What's the Purpose of the Lord's Supper?

I have often sat through many Sundays in which our church took the Lord’s supper and yet have no idea what was truly taking place. From the scripture reading done before the meal, I knew that the bread was a representation of Christ's body and the wine His blood, but beyond that I hadn’t much of a clue. Was I supposed to muster up more faith in Jesus at this moment? Was I to just remember Him and my salvation? Was I supposed to receive a special blessing? I tried hard to do the Lord’s Supper right, all the while asking the question: what is the purpose of all this?

On the night of his betrayal, the Lord Jesus Christ gathered with His disciples for the Passover meal. But this would not be like the meals from celebrations past, instead, it would be the institution of a new ordinance for the church.

In the Gospel of Matthew that night is recorded: “Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:26-29).

Here He takes the elements of the meal, and identifies them as symbols for His body and blood, which would be broken and spilt on the cross for the sins of His people.

The Significance

The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is a sacrificial feast, just as the Passover meal was. The people of Israel as a whole did not eat of the actual Paschal lamb, but rather ate another lamb which was a symbol of the slain lamb at Passover. Their eating of it symbolized their participation in the sacrifice that had taken place.

In those old testament sacrifices Christ was the sacrificial lamb symbolized in the Passover meal, which pointed to his coming. And with greater clarity, the bread in which we feed upon in the Lord’s Supper is also Christ. Both sacrificial meals are symbolizing the same thing: the Gospel and our participation in it.

In his essay on the fundamental significance of the Lord’s Supper, B.B. Warfield writes, “All who partake of this bread and wine, the appointed symbols of his body and blood, therefore, are symbolically partaking of the victim offered on the altar of the cross, and are by this act professing themselves offerers of the sacrifice and seeking to become beneficiaries of it”.

It can be said another way: When we eat of the bread and wine we are declaring that we are participating in the sacrifice of Christ, and therefore have been covered by the righteousness of the lamb and our sins forgiven. We are not saved by partaking in this meal, but rather declaring a past tense reality as we consume it. As ancient Israel partook of the sacrificial feast at Passover and looked forward to Christ’s coming, we take this supper and look at what he has done.

We also look forward to the future where we will have an even greater meal, and sit at the table of the great wedding feast as those who have been justified by the sacrifice of the lamb which was done once for all.

Furthermore, this meal gives visual evidence of the true church here on earth. Those who partake of this sacrament are claiming they are united together in Christ, revealing physically who the body is amongst the world. This is why no matter one’s particular view on the fencing of the table, central to the supper is the fact that this meal can only be taken by those who belong to Christ and have been born again.

The Blessing

If the Lord’s Supper has been instituted by Christ then, as we have seen, it was for good reason. Yet, how are the blessings of the Gospel applied to those who partake of this meal? What makes this a means of grace? To answer this, we must understand the nature of the supper itself. The Lord’s supper is not necessarily something we do, but rather something we enjoy. I particularly like Sinclair Ferguson's take on this. He makes the point that as you eat the bread and drink the wine, you are not called to try to muster up faith or religious feelings about Jesus. Instead, it is the supper itself which draws out faith and renewed joy in Christ.

Paul writes to the church in Corinth, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 10:26). This is the grace that pours forth from it: The proclamation of the Gospel to you as you eat his broken body and drink his spilt blood. As your salvation is the work of another done outside yourself, look at the meal which is also taking place outside yourself.

For it is the sacrifice the meal symbolizes that contains the power, not the physical elements of the bread and wine. Find rest in the finished work of Christ shown to you in this meal and experience renewed joy in your salvation. As you eat you can declare, "I am saved by His work for me! I am redeemed by Christ! I am part of His family and His people!"

While you behold this Gospel proclamation you will be transformed from one degree of glory to another. For the scriptures say, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Therefore, this meal is sanctifying for the believer.

We can summarize in this way: It is the repetition of this sacrament that blesses us, by strengthening our faith and unity in Christ and one another each time we partake. Remembering what has been done for us, who is interceding for us, and the great feast to come when we see our groom face to face.

Further Study

As the scope of this article is the focus on the purpose and power of the Lord’s Supper in our lives, there may be many questions you have in regards to the other components of this meal. I highly recommend Keith Mathison’s book, The Lord's Supper: Answers to Common Questions. It was of great benefit to me.

There are also a few resources I have found particularly helpful in working through these things: A podcast by Sinclair Ferguson and an article about B.B. Warfield's take on it.