What is the Lord’s Supper & Who Is it For?
Just like baptism, the Lord’s Supper can often seem routine and familiar. However, a danger of this familiarity is that we fail to understand the importance and the purpose of the Lord’s Supper. Even within local churches, some sincere Christians may not truly give much thought to this ordinance. So, we should ask, what is the Lord’s Supper? Where does it come from, and why do we observe, or partake, in it? Furthermore, we should also ask, just as we do with baptism, who is the Lord’s Supper for? Can anyone at any time partake, or is it to be observed by a specific people at a specific time?
The Ordinance of the Lord’s Supper
An “ordinance” is that which is ordained, or instituted, by the Lord Jesus Christ. As Baptists, we believe that both baptism and the Lord’s Supper are the two ordinances given to the Church by Jesus, who is the Head of the Church. Shortly before Jesus would suffer the crucifixion, be buried in the tomb, and be raised from the grave, Jesus observed the first Lord’s Supper with His disciples (Matthew 26:26-29, Luke 22:14-23). Jesus gave the disciples bread to eat and wine to drink. The bread symbolized His body, broken upon the cross. The wine which symbolized His blood which would flow from the cross for the forgiveness of sins. At the time, of course, the disciples only had a limited understanding of this, for they did not yet grasp the magnitude of Jesus’s sacrifice which was to come.
Following this institution of the ordinance, and following the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, the Church continued to steadfastly partake in the Lord’s Supper, as seen in Acts and the Epistles (Acts 2:42, 1 Corinthians 11). The Lord’s Supper calls us who partake to look back to the cross, where forgiveness for sin was accomplished and redemption through Jesus’s blood was purchased. It also, however, calls us who partake to look forward to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, which the people of God await (Luke 14:15-24, Revelation 19:6-10). Whereas baptism occurs once, the Lord’s Supper is continual, as the Church eats and drinks until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11:26).
Those Who May Eat and Drink of the Lord’s Supper
When considering who the Lord’s Supper is for, then, we can return to the nature of an ordinance. An ordinance is that which is ordained, or instituted, by the Lord Jesus for the Church. The universal Church is the entirety of God’s redeemed people throughout the world, in all ages. Local churches are tangible gatherings of the universal Church occurring at a specific time, in a specific location, under the leadership of elders. Thus, given that local churches are composed of those who believe in Jesus Christ and His finished work for their salvation and who have been baptized upon a credible profession of faith, these believers are the ones who may eat and drink of the Lord’s Supper.
If you have trusted in Jesus Christ alone, believing in His death, burial, and resurrection, if you have turned from your sin in pursuit of Him, if you have responded to the Gospel call in faith expressed through baptism, and if you gather with a local church who is responsible for the administration of the ordinances, then the Lord’s Supper is for you. If any of these things are not true, then you must not, for in doing so, you take, eat, and drink in an unworthy manner (1 Corinthians 11:27-30).
The Lord’s Supper is for those who have been called, justified, sanctified, and will be glorified; it is for those who belong to the Lord in body and in soul, and it is for those who belong to the Body of Christ, the Church, through belief that has been expressed in baptism.
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