What Is Communion?

## The Central Question

What is Communion, why did Jesus give it to His Church, what does it mean, and how should Christians participate in it?

We must not reduce Communion to a church tradition, a religious snack, a sentimental memorial, a ritual that mechanically saves, a ceremony that automatically forgives sin, a denominational identity test, a private mystical experience disconnected from the Church, or an empty habit performed without thought.

Communion should be treated with reverence because Christ gave it to His people and tied it directly to remembrance of His sacrifice.

## The Surrounding Context

When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:23–28), he was correcting serious disorder, selfishness, division, and irreverence within their church. We must not isolate the warning passages from that context.

## Jesus Instituted the Lord’s Supper

Communion originates with Jesus Christ. It is not a later church invention. In Luke 22:19–20, Jesus said:

This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.[[quote]]

Jesus deliberately connected the bread, the cup, His body, His blood, the new covenant, and His coming death. Therefore, Communion is inseparable from the Gospel.

## Communion Remembers Christ

Jesus commanded: “this do in remembrance of me.”

Biblical remembrance is not merely thinking nostalgically about Jesus. The Church deliberately brings Christ’s sacrificial death back to the center of its attention. Communion confronts our tendency to let the cross become background information. The Gospel must remain central.

## The Bread

The bread points to the body of Christ given for His people. Christ did not save us through an idea. He entered human history and gave Himself. The focus remains on His real incarnation, real suffering, and real sacrifice.

## The Cup

Jesus said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood.”

Here, “testament” speaks of covenant. This connects carefully with the biblical theme of covenant and Christ’s sacrificial blood.

## The Blood of Christ

Biblical Christianity speaks seriously about Christ’s blood because it signifies His sacrificial death. Hebrews 9:22 states:

...without shedding of blood is no remission.[[quote]]

Christ’s death deals with sin. Communion keeps that truth before the Church.

## Communion Proclaims the Gospel

In 1 Corinthians 11:26, Paul writes:

For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.[[quote]]

Communion is not merely private remembrance. It is proclamation. By receiving the bread and cup, the Church publicly declares: Christ died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

## Communion Looks Back and Forward

Communion looks backward to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It also looks forward to His return and the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. Jesus promised in Matthew 26:29:

But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.[[quote]]

Communion remembers without becoming trapped only in the past. Christian hope is future-facing.

## Communion and Salvation

Vaelerin Movement Ministries teaches clearly: Communion does not save a person through the physical act of eating bread and drinking from the cup. Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

The elements do not replace Christ. The ceremony does not earn forgiveness. The person administering Communion does not possess power to save through the ritual itself.

However, Communion is not meaningless or optional. Christ commanded His followers to remember Him in this way.

## Does Communion Complete Salvation?

No. Communion does not complete the saving work of Jesus Christ. Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient.

Communion remembers, proclaims, and participates in the fellowship created by His saving work. We preserve this distinction: Christ accomplishes salvation. Communion remembers and proclaims that salvation.

## Different Christian Understandings of Communion

Christian traditions differ concerning the presence of Christ in Communion. Some understand the bread and wine sacramentally and speak of a real presence. Some understand the elements primarily as memorial symbols. Others hold positions between those formulations.

We teach what Scripture clearly establishes: Communion is commanded. It centers on Christ. It remembers His sacrifice. It proclaims His death. It involves fellowship. It demands serious self-examination.

## Communion and the Body of Christ

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:16–17:

For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.[[quote]]

Communion is not merely “Jesus and me.” It is also Christ and His people. We cannot celebrate union with Christ while casually despising members of His body.

## The Corinthian Failure

In Corinth, some believers were eating while others went hungry (1 Corinthians 11:17–22). Social divisions were being displayed during the very meal that should have testified to their unity in Christ.

The problem was not simply that someone had an impure thought during Communion. The Church was dishonoring Christ through selfishness and division. This context should shape how the warning passages are taught.

## “Eating and Drinking Unworthily”

Paul warns against receiving the Supper in an unworthy manner. He does not teach that “only worthy Christians may take Communion.” If perfect worthiness were required, no one could participate.

The issue concerns irreverence, selfishness, failure to recognize what the Supper means, and disregard for Christ and His body.

## Examine Yourself

Paul instructs in 1 Corinthians 11:28:

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat...[[quote]]

Notice Paul does not say, “Examine yourself and therefore stay away forever.” The examination is meant to lead toward faithful participation. Believers should consider unconfessed sin, bitterness, contempt toward other believers, hypocrisy, careless treatment of Christ’s sacrifice, or unresolved wrongdoing.

