June 29, 2025

What is Communion?

The account of the institution of this ordinance is given in Matthew 26:26-29 , Mark 14:22-25 , Luke 22:19 Luke 22:20 , and 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 . 

It was designed:
1. To commemorate the death of Christ: "This do in remembrance of me."
2. To signify, seal, and apply to believers all the benefits of the new covenant. In this ordinance Christ ratifies his promises to his people, and they on their part solemnly consecrate themselves to him and to his entire service.
3. To be a badge of the Christian profession.
4. To indicate and to promote the communion of believers with Christ.
5. To represent the mutual communion of believers with each other.

Will Graham provides a rich description of communion:

The Lord’s Supper is significant to all of us for multiple reasons. In 1 Corinthians 11:26, Paul writes how the Lord’s Supper is given to us by God Himself as means to bring unity within the body of Christ. Moreover, when we observe the Lord’s Supper, we recognize that the table looks in three different directions: it looks to the past, the present, and the future.

The Past: Commemoration

The Lord’s Supper refers to the last Passover meal Jesus had with His disciples here on Earth (see Luke 22:14-20). At that time, Jesus took the bread and the cup and passed them around, signifying that His body would be broken (torn to pieces) and that the shedding of His blood would usher in the New Covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31-33).

Therefore, the Lord’s Supper makes us remember what Jesus did on the cross. That is why it says, “Do this in remembrance of Me” in both verse 24 and verse 25. Paul is stressing that we are to always remember the atoning sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross. We are to remember how He was flogged, beaten, and that He shed His blood to take away our sin.

The Present: Communion

The Lord’s Supper speaks of the present and how we have fellowship with a living Christ. We have communion with Him now because our sins are forgiven. We do not have to wait for Heaven to have fellowship with God; we can have communion now.

Not only do we have communion with God, but we can have communion with other believers. This brings unity out of division, which was exactly what was happening in Corinth when Paul wrote this letter.

The Future: Commitment

We are to continually observe the Lord’s Supper “till He comes” (v. 26c). Therefore, this table also looks ahead to Christ’s return.

It reminds us that Jesus is victorious and He will set up His kingdom here on Earth. We are to proclaim the Lord’s death (through the observance of the Lord’s Supper) until He comes again in the future.

It also signifies the destruction of Satan, when Jesus will return in victory. We won’t be taking communion at that point. We’ll be at the banquet table, and Satan will be defeated.

The Lord’s Supper keeps us focused on the cross. It draws us into fellowship with God and the body of Christ. It gives us the hope of the resurrection, the promise of victory over Satan and sin, and the truth of Heaven.

The next time you observe communion at church, take a moment to reflect on the past, the present and the future—and God’s incredible love and faithfulness.