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Summaries
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Regarding
the cross, the meaning of the bread and the cup can be summarized as
follows:
|
|
BREAD
|
CUP |
|
Deliverance
from sin
|
Forgiveness
for sin
|
|
Deliverance
from
the power of sin
|
Deliverance
from the penalty of sin
|
|
Sanctification
|
Justification
|
|
Crucified
with
Christ
|
Forgiven in
Christ
|
|
Deliverance
from
sin |
Deliverance
from death
|
|
Deliverance from sin and self |
Deliverance from death |
|
Authority
over
sin and self |
Authority over death
(curses) |
|
Authority
over
the devil and his ability to keep us in bondage to
some sin |
Authority
over
the devil’s ministry of death and curses in some area of our life
|
|
He
bore
our grief and sorrow, our infirmities
and
sicknesses
in His body. Our
bodies
are now free to function right.
(Isaiah 53:4, Matt. 8:17)
|
He broke the curse of sickness. (Isaiah 53:5, Mark 2:5-12,
James 5:14-15) Sickness seen here as a penalty for sin.
The
blood
paid the price |
|
Bread of Affliction (Duet. 16:3) (the pain of making an
abrupt change and coming out of Egypt and sin) |
Cup of Blessing
(1 Cor.
10:16)
(the blessing that follows deliverance and obedience) |
|
Deliverance
out of Egypt (sin)
|
Deliverance
from the
judgment of
the Egyptians (penalty for sin)
|
|
Feast
of Unleavened
Bread
|
Feast of
Passover
|
|
Parting of
the Red Sea (picture of cross)
|
Angel of Death
passing
over the blood (picture of cross) |
|
Scapegoat
(Day of Atonement)
He bore
our
iniquities away. Lev.16:21-22 |
Goat of the sin
offering
(Day of Atonement) |
|
Regarding the resurrected, Spirit-filled
life, the meaning of the bread and cup can be summarized as
follows. At the cross, we were delivered from sin and death
into the following. |
|
BREAD |
CUP |
|
Righteousness
|
Life |
|
Obedience
|
Blessing (Cup of Blessing) |
|
Walking in Love |
God meeting our needs |
|
Character development |
God meeting our needs |
|
Commands (in the Word) |
Promises (in the Word) |
|
A particular command in the Word |
The corresponding promise for that command |
|
Sowing |
Reaping |
|
Action |
Consequence |
|
Being good |
God’s goodness to us |
|
Leading of
the Spirit
|
Spirit of life |
|
Fruit of the Spirit (the fruit displays God’s
character) |
Gifts of the Spirit (the gifts meet desperate
needs) |
|
The Body is for doing |
The Blood is
for life
(Life as in nourishment, support, sustenance) |
|
Eating the doings of Jesus |
Drinking the abundant life of Jesus |
|
Doing what Jesus would do |
Seeing Jesus as my source for all of my needs
(source of life) |
|
Taking a step of faith for your healing
(action lead by the Spirit) |
The Spirit will give life to your mortal body
(the Spirit of Life will minister power for healing in
response to action and faith) |
|
The Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil
(obedience issues)
|
The Tree of life |
|
Righteousness in Heaven |
Eternal Life in Heaven |
1 Corinthians 11:26
implies that the body and blood (bread and cup) proclaim the Lord’s
death. It is also true that through these elements we can see
through the cross into resurrection life. The body and blood also
are a picture of the resurrected, Spirit-filled life of the
believer. The full meaning of the bread involves dying to self
(cross) and living for God (resurrection). The full meaning of the
cup involves being delivered from death (cross) into life
(resurrection). Thus we have the death and resurrection seen in each
element of the Lord’s Supper.
Amazingly, the entire
Christian life is seen and summarized in the bread and the cup; or
in these two basic themes. The law and the prophets of the Old
Testament; the teachings of Jesus; the doctrines of the apostles
regarding the Christian lifestyle; the Lord’s death and
resurrection; they are all summarized by these two elements, or by
the two basic themes these elements represent!
The above paragraph
should make sense to us. If we eat the body and drink the blood of
Jesus with understanding, we are in a sense becoming one with all of
Him; we are becoming one with His whole person. We are becoming
Jesus on the earth today. In a sense, eating and drinking all of
Jesus would be the entire Christian life and walk.
Some might object to the
above summaries. They might feel that this teaching on the bread
involves people working for their salvation. The answer to this
objection would be as follows: we are saved out of our sin (bread),
not just from the penalty of our sin (cup).
Also, we are saved into
good works (bread). Modern day theology teaches deliverance from the
penalty of sin. The bread declares the rest of the story.
Some might wonder why
the Lord’s Supper starts with the bread, and not with a message of
forgiveness. One answer to this question would be that the Lord’s
Supper is a picture of the Christian life. Although the Lord’s
Supper clearly implies what the meaning of salvation is, the entire
Christian walk is the theme. Generally, people don’t come to the
Lord’s Supper to get saved. The Lord’s Supper is for people who
already are saved. Also, it should be noted that in Leviticus 1, the
first offering mentioned is the burnt offering which is an offering
related to sanctification. The sin offerings relating primarily to
justification are mentioned fourth and fifth.
Understanding the order
of the elements can be had by understanding that people live subject
to the rules of action and consequence. Sin (action) leads to death
(consequence). The body of Christ means deliverance from sin while
the blood of Christ means deliverance from death. Righteousness
(action) leads to life (consequence). The body of Christ means
living for righteousness while the blood of Christ means
experiencing God’s life. Even for the Christian, actions release
cursing or blessing.
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