Summarizing the Bread & Cup of the Lord’s Supper
| Regarding the cross, the meaning of the bread and the cup can be summarized as follows: | |
| BREAD | CUP |
| 1 Peter 2:24, Hebrews 10:10, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 | Colossians 1:14, Ephesians 1:7, Romans 5:9 |
| 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 |
| 1 Peter 2:24, Hebrews 10:5-7, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:18 | Deuteronomy 12:23, Leviticus 17:14, John 3:16, John 10:10, Romans 8:2, 6, 10-11 |
| Righteousness | Life |
| Obedience | Blessing (Cup of Blessing) |
| Walking in Love | God meeting our needs |
| Each member of the body of Christ has his unique calling – what he is supposed to do | God’s provision for each member of the body of Christ |
| 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 |
Summarizing the Bread & Cup of the Lord’s Supper
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.