1 Corinthians 11:24-34
 
 
1 Corinthians 11:24
And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

The Lord Jesus had just finished celebrating the Passover with His disciples.
(Luke 22:15 KJV) And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: Now something new has happened, dovetailing the Passover, the Lord now institutes the Lord’s Supper. Celebrating the Passover has now ended because the Passover would now be celebrated symbolically in the Lord Jesus and only by His Elect. (1 Cor 5:7 KJV) Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: So the era of celebrating the Passover has ended. (Exo 12:17 KJV) And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. We read in the Exodus verse that the Passover was to be celebrated forever. Now this would mean that even in the New Heaven and New Earth the Passover was to be celebrated, simply because there is no end to something that lasts forever. However, we read in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that Christ is our Passover which means that the Passover is celebrated in Christ and only those who have become saved can celebrate that Passover, which is Christ. Those who have become saved are saved for eternity and that is the way we fulfill the keeping of the Passover commanded us in Exodus.

The next point in this verse is that we read that Christ broke bread and gave it to His disciples to eat. As He was giving them this bread, He said it was ‘His body.” Now, we can easily summarize that Christ was giving them bread and speaking in symbolic terms referring to it as His body. The Roman Catholic belief in Transubstantiation is an absolute heresy. They try to enforce their doctrine by using the following verses:

(John 6:53-57 KJV) Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. {54} Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. {55} For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. {56} He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. {57} As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. Now from the 1 Corinthians verse, we read that the Lord Jesus Christ gave bread and said “This is my body.” Where was Christ standing when He made that statement? He was standing in his body and was not giving His body to His disciples to physically eat. If they physically ate Him, then that would be cannibalism and it would mean that He would have been killed at the Last Supper, and could not have been crucified. When the Lord entered the time of His suffering, He entered it in His full body and not yet shedding blood. So the idea that Christ is giving His flesh in the ungodly Mass of Rome is blatant heresy which must be rejected by all true Christians. It is very plain from the 1 Corinthians verse that the Lord was only speaking symbolically of His body.

The next point the Lord Jesus makes is that His body was broken for us. The new bible versions leave out the word “broken” which means they disavow the sufferings of Christ. It is an outright denial of the sufferings of Christ. In Leviticus chapters 4 and 5, we read about the animals which were used for sacrifices and we read about the way the bodies of the animals were killed. These animal sacrifices were all symbolic of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. When the Lord Jesus used the word “broken,” He was stating that the sacrifice which He was going to suffer was going to be a full and final sacrifice. There would be nothing withheld because the sacrifice had to be total for His Elect. This totality meant His body was to be fully involved and killed just like the animals used in the Old Testament Sacrifices.

The final point the Lord Jesus makes is that this symbolic Supper is to be performed by the church as a remembrance of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. There is nothing in Scripture which gives a specific number of times it must be done, so it is left up to the individual churches. I have been in churches that have communion weekly and monthly. There is also nothing in Scripture which teaches that this is anything more than a remembrance. Taking the Lord’s Supper does not grant someone salvation nor does it guarantee salvation. Salvation comes by grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. As a matter of fact, only believers should be partaking in the Lord’s Supper.

 
1 Corinthians 11:25
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

Immediately after the Lord gave out the bread, he then gave the second part of the Supper. This time He gave the cup and stated that this is the “new testament.” The word “testament” may also be understood as covenant.

(Jer 31:31-33 KJV) Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: {32} Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: {33} But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

We read that the new covenant was prophesied by Jeremiah. Under the old covenant, people approached God by means of bringing their own sacrificial animals to the Temple.
(Heb 8:13 KJV) In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. Now through the new covenant, the Christian approaches God through the Lord Jesus Christ. The sacrifice He performed on Calvary had paid for every sin of God’s Elect, and now we are able to enter into the Throne Room of God because of it. (Heb 4:16 KJV) Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. The new covenant is eternal while the old covenant was voided at the cross of Christ. The old covenant was a covenant of works and the new covenant is the covenant of grace.

Now the Lord Jesus is prophesying here that because His body was to be sacrificed, it would also mean that His blood was going to be shed for the Elect.
(Mat 26:28 KJV) For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Again, the juice in the cup was only symbolic of the impending sacrifice of Christ.

It must also be rightly understood, that those believers who were saved in the Old Testament were also saved by grace. The animal sacrifices did not gain anyone salvation, if they did then the entire of nations of Israel and Judah would have become saved. The fact is that only a very few were saved in the Old Testament. Grace salvation was accomplished because in principle, the Lord Jesus Christ was slain from the foundation of the world and God had already named who He was going to save.

(Rev 13:8 KJV) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

This verse reveals both truths. The first part tells us that the names were already written in the Lamb’s book of life and then we learn that the Lamb was already slain before the foundations of the world.

