What does the Bible imply regarding communion?

In relation to the topic of communion, what does the Bible have to imply?

During the Last Supper, Jesus instituted what Christians now term “communion” as a sacred rite for His followers. Believers take part in Communion as a public demonstration of their love and unity with Christ, a remembrance of the atoning sacrifice He made for them, and an anticipation of the day when He will join us in the heavenly banquet. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is also referred to as the Lord’s Table.

Christ’s Last Supper

In the hours before Judas Iscariot betrayed him in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus assembled His followers in an upper chamber of a home to celebrate the Passover. It didn’t take long for the followers to figure out that they weren’t getting together for no good cause. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” He then took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.” (Matthew 26:26–29) For the remission of sins shed by many, this blood of covenant has been shed. What the disciples had anticipated would be a joyous occasion transformed into a melancholy prediction of the death of their lord and leader when Jesus said, “I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it fresh with you in my Father’s kingdom.

Earlier Hints

These words should have sounded familiar to the disciples if they had been paying attention. Very certainly I tell you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you,” Jesus had spoken to a gathering early in his ministry. I will give them eternal life on the final day if they consume my flesh and blood. Due to the fact that my flesh is actual nourishment and my blood is actual hydration. Those who partake of my flesh and blood will never be separated from me, and vice versa. The one who feeds on me will live because of me, just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father (John 6:53–57). Many of Jesus’ followers found it too challenging to accept his prophecy of His death and the necessity of His sacrifice for their salvation: “On hearing it, many of his disciples exclaimed, ‘This is a hard message. Who is able to take it? ‘” (John 6:60). Actually, “many of his disciples went back and no longer followed him” after hearing this (John 6:66). Given that Jesus had been using parables for nearly all of His public discourse from the outset of His mission, His followers shouldn’t have been taken aback by the symbolic language He employed. Unfortunately, many people found the idea of eating Jesus’ corpse repulsive.

Communion in the Early Church

The early Christians followed Jesus’ instructions and observed the ritual of communion after his death, resurrection, and ascension. This involved partaking of bread (representing His flesh) and wine (representing His blood) (symbolizing His blood). Paul, the apostle, emphasized the importance of community in the context of communion: “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we offer thanks a share in the blood of Christ? Doesn’t the breaking of the bread symbolize our incorporation into Christ’s body? The fact that there is only one loaf makes us all part of the same body (1 Corinthians 10:16–17). Jesus’ mandate is fulfilled and the church’s unity is strengthened when members partake in the sacrament of communion.

Those who would take communion lightly or dishonorably were likewise warned by Paul: “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you announce the Lord’s death until he comes.” Therefore, anyone partakes of the Lord’s Supper dishonorably is guilty of a sin against the Lord’s body and blood. Before partaking in the bread and the cup, each person should take stock of their own spiritual condition. Those who consume the elements of the Eucharist without first recognizing them as the physical manifestation of Christ’s sacrifice for sin will bring condemnation upon themselves (1 Corinthians 11:26–29).

Conclusion

As one of two church ordinances, the breaking of bread is central to the Christian faith. The Bible is silent on the subject of how frequently one should partake in communion. Each person who partakes in Communion should take a moment to think on their own sin and need for forgiveness, as well as Christ’s grace and love displayed on the cross (John 3:16). In the act of sharing communion together, Christians show their unity with Christ and with one another. By sharing in a common meal, Christians commemorate Christ’s death and anticipate His return. This “common participation in the Spirit” (Philippians 2:1) is the fulfillment of Jesus’ request “that they may be one as We are one—I in them and You in Me,” which reads, “that they may be totally connected” (John 17:22–23).