Sep 21
26
Baptist Catechism 101
Q. 102. What is the Lord’s Supper?
A. The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the New Testament, instituted by Jesus Christ; wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to His appointment, His death is shown forth, and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporeal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of His body and blood, with all His benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace. (1 Cor. 11:23-26; 10:16)
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23–34
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 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. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.” (1 Corinthians 11:23–34, ESV)
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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
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The question, what is the Lord’s Supper? Has been somewhat controversial throughout the history of the church, and especially at the time of the Protestant Reformation. Over time, four views emerged concerning the substance of the bread and the wine. These four views each differ in their opinion concerning what Christ meant when he said, “this is my body”, and “this is my blood”. How are we to take that?
The Romanist view is called transubstantiation. It is the idea that when the priest blesses the elements they do actually turn into the body and blood of Jesus. The Reformers dismissed this as unbiblical, nonsensical, and superstitious.
The Lutherans, following Luther, hold to a view called consubstantiation. The idea here is that the elements remain bread and wine, but that the real body and blood of Christ are present all around the element when they are blessed.
Those following the Reformer, Ulrich Zwingli, hold to what is known as the memorialist view. The idea here is that Christ is not present at all in or around the elements, but that the church is merely called to remember the work of Christ in the Supper.
And finally, the Calvinists walk a middle road between the memorialists and the Lutherans by insisting that though Christ is not present bodily, he is present in a special way spiritually when the church assembles to observe the Supper. The Calvinist position agrees with Zwingli that the Supper is a memorial and that there is no real presence of Christ bodily. And the Calvinist position also agrees with the Lutherans, that the Supper is more than a memorial, for Christ is present according to his divinity. We hold to the Calvinistic position here at Emmaus.
When Christ said, “this is my body”, and “this is my blood”, it should be clear to all that he was not speaking in a literal way, but rather meant, this signifies or represents my body and blood. That would have been the natural way for the disciples to take it, for they sat with him and watched him hold the bread and cup with his hands. They could easily distinguish between the bread and his body, and the wine and his blood. Add to this the fact that Christ also said “this cup is the New Covenant in my blood”. Clearly, he meant that the cup represented the New Covenant with all of its promises and terms, just as the bread and cup represented his body and blood. The disciples must have known that he was speaking figuratively.
And when Christ instituted the Supper he did call his disciples to remember him. “Do this in remembrance of me” he said. So the Supper is a memorial. It is a time for remembering and for giving thanks.
But we say that it is also more than a memorial. The Supper is to be viewed as a means of grace through which God nourishes his people by the Spirit. That it is a means of grace is proven, in part, by the fact that to eat and drink in an unworthy manner results in judgment. That is what Paul clearly said in 1 Corinthians 11: “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” If the Supper were only a memorial — if it is true that Christ is not really present at all — then why the judgment? I think we must view the Supper as more than a memorial. Christ is present. The Supper is sacred, therefore, not because Christ is present bodily, but because he is present in his divinity and by the Spirit. The Supper is to be approached with reverence, therefore.
This is what our catechism teaches.
“The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the New Testament”, it says. True, the Lord’s Supper was instituted as Christ celebrated the last Passover with his disciples. But the Lord’s Supper is distinct from the Passover. It is a new thing, “an ordinance of the New Testament instituted by Jesus Christ.” So then, if we wish to know what the Lord’s Supper is and how it is to be observed, we must go to the New Testament scriptures and listen to the words of Christ and his Apostles.
The word “wherein” indicates that we are about to learn what happens in the Supper. “[W]herein by giving and receiving bread and wine…” So these are the elements: bread and wine.
And these elements are to be given and received, “according to [Christ’s] appointment”, that to say, in accordance with his instructions.
When this is done faithfully, “[Christ’s] death is shown forth”. The breaking of the bread is a symbol of Christ’s broken body, and when the cup is presented, it is a symbol of Christ’s shed blood. We are reminded of the incarnation, of Christ’s sinlessness, of his substitutionary sacrifice. We also remember his resurrection, his ascension, and the hope of his eventual return.
And those who receive the elements in a worthy manner are “made partakers of [Christ’s] body and blood”. Listen to 1 Corinthians 10:16 which is listed as a proof text in our catechism. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16, ESV). So there is a sense in which when we partake of the bread and cup we participate or have fellowship or communion with, Christ. Sounds like more than a memorial to me!
But notice the qualifications that our catechism makes to help guard us against the errors of the Romanists and the Lutherans. “[W]orthy receivers are, not after a corporeal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of His body and blood…” “Corporeal” means fleshly. “Carnal” means bodily. The point is clear, isn’t it? When believers partake of the Supper worthily and by faith, they feast on Christ, not in a fleshly way, but spiritually to the nourishment of the souls. They partake of Christ and receive “all His benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace.”
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Conclusion
This is a wonderful summary of what the scriptures teach regarding the Lord’s Supper.
One, It should move us to never neglect the sacrament, but to partake each Lord’s Day, knowing that it is a means of grace. God nourishes his people through this ordinance.
Two, it should move us to partake worthily. That is to say, by faith and with repentance.
Three, it should move the church, particularly the elders, to guard the table. Elders must warn Christians to come worthy, and warn the faithless to abstain, for here our union with Christ is signified and enjoyed. The Lord’s Supper is a sacred meal to be enjoyed by Christ’s church. It is not for the world.
Q. 102. What is the Lord’s Supper?
A. The Lord’s Supper is an ordinance of the New Testament, instituted by Jesus Christ; wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to His appointment, His death is shown forth, and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporeal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of His body and blood, with all His benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace. (1 Cor. 11:23-26; 10:16)
