Hey Church!

We will have the privilege of sharing in the Lord’s Supper this Sunday. To help you prepare your heart for the sacrament, read the following excerpts from The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), along with some brief commentary. Meditate on the meaning of the communion meal over the weekend and come ready to wholeheartedly receive the grace of Christ that it offers. 

Our Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, instituted the sacrament of his body and blood, called the Lord’s supper. It is to be observed in his church until the end of the age for the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice of himself in his death, for the sealing of all the benefits of that death unto true believers, for their spiritual nourishment and growth in him, for their increased commitment to perform all the duties which they owe to him, and for a bond and pledge of their fellowship with him and with each other as members of his mystical body.* (WCF 29.1)

* Scripture proofs: 1 Cor. 11:23-26; 1 Cor. 10:16, 17, 21; 1 Cor. 12:13.

One of the things that makes the WCF such a brilliant document is its ability to say much in so few words. There is more rich theological content packed into this small section than we have time to expound in one sitting. For our purposes, I simply want to highlight the phrases that speak to the sacrament’s purpose. In short, we take communion for the following reasons.

• “For the perpetual remembrance of the sacrifice…”

The regular celebration of communion is meant to keep Jesus’ substitutionary sacrifice on our behalf ever before our eyes, lest we forget and be led astray by a false gospel. 

• “For the sealing of all the benefits of that death…”

This immediately follows “remembrance” to show that participation in the Supper is much more than mere intellectual assent to historic facts. The benefits of Christ’s death are actively sealed to us as means of grace when we ingest the symbols of His body and blood. “The body and blood of Christ are present to the faith of believers in as real a spiritual sense as the bread and wine are to their physical senses” (WCF 29.7). That is to say, communion is not a memorial meal that merely remembers a past work of Christ. The Spirit of God is living and active through the visible Word, by which He pierces souls, instructs minds, searches hearts, reveals sin, and grants faith unto repentance. 

• “For their spiritual nourishment and growth in him,”

One bite-sized cracker and ½ ounce of grape juice can hardly be called a “meal.” But when you consider that Jesus’ body and blood are really–though spiritually–present in them, an infinitely large grace is received, however small the bite or sip. It is nourishment for the soul, promoting the health and growth of faith. 

• “For their increased commitment to perform all the duties which they owe to him,”  

We have received Christ’s work. Now, in gratitude, we promise to diligently execute the work He requires of us: to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. When we take communion, we swear exclusive allegiance to the King. 

• “For a bond and pledge of their fellowship with him and with each other as members of his mystical body.” 

We pledge to participate in the works of God, and also in the body of Christ. We are united to Him by the crucifixion of our flesh and resurrection unto newness of life according to the Spirit. However, this is not only a private communion, as if we would be better off partaking alone in the closet. No, this meal unites us to Christ and to the other members of His spiritual Body. How strange would it be for a hand to say to the body, “I have no need for you,” or for the eye to say, “Leave me alone so I can be more complete”? When you take the elements back to your seat and spend a moment in prayer, do so with one eye open (so to speak) to everyone around you. They are not distractions to be ignored, but vital organs to be cherished and championed. 

In this sacrament Christ is not offered up to his Father, nor is any real sacrifice made at all for the forgiveness of the sins of the living or the dead. Instead, this sacrament is only a commemoration of that one sacrifice by which Christ offered himself on the cross once for all. The sacrament is a spiritual offering of the highest praise to God for that sacrifice. So, the Roman Catholic sacrifice of the mass (as they call it) is a detestable insult to Christ’s one and only sacrifice, which is the only propitiation for all the sins of his elect. (WCF 29.2)

In writing this section, the Westminster Assembly was clearly issuing a corrective to the Roman Catholic Church’s “sacrifice of the mass.” It was (and still is) their view that Jesus’ body and blood must be offered to the Father continually on behalf of the saints. However, Hebrews 9 makes it clear that Jesus’ one sacrifice is completely sufficient for all who place their faith in Him. Consequently, there is not “any real sacrifice made at all for the forgiveness of [sins],” but on the part of the saints, only an offering of praise for His once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. 

Some Christian traditions call the sacrament the Eucharist, which means “thanksgiving” in Greek. Those who worshipped under the pastorship of John Calvin, a Reformer that some associate with a cold theology, void of emotion, report that when taking the Lord’s Supper, the people “could not keep back tears of emotion and joy”* and accompanied its celebration with the singing of songs and acts of adoration. I do not know why it is that our (speaking generally here, not just of Rio) observance of communion is more often the occasion for somber introspection than unfettered dances of thanksgiving. Whatever the reason, we would do well to remember the Jesus Himself said, “I have eagerly desired to share this meal with you!” He who did not spare His own body and blood, but laid it down for communion with you, now says, “Pull up a chair!” because YOU are the delight of His heart.

This Sunday, let communion be a joy-filled eucharist (“thanksgiving”). When you eat the bread (matzah) and drink the wine (juice), receive it as a pure-gospel sermon preached to all five of your senses. Let it remind you of Jesus’ sacrifice, the grace that abounds to you in Him, the ongoing nourishing work of the Spirit, the body of faith of which you are one member, and the single-hearted devotion to which you have been called by your King.