Holy Communion: An Affirmative

Affirmative On Holy Communion

By: Bishop Jerry L Hayes

Strange as it may seem, there are those who call themselves Christians who do not observe a literal Lord's Supper. Moreover, these simple ones besmirch those that do observe the Holy Communion and accuse us of being papist. Because these unhappy circumstances exist in the Lord's Church it becomes necessary to speak and write in defense of this truth which is so clearly taught and demonstrated in Holy Scripture that it would seem  no sensible person would dare naysay it. 

What follows is our humble attempt to defend this most holy ordinance of the Lord's church.

PROPOSITION TO BE AFFIRMED

The Scriptures teach that an ordinance of memorial is to be kept by the Christian church to commemorate the death of our lord; and that literal elements of broken bread, representing our Lord’s body broken on the cross, and the fruit of the vine, representing our Lord’s shed blood, are to be used. This ordinance was instituted on the evening before our Lord’s death.

Permit me to open the discussion by defining the proposition. 

By “The Scriptures,” I  mean all 66 books of the Bible, Old and New Testaments;  by “teach,” I mean to instruct by precept, example, or inference;  by “ordinance,” I mean an authoritative decree; by “memorial,” I mean serving to reserve remembrance;  by “Christian church,” I mean those who have repented, been baptized in Jesus’ name and filled with the Holy Spirit;  by “commemorate the death,” I mean to call to remembrance the death of Christ;  by “our Lord,” I mean Jesus Christ;  by “literal,” I mean according to the letter of the Scriptures, adhering to fact or to the ordinary construction or the primary meaning of a term or expression;  by “elements,” I mean the bread and the wine used in the holy eucharist;  by “bread,” I mean common bread made from flour, water, and yeast;  by “fruit of the vine,” I mean the fermented juice of the grape;  by “institute,” I mean to establish, set up, fix, originate, ordain;  by “the evening before His death,” I mean at the time of His last meal with the disciples before His death.

Having defined my proposition I will begin my affirmative by stating that I intend to prove that the Scriptures teach by 1. Command, 2. Example, and 3. Inference, the proposition stated above. If holy communion can be found taught in the Bible by any one of the three ways just mentioned it will be sufficient proof enough; however, we will see that communion is taught not only by one but by all three of the avenues of teaching.

First, I would like to show why we believe the Lord’s Supper to be an ordinance for the New Testament church. Remember that I said an ordinance is an authoritative decree. A decree is a command. With this in mind it would be good to look at the commands we have in the Scriptures concerning keeping the holy communion meal with literal elements.

I will deal with the commands of Jesus first—this is authoritative as we can get. 

In the Gospel of Luke the Bible says in chapter 22 and verses 19-20, “He took … bread … gave thanks … break it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” We read in the book of Mark chapter 14 and verse 23 that they all drank from the cup. The Apostle Paul adds an element to this command of Jesus as recorded by Luke: Paul records that Jesus also said, “as often ye drink it” (the cup). Now we know from the accounts of both Luke and Paul that Jesus told His disciples to eat the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of Him. However, Paul records that Jesus told His disciples to do it often: see 1 Corinthians 11:25 where we read: “This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Jesus said, “Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14).

Dear friend, Jesus commanded us to keep the meal with literal elements. Therefore, would you be His friend and do whatsoever He has commanded you?

I would like to look closer at the command “This Do.” 

I cannot imagine anyone not understanding that Jesus was referring to the bread which He held in His hand, the very bread that He had just (broken), when He said, “This is my body which is broken for you” (1 Corinthians 11:24).  That He was referring to literal  bread is made clear by the fact that He broke it. The literal bread represented His flesh as it would be broken on the cross. Further, can we not see that it was the very cup He held in His hand to which He referred when he said, "This cup is the new testament in my blood” (1 Corinthians 11:25). The Scripture is equally clear in the matter of the cup: Paul informs us that Jesus took the cup and said,"This cup…." not another cup, but "This cup” that I hold in my hand “is the New Testament in my blood".

Now that I have set forth these reasons for believing Jesus referred to literal bread and a literal cup, permit me to add that the very command, "This Do," itself, proves the elements to be literal, because it was something that the disciples could imitate. Thus, the command: ”This Do".

THIS DO. This command is an imperative, without argument, without debate, THIS DO.

We might ask, “Do What?”

The answer of course to the question, “Do What?” is simple enough: Whatever Jesus was doing and commanding His disciples to do at the time He said "This Do”, is the very thing we are to do. We must find out what Jesus was doing and then do it ourselves. First, Jesus took bread—therefore we must take bread; second, He blessed the bread—likewise we are to bless the bread; third, Jesus broke the bread—therefore we are to break the bread; fourth, the disciples ate the bread—even so, must we eat the bread; fifth, Jesus blessed the literal cup—likewise, we bless a literal cup; sixth, the disciples were told to drink in remembrance of Him (Jesus)—therefore, we drink from a literal cup in remembrance of our Lord. We do these things because we (His disciples) were commanded, “This Do".

