Chapter 4: The Blessings of Partaking of the Communion

Chapter Introduction
WHAT IS THE COMMUNION? The Bible uses several different terms to describe the Communion service. Each of these terms emphasizes a different aspect of the Communion. To begin our study of this part of the worship, let us look at each term, the Bible uses to describe this part of the worship service.

1 Corinthians 10:16 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"

First, we want to notice the term Communion is used in the Bible to refer to the item of worship specifically dedicated to the remembrance of Jesus. The word communion literally means a common sharing, a partnership, a fellowship. This term is used to emphasize the fact this item of worship was instituted by Jesus Christ on the night in which he was betrayed. It was designed by God to always be done jointly with our brothers and sisters in Christ in a local congregation. We jointly share each of the three emblems which are part of this item of worship with all of our assembled brothers and sisters as well as with Jesus Christ. The Bread which we all jointly partake of, is it not the communion (common sharing) of the body of Christ. The Cup which contains the fruit of the vine (grape juice) is designed by God for all of the assembled Christians to jointly drink from the one cup. In partaking from one cup, we are showing we are all bound together by the one covenant which we have with God. Because the one Cup which represents the one covenant (contract) we jointly have with God, contains the fruit of the vine which is to us as Christians the common sharing of the blood of Jesus Christ, we are all acknowledging it was the blood of Jesus Christ, which ratified the New Testament and cleans us from all unrighteousness.

1 Corinthians 10:21 "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."

ere the term used to refer to the Communion is “the Lord’s Table”. The term “the Lord's Table” emphasizes the fact this is something we do that is ordained by the Lord. This term is emphasizing the Lord is the one who determines what is to be set on His table and how. The Lord Jesus Christ is in charge. He instituted the Communion service and he determines what is to be used on His table. If I say, “This is my wife's table”, this phrase shows my wife is the one who determines what will be served, she is the one in charge.

1 Corinthians 11:20 "When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper."

The term The Lord's Supper emphasizes the fact we are partaking of a spiritual meal. But this term gives emphasis to what is to be eaten rather than who determines what items are in the Communion service. The term, the Lord’s Supper seems to place the emphasis on the emblems themselves being consumed rather than the table itself. The thoughts are centered around the emblems, the eating of these items, and the benefits that are available if we partake properly.

We have looked at three scriptural terms for the same part of the worship service, the Communion, the Lord’s Table, and the Lord’s Supper. Each of these terms brings out different aspects of this item of worship.

WHY WE PARTAKE OF THE COMMUNION.
John 6:53-57 "Then Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me."

These verses in John are in dispute among various preachers and scholars as to their meaning. Some believe Jesus is talking about simply following Him. While others among who is the author, believe Jesus is prophetically talking about partaking of the Communion. I believe He is talking about partaking of the Communion for several reasons:

1. Because the wording fits perfectly with what Jesus says later when he institutes the Lord’s Supper;
2. Because if you read the entirety of John 6, the listeners thought Jesus was talking literally about eating His flesh and drinking His blood;
3. Nowhere else in writings before Jesus time, during Jesus ministry or since Jesus ministry have I found someone else talking about eating their flesh and drinking of their blood and meaning they wanted someone to follow them;
4. If Jesus is using common terminology then why did most of Jesus’ followers and disciples become confused and quit following him? In verses 66 and 67, we see even the twelve apostles did not understand, but they stayed because they knew Jesus was the Messiah, and He was the only one who had the Words of Life.

But also I do not think it matters, since even if he was not talking about the Communion, He was talking about eating His flesh and drinking His blood which everyone admits we do when we partake of the Lord’s Supper. So either way, I believe the things written in John 6 apply.

I believe the Bible teaches it is the contact with the blood of Christ that takes away our sins. I believe sins can be forgiven during the partaking of the Lord Supper. This occurs when we examine ourselves, as instructed, and realize we have sinned, especially, during the part of the Supper when we are partaking of the cup which represents the New Testament. It is degrading the New Testament, if we realize we have sinned, and do nothing about it. We then should immediately pray to God asking for His forgiveness. The eating and drinking at the Table is in remembrance of what Christ accomplished when He died on the Cross and shed His blood for our redemption.”

