Having examined what the Lord’s Supper is not, let us give a positive affirmation of what it is, as well as its spiritual significance. I Corinthians 11:23-29 is the key passage we will be examining.
1) It is a Pauline revelation from the glorified Christ.
Paul says, “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you” (v. 23). This is the same language which he uses to describe the distinctive gospel (of the grace of God) which the ascended, glorified Christ revealed directly to him apart from any human instrumentality (I Cor. 15:3,4; Gal. 1:11,12). Furthermore, when Paul went up by revelation to Jerusalem in order to tell them of the new gospel which God had committed to him, they (the 12 apostles and the Jerusalem church) added nothing to his knowledge—that would include the Lord’s Supper. Rather, he was able to tell them about the new revelations committed to him (Gal. 2:1-9). In short, Paul received the teaching of the Lord’s Supper directly from the glorified Christ and it became a part of his independent apostleship and message.
2) It is a Thanksgiving (Eucharist).
The Scripture reads, “And when He had given thanks” (I Cor. 11:24). When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we thank God for sending His only begotten Son to die for us and pay the penalty for our sins with His precious blood. It is a common worship service in which we bow our hearts together in grateful wonder of Christ’s person and work.
Read More at BereanBibleSociety.org
This article was published by the Berean Bible Society in the free monthly Bible study magazine,The Berean Searchlight. We have included a few paragraphs of the article here, but you can read the entire article using the link above.