## Communion and Repentance

Communion provides a sober opportunity for believers to examine their lives before God. Repentance turns us toward God. Christ remains the basis of forgiveness. The bread and cup point us toward Him.

## Communion and Forgiveness

Taking Communion does not automatically remove sins. Forgiveness comes through Christ. Participation in Communion may accompany confession, repentance, worship, and renewed obedience, but the ritual itself is not a spiritual transaction by which the elements purchase forgiveness.

## Should I Refuse Communion If I Have Sinned?

A Christian who recognizes sin should not think, “I must become spiritually clean enough before I can come near Christ.” Instead, confession and repentance should drive the believer toward Christ’s mercy.

However, someone deliberately clinging to sin with no intention of repentance should take Paul’s warning seriously.

## Communion and Reconciliation

Because the Supper expresses Christian fellowship, unresolved hostility matters. Believers should not cherish bitterness or refuse all efforts toward righteousness and peace.

## Communion Does Not Erase Boundaries

Receiving Communion with other Christians does not mean trusting an unsafe person again, abandoning legal action when crimes have occurred, restoring an abusive leader to office, pretending serious wrongdoing never happened, or eliminating wise boundaries.

Christian unity and forgiveness do not cancel responsibility or protection.

## Who Should Receive Communion?

Generally, the Lord’s Supper belongs to those who have trusted Jesus Christ. It is a Christian ordinance, not simply a religious experience for anyone who happens to be present.

We acknowledge that churches differ regarding open Communion, close Communion, closed Communion, baptism requirements, and age. We do not turn this foundational article into a denominational fight.

## Children and Communion

The central question is whether the child understands the Gospel, has personally trusted Christ, and can understand the significance of the Supper. Parents and church leaders should avoid pressuring children into participation they do not understand, treating the elements casually as ordinary food, or imposing arbitrary ages Scripture does not explicitly establish.

## The Elements

Christian traditions differ regarding wine versus grape juice. The significance lies in Christ and what the elements represent.

## How Often Should Communion Be Observed?

Scripture says: “as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup...” The New Testament does not prescribe one universal schedule for all churches. The more important issue is that it be observed faithfully and meaningfully.

## Communion and Church Membership

The focus should be on belonging to Christ, fellowship with His people, and responsible participation.

## Communion and Unity

The Supper confronts division. Christians may disagree on secondary matters while still belonging to one Lord. At the same time, unity should not be used to pretend serious Gospel-denying doctrine is insignificant. Biblical unity has truth at its center.

## Communion and Gratitude

Jesus gave thanks. The term “Eucharist” comes from the idea of thanksgiving. Communion should produce gratitude, not because life has always gone well, but because Christ gave Himself.

## Communion and Suffering

For believers walking through grief, pain, disappointment, or fear, Communion can become a physical reminder that Christian hope rests outside present circumstances. The bread and cup direct the believer toward Christ’s sacrifice and His promised return.

## Communion Is Not a Performance

Churches should avoid making Communion into religious theater. Music, lighting, spoken words, and ceremony may assist reverence, but they do not create holiness. The significance comes from Christ and His command.

## Common Misunderstandings

- “Communion Saves Me.” Christ saves, not the physical act itself.

- “Communion Is Just a Symbol, So It Does Not Matter.” Even where understood symbolically, it is a symbol Christ Himself commanded and filled with Gospel meaning.

- “I Have Sinned, So I Am Too Unworthy to Participate.” The Supper is for people whose hope is in Christ, not people claiming personal perfection. Self-examination should lead to repentance and faithful participation.

- “Taking Communion Automatically Forgives My Sins.” False. Forgiveness rests in Christ.

- “Communion Is Only Between Me and Jesus.” Incomplete. Paul connects the Supper directly to the body of Christ and how believers treat one another.

## Personal Examination

When I receive Communion, do I understand what I am proclaiming about Jesus Christ?

Am I remembering His sacrifice while refusing to let that sacrifice confront the way I live and treat other people?

Is my confidence in Christ, or have I begun trusting the ceremony itself?

## Conclusion

As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:26:

...ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.[[quote]]

Communion looks backward to the cross. It speaks in the present. It looks forward to Christ’s return.

At the Lord’s Table, the Church remembers that our salvation was purchased by Christ, our fellowship exists because of Christ, and our hope remains fixed on Christ until He comes again.