1 Corinthians 11:28, 30 "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep."

One reason why we as Christians partake of the Lord’s Supper is because one who does not partake of the Communion properly has no life in them. We see because Christians do not partake properly in the right frame of mind, many become spiritually weak and many die spiritually. We as Christians must place a high priority on partaking of this spiritual meal in such a way so we can live spiritually. We partake because one who partakes properly hath eternal life and having eternal life is what Christianity is all about. We partake in order to dwell in Christ. For human beings to rise above their frailties, they must partake of the flesh and blood of Christ. We partake because of the importance of the Communion in our spiritual lives.

We partake thoughtfully and carefully because of the responsibility the Bible places on each of us to examine ourselves and then to partake of the body and blood of the Lord. We partake thoughtfully because we can partake in an unworthy manner with disastrous consequences. We also want to show the greatest reverence and respect to our Lord. We can see the attitude we have when we partake is just as important as partaking in the proper manner on a consistent basis.

1 Corinthians 11:17, 22 "Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse. For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not."

Paul in writing to the Corinthian brethren is correcting a number of things they were doing wrong. Apparently they had changed the entire worship service to God, because Paul in the remaining chapters of 1 Corinthians covers the rules and guidelines for every part of the worship service. Here, he tells them because they had changed the Communion they were no longer partaking of the Lord’s Supper. They had turned the Communion into a common meal and they were eating a common physical meal during the public worship service of the Church and calling it the Lord’s Supper. He goes on to tell the Corinthian brethren no matter what they thought, no matter what excuses they made, what they were doing was wrong. They were bringing shame upon the Church and their brethren in Christ.

We are to stop and study carefully and make sure what we are doing is what the Lord has commanded. If we want to partake of the Lord’s Supper, we need to make sure we are partaking thoughtfully. Since it is possible to observe the Communion improperly, we need to study in order to insure we are partaking in a worthy manner and in the proper way. We also need to make sure what we are doing is within the bounds of both the letter of the commands of God as well as its spirit.

We need to partake thoughtfully because heresies and false teachings are involved every time the communion is changed. We are to partake carefully after studying because there is no praise or no good involved in changing the Communion. We partake thoughtfully so we partake of the Communion properly. We need to partake thoughtfully because the attitude we have when we partake makes the difference between being saved or being damned.

HOW WE ARE TO PARTAKE OF THE LORD'S SUPPER
The first element of the Communion is the bread. The Greek word translated bread in the New Testament is transliterated which literally means a loaf of bread. This word is singular in nature and is defined by Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words in the following manner: artos NT:740, "bread", signifies (a) "a small loaf or cake," composed of flour and water, and baked, in shape either oblong or round, and about as thick as the thumb; Every translator or commentator I have read uses a singular “a” or “the” when either translating or commenting on this word.

Luke 22:19 "And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me."

To a Christian, the bread is the body of Jesus. While we know and understand the bread physically always remains bread, to a Christian, it does not matter we are to have the same respect and reverence as we would have if it literally became the body of Christ. This means we need to be thinking about what Christ did for us. He gave up his home in glory came down to this low-land of sin and sorrow. He took the sins of the world on Himself and paid the price for them by dying on the cross at Calvary, all for you and for me. We need to keep in mind the seriousness, the somberness and at the same time the tremendous joy of the occasion. We are to realize we are to partake in remembrance of Jesus. We are to remember Christ died on the cross in our place.

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, He brake it, and said, 'Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me.'"

The Church at Corinth had changed the Communion and in doing so, it meant when they came together, they were no longer partaking of the Lord’s Supper. In correcting their sin Paul takes them back to the night in which Jesus was crucified and relates how the Communion was instituted and how it should be done. Further more he reminds them this knowledge had not been passed on through human beings to the Apostle Paul. Rather Paul makes it clear he had received this information directly from God. He goes on to say the bread represents the body of Christ, but only after it was blessed (prayed over). Prayer is an essential part of sanctification. The word sanctify means to set apart for a particular purpose, it is prayer that sets the bread aside for the purpose of representing the Body of Christ. We are reminded we are to partake in remembrance of Jesus. Our minds need to be centered on Christ during the Communion.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread."

