Holy Communion

Teaching Guidelines:

  1. You may choose to complete this topic in one session.

  2. The goal of this class is to help truth seekers understand the origin and significance of the Holy Communion, its necessity for salvation, and what it means for Christian living.

Presentation slides:

▶️ Slides on Holy Communion for use in class

The Holy Communion is a sacrament established by the Lord Jesus that holds spiritual significance to us because of its saving effect. Sacraments are actions our Lord Jesus institutes and tells us to keep through which Jesus gives us eternal life.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed, right before His crucifixion, Jesus established the sacrament of Holy Communion. Four books in the Bible record this important moment during Jesus’s last meal with the disciples.

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor 11:23-25)

Jesus was direct in His commands to His disciples, which are passed down to us today. He said to take and eat of the bread and to drink of the cup. And in the verse we just read, Jesus said two times to His disciples “do this,” which wasn’t only limited to that particular meal. “As often as” they do so means that it was not just one time but that they should continue to eat the bread and drink the cup after Jesus was gone.

The apostle Paul became a follower of Christ after Jesus’s death and resurrection. However, Jesus personally revealed to him the Holy Communion and its importance.

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, (1 Cor 11:23)

Paul received the understanding from the Lord that the Holy Communion was important and needed to be observed, and he passed on that decree to the believers. From Paul’s writings to the church in Corinth, we know that the New Testament church kept the Holy Communion, since it is described as a practice that they all participated in.

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Cor 10:16-17)

The communion that we have with Christ through His body and blood is where the term “Holy Communion” came from. Though God may feel intangible or far away from us, we join the Lord at His table when we partake of the Holy Communion today.

In the True Jesus Church, we use unleavened bread in the Holy Communion. Unleavened bread is made without leaven, or yeast. We know that the bread that Jesus and His disciples were eating during the Last Supper was unleavened because their meal was on Passover, the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Mark 14:12). On the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, leaven had to be removed from the house (Ex 12:15), and unleavened bread was to be eaten for seven days (Ex 12:18-20).

In addition to unleavened bread, we also follow the teaching in the Bible to use one bread from which pieces are broken.

Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Cor 10:17)

This verse repeats “one bread” two times. Therefore, we use one bread instead of wafers or biscuits that are separate pieces.

During the Holy Communion, we use grape juice rather than wine because of Jesus’s description of the cup:

“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 26:29)

The bread and the cup used in the communion are physical items we can touch and eat, but in the spirit, they are more than the tangible food we see.

Jesus tells us that the bread is His body.

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

And in Matthew, Jesus says that the cup is His blood.

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. (Matthew 26:27-28)

Jesus did not say that the bread symbolizes His body, but says the bread is His body. Likewise, the cup does not symbolize His blood, but is His blood. Just as Jesus blessed and gave thanks for the bread and cup during His final meal with His disciples, when we consecrate the bread and cup today, in the spirit, they are His true flesh and blood that we can partake in.

In John chapter 6, before a large crowd, Jesus proclaimed that He is the bread of life and that the people in the world need to eat His flesh. He said:

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:51)

Those who heard Jesus at the time could not understand how that was possible. In response to their confusion, Jesus did not change or qualify His statement. Jesus stated again that they needed to eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood. And the reason He gave was that it is linked to eternal life and resurrection.

“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:54)

Today we partake of His body and blood through keeping the sacrament of the Holy Communion, which is needed for us to reach our ultimate goal of eternal life and to be resurrected on the last day.

Jesus also said:

“He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:56)

Jesus established the Holy Communion as a way for us to remember Him.

[A]nd when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:24-26)

Paul adds that as we observe the Holy Communion, we proclaim Jesus’s death. Jesus’s death and His sacrifice are at the core of the Holy Communion, and it’s a reminder that His death opened the way for our salvation.

In the Old Testament, Passover was the day when the Israelites remembered how God delivered them out of Egypt. God set the Passover and commanded the Israelites to observe this special yearly event so they could be reminded that they once were slaves but were made free because of God. On that day, the Israelites sacrificed a lamb in remembrance of how the blood of the lamb saved them from death in Egypt. At Jesus’s last supper, which was on Passover, He established the Holy Communion, which holds the same spiritual significance for us. The lamb of the Passover feast foreshadowed Jesus and that His blood saves us from spiritual bondage.

Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)

Jesus Christ fulfilled the Passover through His sacrifice and death. The cup is a “cup of blessing” as it is called in 1 Corinthians 10:16, because with a grateful heart, we receive the blood of Jesus that saves us. Jesus’s blood was shed for a purpose: It is through Jesus’s blood that we receive forgiveness for our sins. So through His blood, we are saved by grace, not by our works. Without remission of our sins, we wouldn’t be able to establish a covenant with God. A covenant is an intimate spiritual relationship that God desires to have with us but requires action from us to accept it.

Paul wrote to the church in Corinth that care should be taken when partaking of the body and blood of Christ.

Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:28-31)

Today, we repent for our sins before we partake of the Holy Communion, judging ourselves lest we be judged. If we partake carelessly, we show that we do not understand that the bread and cup are the body and blood of Jesus given to us. When we understand the preciousness of His sacrifice and that His body and His blood are holy, we will partake of the Holy Communion with a reverent heart.

It’s a blessing to be able to participate in the body and blood of the Lord, and the Holy Communion is given to us so that through it, Jesus’s death remains at the forefront in our lives.

We ought to live for the One who has died for us. Our life’s pursuit is not just for ourselves—our personal achievements and goals. The Holy Communion calls us to evaluate whether we are living our lives in service of bringing others to know Jesus and whether our recent actions and time have been spent in furthering the kingdom of God and spreading the gospel of salvation. If not, this is the time for us to redirect our energy and our focus on the greater purpose that we have for living in this world.

This begins with our holiness. Since we are cleansed by Christ’s sacrifice for us, therefore, we must do our part to remain clean.

Since we partake of the Lord’s cup, we cannot partake of the food offered to idols. Eating and drinking of Christ’s body is communion with Christ, so we cannot have communion with demons.

Also, to remain clean, we must be aware of what is within our hearts, as that is what defiles a person. Even though others around us may not know what is in our hearts, God sees it.

Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7-8)

The first step in removing leaven in us is to face ourselves and to be honest with ourselves. Do we hope for and work toward the good of others? Are we motivated by good intentions? If not, let’s begin with repenting and ask God to forgive the wrongful attitude behind our actions. Let’s not continue living with an unfeeling, callous heart. The Holy Communion is one way in which God reminds us of how we are blessed that He has taken the initiative to turn us from our wickedness. As we continue in this spiritual battle in our daily lives, He continues to be with us and enables us to overcome the evil we are determined to leave in the past. Therefore, let's make the continual choice to put away the evil in our heart. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, He will give us the power to walk in the truth and be sanctified.

In addition, as we partake of the flesh and blood of Jesus, we have communion not only with our Lord Jesus but also our fellow brothers and sisters.

Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:17)

The Holy Communion reminds us that we are one body and the reason is because of Jesus. Therefore, we show love to Jesus when we show love to the ones that Jesus died for. When we love our brothers and sisters, these actions are done upon Lord Jesus and we are also loving ourselves. Since we are all part of one body, the well-being of the church body is our own well-being.

which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. (1 Corinthians 12:24-26)

We are accustomed to thinking of ourselves as separate. Therefore the Holy Communion is a time to reflect upon ourselves: Do we consider the joy and the suffering of our brothers and sisters to be our own? Do we strive to build up the body of Christ as if it is our own? The love of God compels us to love our brothers and sisters just as Jesus has loved us:

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (1 John 3:16)

We are undeserving of the deep love that made Him walk willingly toward the suffering of the cross and to give up everything He had for us. It reminds us that our own suffering pales in comparison to His suffering for us, and that we can willingly do more for Christ in striving for our own personal holiness and in loving our brothers and sisters.

To remember Jesus’s death is not just to review what transpired in history. Remembering Jesus is to acknowledge that we have received a gift that is above what we could ever earn or repay. Our gratitude and humility call us to live our lives for Him and to love Him more.

  1. Is the Holy Communion necessary for salvation?

  2. Are transubstantiation or consubstantiation biblical?

  3. Why is symbolism incorrect?

  4. Who can participate in the Holy Communion?

Answers