 
1 Corinthians 11:26
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.

As I mentioned before, there is no set amount of times the Lord’s Supper is to be celebrated. It is decided by the church how many times they wish to celebrate it. Now in this verse, we read the words “ye do show” which carries with it the meaning of “proclaiming or preaching.” Every time a true church of God takes communion, it is a testimony that that church or assembly is a church of Christ. That true church of Christ is proclaiming the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ each time they partake in communion as it is a corporate testimony. This verse also teaches that the Lord’s Supper is to be celebrated as a testimony until the Lord returns on the last day. Then once the Lord returns, there will be no need for a remembrance because the faith will now be sight.
(2 Cor 5:7 KJV) (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

 
1 Corinthians 11:27
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

There are two ways in which a person takes the Lord’s Supper unworthily. The first way is that an unsaved person should not partake of the Lord’s Supper, simply because they have not been made worthy through salvation.
(Rev 3:4 KJV) Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. The second way in which people should not partake of the Lord’s Supper pertains to Christians. Christians must not treat the Lord’s Supper as common or come with an irreverent spirit. Any Christian who is partaking of some kind of sin on a regular basis should also not take communion. This is because of what Communion represents. It is a solemn occasion which causes us to remember the Lord’s death for our sins plus it was instituted by Jesus Himself. Therefore, it is a very serious and solemn memorial and is not to be treated as a church custom among many. Paul bases this statement on the attitude of the Corinthian Christians who completely skewed the meaning of the Lord’s Supper toward an atmosphere of reveling. The way we are guilty of the body and blood is if we turn communion into some type of show time in the church, then we are treating the body and blood of Christ with disrespect, just like those who crucified Him.

 
1 Corinthians 11:28
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

In an effort to stave off the judgment of God upon us, it behooves us that before we take communion, that we should examine ourselves closely. It is not a time to look at someone else’s sins but our own. If we find that we are questionable at this time, then it is no sin to not partake of the Lord’s Supper at that time. By not partaking, we are judging some sin or situation in our life so serious, that it prohibits us from taking communion, which should result in further cleaning up of our life, and rectifying and forsaking the sin which has kept us from partaking of the Lord’s Supper. As a Christian, to not partake of the Lord’s Supper is like removing our testimony, since the Lord’s Supper is a proclamation of our identification with the Lord through salvation. So this is why the true believer will live a life which glorifies God so their testimony can be seen at the Lord’s Table.

 
1 Corinthians 11:29
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

First, if a person is a true believer, they will never suffer damnation of Hell since all their sins have been paid for. The word “damnation” in this verse is the word for “judgment.” Unbelievers already have the wrath of God abiding on them but the true believer can bring judgment upon themselves by living a life in opposition to the principles of Scripture. Any Christian who does not understand the deep spiritual and solemn nature of the Lord’s Supper is in danger of being judged by God. Yes a believer can suffer the judging hand of God. Remember when David sinned with Bathsheba? The consequence of his sin was the death of his child. This is why we are never to treat communion as something common.

 
1 Corinthians 11:30
For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

Since many of these Corinthians were treating the Lord’s Supper as some type of pagan festival, the Lord was beginning to send judgment into this church and this why Paul was trying to help them correct their attitude toward it. First consequence was that many were weak. The word for “weak” is the word in Greek which is normally associated with both spiritual and physical weakness. This word can also carry with it the meaning of sickness. If a Christians treats the Lord’s Supper as a commonality, they may suffer a weakness in their spiritual life. They may also suffer weakness of body too. Second consequence is that those who treat the Lord’s Supper as common may suffer serious bodily sickness which could cause them to be house bound and unable to attend worship services. Then the third and final consequence is physical death itself. Yes, God can take the life of a Christian if they are walking opposite the Word of God.
(John 15:2 KJV) Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Notice the words “in me” in this verse. Christians are “in Christ” and this is not said of any other human beings. So if a Christian does not bear fruit, God can take away that branch.

 
1 Corinthians 11:31
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

The key is to be able to know and understand that if we are sinning, we are to expunge that sin from our life. If we do that, then we will not face the judgment of God in our life. This is why the Christian needs to be constantly examining themselves concerning their walk.

 
1 Corinthians 11:32
But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

In case a Christian does not believe they are sinning or they are oblivious to a certain sin in their life, they will receive the chastening of the Lord. In other words, if the Christian does not want to get the sin out of their life, the Lord will do it, and it will probably hurt a lot more. The word “condemned” in this passage carries with it the meaning of “condemnation or passing of a sentence.” God does not deal with the true Christian as He does with the unbelieving world.
(Heb 12:7 KJV) If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? God’s desire for the true Christian is continued growth in sanctification. This is why He deals with the world differently. The unbelieving world couldn’t give two hoots about the Lord Jesus Christ as they just continue to live in sin and pile sin upon sin. The Christian is not condemned with the world because the Lord Jesus already paid for the sins of the true believer. The unbelievers will have to stand for their own sins on Judgment Day which means they will have to pay for their sins in an eternity in Hell. The word “chastened” in this verse carries with it the meaning of “discipline.” God’s desire is to bring His children back into line by using various methods of discipline. There is a world of difference between condemnation and discipline.

 
1 Corinthians 11:33
Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.

The Apostle Paul now brings the matter to close. He tells them that when they come together, either for a feast or the Lord’s Supper, they need to show respect unto the other brethren by waiting for them. This way the whole congregation will be in unison. In the body of Christ, the social status means nothing because if a person is a true believer, then Christ has paid for their sins and there is no social stratification at the foot of the cross. The sacrifice of Christ was efficacious for both rich and the poor Christians.

 
1 Corinthians 11:34
And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.

Paul reminds them that if anyone is hungry, let them eat before they come to the assembly. This way the congregation will not be condemned. The Lord’s Supper was not a place where someone can bring an appetite to. It was not to be a banquet but a solemn occasion remembering the death of the Lord Jesus. There needed to be a separation between the feasts and the Lord’s Supper. There should also be this separation in the modern church. If the two are combined, then the focus will be on the eating and not on the Lord Jesus Christ. If the two are separated, then they will not provoke the Lord to judge that congregation. Then Paul ends up this chapter stating that when he comes to Corinth, he will take care of the other church matters, whatever they may be and knowing Corinth, they were probably so many that he couldn’t solve them by E-Mail.

Back