The Bible using the phrase, “The bread which we break,” referring to the fact each Christian breaks off a piece of the bread and eats it. The Bible goes on to tell us the partaking of the bread is the Communion (the common sharing) of the body of Christ. It is because we jointly participate, or because the assembled Christians partake of one loaf we are a congregation, a local body of believers with each of the members being part of one another.

THE CUP (POTERION; A Drinking Vessel, With or Without A Handle, With or Without A Stem)

The second element or item on the Lord’s Table is the cup. The word Cup is translated from the Greek word poterion which according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament words means that whenever this word is used the cup being spoken of is a literal cup.

1 Corinthians 11:25 "After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, 'This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.'"

Paul is explaining what Jesus had revealed unto him says the cup (singular) is the New Testament which Jesus brought into effect by his death. Every time we partake of the one cup, we need to remember we are in a covenant relationship with God. We have a contract with God that was ratified with the blood of Christ. We should be thinking about the agreement we made with God when we were baptized, we need to examine ourselves comparing the life we have led in the past week to the Bible and if we have sinned, we need to make it right then and there with God, rededicate our lives to his service and go forth sinless in the sight of God. Just as there is one contract between God and man, there is one cup on the Lord’s Table. If we each have separate cups, it would indicate we each have a separate contract with God, it would mean there is more than one faith. Because there is one New Testament, Jesus took one cup and we are to partake just as Jesus did, from one cup.

Luke 22:20 "Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you.'"

We have a plain declaration the one cup represents the New Testament which was ratified by the blood of Christ. Just as you cannot pass around a liquid, such as the fruit of the vine without a container, you can not separate the blood of Jesus from the New Testament. The New Testament was brought into effect by the shedding of Christ's blood and we need to be thinking about this as we drink from the one cup.

FRUIT OF THE VINE (GRAPE JUICE)
The third element or item in the Communion service, the Lord’s Supper, is the contents of the cup, the fruit of the vine. When used in this sense according to Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, it is being used as a figure of speech called a metonymy, in which the container is being referenced to imply the contents. This is shown clearly in the following verse where cup and fruit of the vine are used interchangeably.

Luke 22:17-18 "And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, 'Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.'"

The cup Jesus took contained the fruit of the vine. The assembled Disciples were told to divide it among themselves. We see this was to be done by drinking of the contents. Prayer is what dedicates the fruit of the vine as the blood of Christ and the cup as the New Testament. Until the prayer is said in the worship service to set aside the cup and its contents for their sanctified purpose, they are just a cup and fruit of the vine, but when the prayer (blessing) is said, to a Christian they become the New Testament and the blood of Christ.

Matthew 26:27-29 "And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink ye all of it; For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.'"

Jesus took one cup containing the Fruit of the Vine. The contents of the cup, after it was prayed for, represents the blood of Jesus Christ. The disciples were told to divide the contents of the cup by drinking it. There are only two ways this could happen: Either All drink from the cup or one to drink all of the contents of the cup. We are to remember Jesus shed his blood for our sins. Jesus drank from the cup and communes with us in the Kingdom, the church

Mark 14:23 "And He took the cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them: and they all drank of it."

We see Jesus took one cup. Remember in the previous verses we looked at in Luke and Matthew, Jesus commanded them to divide the contents of the cup by drinking all of it. How did the disciples fulfill this command? They clearly understood what they were being asked to do because each one of the assembled disciples drank from the one cup.

1 Corinthians 10:16 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"

The cup here is said to contain a blessing. The phrase, “Which we bless” simply means we dedicate it with prayer. This is the communion or the common sharing of the blood of Christ because we share the one cup by all drinking from it.

