What does the Bible say about communion?
Communion, or the Lord's Supper, is a vital ordinance where believers remember Christ's sacrifice and seek a deeper fellowship with Him.
Furthermore, the act of communion reinforces the Christian’s dependence on Christ. As participants approach the table, they are reminded of their infinite need for Him. The communion experience is a manifestation of Christ’s love, drawing the believer’s heart closer to Him. The desire for a closer union with Christ and a clearer manifestation of His love underlines the importance of this ordinance in a believer's life, as it reinforces the truth that without Christ, there is no true sufficiency for the soul.
Luke 22:19
How do we know communion is important for Christians?
Communion is essential because it fulfills Christ's command to remember Him and deepens our fellowship with Him.
Moreover, communion serves as a means to cultivate spiritual intimacy with Christ. As believers participate, they express their desire to experience Christ’s presence in a tangible way and to strengthen their relationship with Him. The yearning for closer communion and clearer manifestations of His love is vital for spiritual growth and sustenance. Hence, communion holds a special significance in the life of a believer, acting as both a reminder of Christ's love and a means of grace that nourishes their faith.
Luke 22:19
Why is the remembrance of Christ important for Christians?
Remembering Christ is crucial as it reaffirms our faith and reminds us of His sacrifice for our salvation.
Additionally, this remembrance fosters a communal bond among believers, uniting them in their shared faith and experiences of grace. When Christians gather to partake in communion, they are not only looking back at Christ's sacrifice but also forward to the hope of His return. This dual focus strengthens both personal faith and community fellowship, emphasizing that collective remembrance enhances individual understanding of Christ’s love and our reliance on Him. Thus, the remembrance of Christ is not just an act of looking back but a catalyst for spiritual growth and encouragement in the life of the believer.
Luke 22:19
“This do in remembrance of me.”
— Luke 22:19
To the soul hungering and thirsting for the Lord Jesus in the ordinance, Jesus presents Himself. He draws back the shutter, opens the window, stands within it, and looks forth upon His people, clustering around His table, desiring to remember His love. "Precious Jesus!" is the meditation of a soul thus looking for its Beloved, "I have come to Your ordinance invited by Your love, drawn by Your Spirit; but what is it to my soul without You? Your minister may open this institution with clearness and power, but if You do not manifest Yourself, to break and heal my heart- if I don't catch one glimpse of You, my Lord, it is no ordinance of grace or sweetness to my soul. I want by faith to see You in the baptism of Your sufferings, to feed upon Your flesh, and to drink of Your blood. I want to enjoy communion with You. You know, Lord, the workings of my heart; You know that this is the great desire of my soul, that I might enjoy fellowship with Christ. Oh, that I might have more of Christ, that I might meet with Christ, that I might have some further manifestation of Christ, and that I might have my soul closer knit to Christ. I come with thirsting after Jesus, knowing my infinite need of Him, and His infinite excellency and fulness to meet my case. My soul does famish and perish without Christ; but in the enjoyment of Christ there is a sufficiency for the satisfying of my soul. That which I have had of Christ, sometimes in the word, and sometimes in prayer, has been sweet unto my taste; but I look for closer communion, for a clearer manifestation of Christ here, for this is the great "communion of the body and blood of Jesus." Behold, Lord, I approach these windows of Your house, a poor, unworthy, backsliding child, tried and tempted; yet just as I am, clear Lord, I come. I dare not, I cannot, stay away from You, Divine loadstone of my heart, precious magnet of my soul! Draw me, and then I will run after You; Show Yourself in the window, and, overcome with Your beauty and Your love, I exclaim, "Turn away Your eyes from me, for they have overcome me." Blessed Spirit! I have been taught to believe that You will take of the things of Jesus, and show them unto me. Open the window of this ordinance, and let me behold my soul's Beloved standing within it. I cannot live, I cannot die, without Him. Living or dying I must have Christ. "I am any Beloved's, and His desire is towards me;" and truly my soul's desire is towards Him. There is to my soul no love like Christ's love. There is no voice like Christ's voice. There is no sympathy like Christ's sympathy. There is no friend like this Friend; there is no Christ like my Christ. The window is open! "The voice of my Beloved! behold, He comes, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills." He looks forth at the window; and lively faith and ardent love, sweet contrition and holy joy, possess and overwhelm my soul!
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