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174. What does the Lord’s Supper mean?

The Lord’s Supper means:

  1. A memorial; believers remember with gratitude the death of their Lord who redeemed them.
    • Do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)
  2. A meal of confession; the faithful testify that Jesus Christ acquired salvation for them through His unique sacrifice, that they are certain of the forgiveness of their sins and that they belong to their Lord and want to follow Him.
    • With His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:12)
  3. A communal meal; the believers are strengthened and promoted as members of one body in their living communion with the Lord and in their communion of love with one another.
    • 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? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)
  4. A meal of hope and as such a meal of joy; it enlivens the expectation of the return of the Lord in the believers and awakens in them the joy of eternal communion with Him in the perfect kingdom of God.
    • For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:26)
    • But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom. (Matthew 26:29)