Isaiah 65:8 "Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all."

The unfermented juice, the new wine that comes from the cluster of grapes has a blessing in it. We know that the contents of the cup is unfermented grape juice and not just any juice from a vine. The fruit of the vine that grows in clusters is grapes and new wine is always unfermented when it is squeezed from the grapes. The term “Cup of Blessing” refers to the fact God said through Isaiah the liquid, the new wine, the grape juice, when it was squeezed from the grapes, contained a blessing. The Communion cup contains a blessing because a blessing is in the new wine squeezed from a cluster of grapes.

THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMUNION
The Communion, the Lord’s Table, or the Lord’s Supper was instituted by God for various purposes. Let us investigate and see what the Bible says some of those reasons are.

A Memorial Service
1 Corinthians 11:24 "And when He had given thanks, He brake it, and said, 'Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me.'"

We are to partake in remembrance of Jesus Christ. We should be thinking about what Jesus did for us, how He died for our sins. We should be respectful while the Communion is going on. This is not a time to be balancing the checkbook, worrying about what we are cooking, or planning what we will be doing the rest of the day. We need to concentrate on what we are doing. We need also to remember the manner in which we partake can bring damnation to us.

An Outward Showing of Christ's death
1 Corinthians 11:26 "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He come.

When we partake of the Communion we are showing to others what Christ's death means to us. What does the manner you partake of the Communion show to the world, to your fellow Christians, and to Jesus who is in our midst, about how you feel about Jesus and his death? The world has chosen to remember Christ's death at Easter, God intends for us to remember it weekly.

An Inward Examination
1 Corinthians 11:28-29 "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

Each of us is to honestly examine ourselves before we partake. We are to compare our lives to the New Testament, see how we have done, repent and rededicate ourselves, then to partake of the Communion. If partaken of properly, the congregation after the Communion is made up of sinless, rededicated Christians. The Communion is intended for Christians and Christians only, not for children or outsiders. But God leaves it up to each person to examine themselves and determine if they should partake. This is a time for self-examination, not a time to be examining others.

Looking Forward to Christ's return
1 Corinthians 11:29 "For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."

We are to examine ourselves and partake, remembering the judgment at Christ's return. If Christ returned at the end of the service, what would your destination be? Most of us have children or loved ones who have gone to be with Jesus, if Christ returned today, would we spend eternity with them or separated from them?

When We are to Partake of the Communion
Acts 20:7 "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."

The disciples assemble on the first day of the week and partake of the Communion on first day of the week. We should plan ahead to worship God. That is the Biblical pattern, in the same way the Israelites remembered every Sabbath and kept it holy, so we need to gather together every first day of the week.

The Blessings that come to us from properly partaking of the Communion
1 Corinthians 11:26-31 "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."

One of the blessings we receive is we remember weekly the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord. Another blessing we receive is weekly we reexamine and rededicate ourselves to God. If taken of properly another blessing we receive is we grow in strength and do not grow weak and fall away. Another blessing we receive is when we honestly judge ourselves, others do not have to judge us. The Church sometimes must take action because individuals do not judge themselves. The laws of the land sometimes must judge Christians because they did not judge themselves.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ."

One blessing we receive is as Israel ate a spiritual meal, so do we in the Communion and are strengthened. Another blessing we receive is we feed our spiritual body, if we partake properly. The Communion is one of only two places I find in the Bible where it says, If you do this properly, you will go to heaven and if you don't you are lost. The other is in II Peter, where we are told to add to our faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity and if we do this we shall never fall.

John 6:53-57 "Then Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me."

One of the blessings we receive when we partake of the communion properly is eternal spiritual life. Another blessing we receive when we partake properly is we partake of a spiritual meal. Our spiritual body is fed.

Luke 22:19 "And He took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me.'"

