Most of Christendom approaches the Lord’s Supper improperly. The confusion comes from a religious system overlaying man-made meanings onto Scripture. But Paul gives us clear instructions, and those instructions come directly from the risen Christ.
1. Paul’s Instructions Are a Direct Revelation From Christ
1 Corinthians 11:23
“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you…”
Paul wants us to notice this carefully. This is part of the special revelation Christ gave him as the apostle of the Gentiles. The same pattern appears in:
• 1 Corinthians 15:3 — Paul delivers what he “received” from Christ.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:15 — Concerning the rapture, “This we say unto you by the word of the Lord.”
The Lord’s Supper is therefore part of Paul’s unique commission as the apostle of the Gentiles. This is not Israel’s program. This is not tradition. This is not religious ritual. This is Christ speaking to us through Paul.
2. The Religious System Has Created Confusion
Across Scripture the great conflict is between:
A. God’s grace program
and
B. The satanic counterfeit system (Baal worship)
— a religious system that adds rituals, sacraments, and ceremonies.
The Lord’s Supper has been overshadowed by such religious confusion, particularly in Roman Catholicism and Protestant sacramental theology.
3. Paul Lists Three Purposes of the Lord’s Supper
A. It is a Memorial
“This do in remembrance of me.”
It looks back to the finished crosswork.
B. It is a Communion (Fellowship of the body)
1 Corinthians 10:16
We demonstrate our unity and shared identity as the Body of Christ.
C. It is a Proclamation
1 Corinthians 11:26
“You do show the Lord’s death till He come.”
We declare the meaning of the cross to others.
So the Lord’s Supper is not a ceremony infused with mystical power. It is not a mass. It is not a sacrament. It is an activity of remembrance, fellowship, and proclamation.
What the Lord’s Supper Is NOT
1. It is NOT a sacrament
A sacrament, in Catholic and many Protestant systems, is something you do to receive grace you didn’t already have—an additional infusion of spiritual benefit.
But Paul says you already have:
• All spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3)
• Complete acceptance in Christ (Colossians 2:10)
• Complete forgiveness (Colossians 2:13)
You cannot get more grace by eating or drinking anything.
Christ died once for all (Hebrews 7:27; 10:10; 10:14).
No repeated sacrifice. No miraculous presence. No “mini-mass.”
The Supper is a memorial, not a sacrament.
2. It is NOT the Passover
Luke 22 clearly shows that after the Passover meal was finished, Jesus introduced something new:
• Passover = old covenant
• “This cup… is the new testament in my blood” = new covenant
Paul is not telling us to observe Passover.
The Lord’s Supper is something distinct, given after the Passover meal, pointing not to Israel’s deliverance from Egypt but to Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice.
3. It is NOT to be abandoned
Some who misunderstand Acts (especially Acts-28 theology) claim the Lord’s Supper is part of Israel’s program and therefore should not be practiced today.
But Paul says:
“I received of the Lord that which I delivered unto you…” (1 Cor 11:23)
This is new revelation, given after Israel’s fall, to the Body of Christ.
Understanding Acts: Neither Acts 2 Nor Acts 28
There are three major views:
1. Acts 2 View — “The Body of Christ began at Pentecost.”
Wrong. Acts 2 is Israel’s prophetic program.
Peter preaches to “ye men of Israel.”
Everything is fulfillment of Joel and prophecy.
2. Acts 28 View — “The Body of Christ begins only after Acts 28.”
Also wrong.
This view throws away much of Paul’s ministry.
3. Paul’s View (Romans 11) — The right view
Israel:
• stumbled (at Christ’s earthly ministry)
• did not fall immediately (Acts 2–7)
• but later fell, and then
• diminished over a transition period (Acts 9–28)
During the diminishing, Paul does certain Jewish things (e.g., water baptism) as a testimony to unbelieving Jews.
But the Lord’s Supper is not one of those diminishing practices carried over from Israel.
It is new, received directly from Christ, and continues today.
Are We Ministers of the New Covenant? (2 Corinthians 3)
Paul says we are made “able ministers of the New Testament.”
Not the covenant itself, which belongs to Israel (Jeremiah 31).
But the testament — the benefits that come through Christ’s death (the testator).
A testament goes into effect after death (Hebrews 9:15–17).
Paul ministers:
• the spiritual benefits of Christ’s blood
• the completed crosswork
• the internal work of the Spirit
These spiritual blessings were needed for Israel to fulfill her kingdom program, but God also applies those blessings to the Body of Christ in a different program.
Thus the Lord’s Supper—rooted in the “new testament in His blood”—belongs rightly to us, not because we are Israel, but because Christ gave it to Paul for us.
Conclusion: The Lord’s Supper Belongs to the Body of Christ Today
It is:
• A memorial of His finished work
• A communion of the Body
• A proclamation of the cross
• A unique revelation given to Paul
• Not a sacrament
• Not the Passover
• Not part of Israel’s diminishing program
• Not to be abandoned
It is a grace-based remembrance of a grace-accomplished salvation.
