The Doctrine of Holy Communion

• Holy Communion is also called the "Eucharist" or "Holy Eucharist".

• The Old Testament Passover prefigures the Holy Communion of Christ
◦ Matthew 26:17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to
Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher
says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my
disciples.’” 19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they
prepared the Passover.

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it
and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he
took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of
it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for
many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 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.”

◦ Origin of Passover: Exodus 12:1-28

▪ Key points:
• A lamb is sacrificed (verses 3-8)
◦ Christ is the Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7; John 1:29, 36).
◦ The bones of the lamb cannot be broken (verse 46)
▪ John 19:33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was
already dead, they did not break his legs.
36 For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled:
“Not one of his bones will be broken.” (Psalm 34:20)
• The blood of the lamb is put on the frame of the door (verse 7)
◦ So that God would not kill the firstborn son in the house. This
prefigures salvation. We are saved by Christ's blood, which washes
away our sins.
• Flesh of the lamb is eaten with unleavened bread (v. 8)
◦ The unleavened bread is the body of Christ.
• Leaven = sin
◦ Leaven = false teachings (Matthew 16:6, 11-12; Galatians 5:7-10)
◦ Leaven = hypocrisy (Luke 12:1)
◦ Leaven = all sorts of sin (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)
• Therefore we use unleavened bread for Holy Communion
• We use grape juice for Holy Communion
◦ Christ is the True Vine (John 15:1).
◦ The cup in the Holy Communion is called "fruit of the vine" = grape.
◦ We do not accept wine, because wine is fermented grape juice. Fermentation in
wine is caused by yeast. Yeast also the cause of leaven in bread.
▪ We have this scientific knowledge today, therefore we do not accept wine in
Holy Communion.

• Holy Communion is our memorial of Christ's death for us

◦ Luke 22:19 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.”
 ◦ 1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you
proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
• Holy Communion is our union with Christ
◦ John 6:56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I
in him.
• Holy Communion promises eternal life
◦ John 6:48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the
wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven,
so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 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 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,
and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my
blood is true drink.
• The bread and grape juice become Christ's flesh and blood spiritually after
prayer
◦ John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that
I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
▪ "The words" refer to the Holy Communion that Christ had been teaching.
◦ 1 Corinthians 10:3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same
spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and
the Rock was Christ.
▪ "Spiritual food" is manna:
• Exodus 16:14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of
the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15
When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?”
For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the
bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander
seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
• John 6:31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written,
‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from
heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the
bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to
the world.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me
shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

• How to partake the Holy Communion

◦ Only the baptized can partake the Holy Communion
▪ Israelites were the chosen people of God. They prefigure the believers in the
New Testament.
▪ Israelites = believers. Foreigners = non-believers. Hired worker does not
belong to Israel, but are employees = non-believers.
▪ Circumcision prefigures baptism (Colossian 2:11-12)
• Exodus 12:43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute
of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every slave that is
bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. 45 No
foreigner or hired worker may eat of it.
47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 If a stranger shall
sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his
 males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall
be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of
it.
◦ A believer who has committed mortal sin may not eat of it.
▪ Unforgivable mortal sin:
• Matthew 12:31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be
forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
◦ A believer who has committed a severe sin must repent, and ask for
forgiveness before partaking the Holy Communion.
▪ 1 Corinthians 11:27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of
the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood
of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread
and drink of the cup.
▪ For example:
• 1 Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit
the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor
thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will
inherit the kingdom of God.
• Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality,
impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of
anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies,
and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who
do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
• Etc.
◦ We must never take the Holy Communion as common food
▪ Know that it is the body of blood of Christ and it is holy.
• 1 Corinthians 11:29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning
the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of
you are weak and ill, and some have died.
◦ Remember Christ's death for us when we partake the Holy Communion
▪ 1 Corinthians 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you
proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
• Holy Communion can be conducted at any time and as often as we like