children — it is about honouring what the meal means.
Do I need to be baptised before taking communion?
The New Testament pattern suggests yes. In Acts 2:41–42, the order is clear: believed, baptised, added, then devoted to the breaking of bread. There is no example in Scripture of an unbaptised person taking communion. The Lord’s Supper is the family meal; baptism is how you publicly enter the family. Different churches handle this with varying degrees of strictness, but if you have believed and not yet been baptised, the best step is to talk to your pastor about baptism — and then come to the Table. (See Why Should I Be Baptised?)
What does “in an unworthy manner” mean? Does it mean I have to be sinless?
No — if sinlessness were the requirement, no one would ever take communion. “Unworthy manner” refers to how you approach the meal, not whether you deserve it. The Corinthians were eating selfishly, getting drunk, and treating it as an ordinary dinner. Paul’s instruction is to examine yourself: confess known sin, consider what the bread and wine represent, and approach with reverence. You don’t have to be perfect. You have to be honest.
How often should we take communion?
Jesus said “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:26) without specifying a frequency. The early church appears to have broken bread together regularly — possibly daily (Acts 2:46) or weekly. Different churches today practise weekly, monthly, or quarterly communion. The important thing is that it remains meaningful and regular — frequent enough to be part of your rhythm of worship, not so infrequent that it feels unfamiliar.
Does it have to be real wine, or can it be grape juice?
The New Testament uses the phrase “fruit of the vine” (Luke 22:18), which does not specify whether the drink was fermented or not. Many churches use grape juice, especially out of concern for those who struggle with alcohol. Others use wine to stay closer to the original practice. Both are legitimate — the meaning of the cup is in what it represents (Christ’s blood), not in the precise chemical composition of the liquid.
Can I take communion at home by myself?
The Lord’s Supper in the New Testament is always a communal act — “when you come together” (1 Corinthians 11:20). It is a family meal eaten with the body of Christ, not a private devotion. While exceptional circumstances (illness, isolation) may require adaptation, the normal practice is to take communion with your church, together, as a visible expression of the one body you belong to.