What is Communion?
Quick Answer
Communion (the Lord's Supper or Eucharist) is the Christian practice of eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of Christ's body and blood given for our salvation.
Understanding Communion
Communion is one of two ordinances given by Christ to the church (along with baptism). At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and wine, identifying them with His body and blood, and commanded His disciples to continue the practice in remembrance of Him. The Lord's Supper looks backward (remembering Christ's death), inward (self-examination), upward (communion with Christ), outward (fellowship with believers), and forward (proclaiming His death until He comes). Christians hold various views on how Christ is present in the elements - from transubstantiation (the elements become Christ's body and blood) to memorial (symbolic remembrance only). All agree the practice is commanded by Christ and spiritually significant.
In the Old Testament
Communion has deep roots in the Passover meal Jesus celebrated with His disciples the night before His death. The Passover commemorated Israel's deliverance from Egypt when the blood of lambs protected firstborn sons from the destroying angel. The unleavened bread and bitter herbs recalled the haste of departure and bitterness of slavery. Sacrificial meals throughout the Old Testament created fellowship between worshipers and God. The grain and drink offerings anticipated communion elements. Jesus transformed the Passover into the Lord's Supper, revealing Himself as the true Passover Lamb.
In the New Testament
The four Gospels and 1 Corinthians record the institution of the Lord's Supper. Jesus' words 'this is my body' and 'this is my blood' have generated centuries of theological discussion about His presence in the meal. Paul addresses proper observance in 1 Corinthians 11, warning against partaking unworthily and calling for self-examination. Acts shows the early church 'breaking bread' together as central to their fellowship (Acts 2:42, 20:7). The practice 'proclaims the Lord's death until He comes' (1 Corinthians 11:26), maintaining eschatological anticipation alongside remembrance.
Key Scripture References
“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.”
Read full commentary →Luke 22:19-20“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. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
Read full commentary →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?”
Read full commentary →Matthew 26:26-28“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 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.”
Read full commentary →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 unworthingly, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.”
Read full commentary →Acts 2:42“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Read full commentary →Related Concepts
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