Another blessing we receive is on a weekly basis we are reminded of what Christ did for us. Thus we are less likely to take him for granted. Human beings tend to easily forget the things that are done for them. I consider the fact if I partake of the Communion properly, I will be less likely to take Jesus for granted and forget about what he did for me which is a tremendously important blessing.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Another blessing we receive if we partake in the proper manner is on a weekly basis we come in contact with the blood of Christ. It is contact with the blood of Christ which takes away sin. The reason I believe sins are taken away in the Communion is when I realize after examining myself during the part of the Lord’s supper involves the cup, the New Testament, if I find I have sinned, it is natural for me to pray quickly for my sins to be taken away. If we partake properly, every week we are brought in contact with the blood of Christ and are rededicated to God. Another blessing we receive if we partake properly is we become members one of another. Another blessing we receive if we partake properly is we acknowledge we are members of the body of Christ and as such we acknowledge the responsibility we have for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

How the World has changed the Communion
The world has taken the simplicity and beauty of the Communion and in the name of convenience has changed it into something that no longer paints the beautiful picture that is the Lord’s Supper. It has been changed within many of the congregations of the Lord’s Church into a bastardized version. The beauty of the one loaf of unleavened bread which is the one sinless body with Christ as its head has been changed into multiple loaves, which if it symbolizes anything it would be the denominational world which claims to follow Jesus as its head, but in reality has clearly taken the stand the commands of Jesus mean much less than the thoughts of man. The beauty of the unleavened bread representing a sinless body has been changed into crackers that can no longer be said to represent the one sinless body, since each person having their own cracker has destroyed the image God has portrayed of a body with many members and changed it into an image that could only be representing the thought each person today stands by themselves, thus the body, the Church is no longer important. The only picture that could be even attempted to be drawn is a grotesque image of a head being attached to each of its many bodies which are composed of one organ, which have no interdependence on each other.

The beauty of the one cup which is the New Testament which shows we share a common salvation, we have a common agreement with God has been changed to multiple cups which could only symbolize a concept each Christian has worked out their own salvation with God since each one is separate from the other. The extent many of our brothers and sisters in Christ will go to in order to justify their convenience and fear of germs is astounding to me. It just proves what Paul wrote Timothy about profane and vain babbling being ungodly and increasing unto more ungodliness is as true as it ever was.

The beauty of the fruit of the vine, grape juice, being the blood of Christ is such a beautiful picture because it shows the image of how the blood of Christ is inseparable from the New Testament in the same way the fruit of the vine or any liquid is inseparable from the container as it is passed from one member to another. It is contact with the blood of Christ that takes away sins and as the cup passes from one hand to the next, if each person is partaking in the way they should, the image is presented each week of sinless members of the body of Christ being united by one covenant and being one body brought alive by the blood flowing from member to member. This image is distorted and outright destroyed by many congregations and churches because of the use of fermentation in wine. The unleavened or unfermented wine, the fruit of the vine symbolizes purity as opposed to leavening which is used in the Bible to represent sin. The use of fermented wine to supposedly symbolize the pure sinless blood of Christ is an abomination which destroys the very concept the fruit of the vine shows. Truly the religious world has no concept of the simple beauty Jesus showed in his instituting of the Lord’s Supper.

Chapter Summary

1. The scriptural terms for this item of worship is The Communion, The Lord's Table, The Lord's Supper.
2. We partake of the Communion thoughtfully because to do so brings spiritual life.
3. We partake of the Lord's Supper in the way the Lord delivered it, because that is the command of God.
4. We partake of the Lord's Table in the way he delivered it, because we can partake of it in an improper manner and we know the way the Lord did it is right.
5. We partake upon every first day of the week, because that is the example laid down for us.
6. The Unleavened Bread is to Christians the common sharing of the body of Christ.
7. The Cup is to Christians the New Testament, that Contract we have with God.
8. The Fruit of the Vine (Grape Juice) is to us as Christians the blood of Christ.
9. When we partake properly, our sins are taken away and we are rededicated to God.
10. When we partake properly, we are reminded of what Jesus did for us.
11. When we partake properly, we are made members one of another and we are made one congregation.
12. When we partake properly, we are promised by God we will grow stronger and not fall away.