This brings us to the question: Was the command, “This Do”, only for the 12 disciples or is it for all disciples of Christ? Was this a one-time command or was it a command for all time? The answer can be quickly found in the Greek text of Luke 22:19. In the Greek, the statement "This Do" is in the present tense, active voice, and the indicative mood. The present, active, and indicative means to keep on doing it repetitious. (See A.T Robertson, Word Pictures of the Greek New Testament, Page 268.)

The present, active, indicative, of the Lord’s command, along with the words of Jesus "As often as you drink .…” shows clearly that Jesus taught the keeping of the holy communion to be a thing that the Christian church would do over and over again. One might ask, for how long? Paul taught that Christians were to continue to re-enact this ordinance until Christ returns. (See 1 Corinthians 11:26,  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.)

Dear friends, I have established the fact that the command “This Do“ meant for the believers to do what Jesus was then doing with His disciples and what He was instructing them to do, which was having a literal meal of bread and wine. Having, further, established that the command is in the present tense, active voice, and the indicative mood, which means to do it now and keep on doing it, we see no escape from the Lord’s command. Since some calling themselves "bread of Life" willfully abstain from a literal Lord’s Supper, we, the obedient, charge them and with disobedience of the Word of God.

To further substantiate the keeping of the Lord's Supper as a command from the Lord I will now look to John 6:51-53. 

Jesus said in John 6:53, "I say to you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, …” It is important to notice that in the 51st verse Jesus said that the bread that He would give to His disciples would be His flesh. Now, this puzzled the Jews, and they asked in verse 52, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” The Bible gives us the answer to this question in Matthew 26:26-28, ”And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

The conclusion of the matter is that the bread equals His flesh (body), and the cup equals His blood. I speak of the literal bread and the literal cup of Matthew 26:26-28. Jesus said that unless you eat His flesh and drink His blood you have NO LIFE in you (John 6:53). It is clear from the Scriptures that the Lord's Supper is the ONLY way taught whereby we can eat His flesh and whereby we may drink His blood. There is no other way taught in the word of God to eat the flesh of Christ or to drink His blood. Perhaps, dear friend, you think otherwise. Perhaps you feel that the Bible gives another way whereby we may eat His flesh and drink His blood. If so, would you be so kind as to produce the scripture. I will concede this debate if anyone can show the biblical verse where any other way is provided the eat the flesh of Christ and/or drink His blood.

In the light of the information I have just put forth, to have life one must eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus. The Lord has shown us, Himself, how this is to be done: namely, by means of the Lord's Supper. If this cannot be refuted by the holy Scriptures then we are left with the conclusion that the Lord's Supper is an imperative.

Next, I would like to deal with the command as given by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 11. 

In verse two of 1 Corinthians chapter 11, Paul says, "Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances as I deliver them to you." In this passage it is the word ordnance that I wish to consider first. The word "ordinance" as found in 1 Corinthians 11:2 is the Greek word paradosis. Paradosis also means tradition. The definition of the word “paradosis” here, (in this verse called "ordinance") as taken from A. T. Robertson’s Word Pictures of the Greek New Testament, Vol IV, page 159, is as follows: 1. and authoritative decree. 2. something handed on from one to another.

With the above definition of the word "ordinance" in mind, permit me to point out Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 11: 23a, "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you." Then Paul rehearses the account of the institution of the ordinance. See verses 23, 24, and 25. The statement of Paul, at the beginning of verse 23 makes the Lord's Supper a true ordinance, or paradosis; or, something passed on from one another; it is here that Paul states: “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you”.

Notice the two parts of an ordinance:  one: an authoritative decree; and two: something that is passed on from one to another. In the Lord's Supper we have both qualifying factors. A. The authoritative decree: namely, "This Do". See 1 Corinthians 11:20 3b & 24, "That the Lord Jesus… took bread… and said, Take, eat: this is my body… this do in remembrance of me.… Also he took the cup… this do ye as often as you drink it in remembrance of me." And, also, we have the second qualifying factor,   B. something passed on from one to another; namely, Paul had received the decree from the Lord and had passed it on to the Corinthians: See 1 Corinthians 11: 23a,  “For  I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you.”

From the above biblical proofs there is only one conclusion that any honest Bible believer can come to, and that is, Observance of the Lord's Supper, with literal elements, is an ORDINANCE for the New Testament church.

To further the command of Paul, we will look to 1 Corinthians 11:26. Here, Paul says, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.” From this passage we know two things: 1. the church was to eat and drink often, not just once; and 2. the purpose for the eating and drinking was to show the Lord’s death until He returns. The old English word “shew” means: to proclaim; this is according to Vine’s, volume 4 page 21. Proclaim means to declare publicly, typically, insistently, proudly or defiantly; this is according to Webster. Therefore, the church is to declare publicly, proclaim, is to preach insistently, proudly, and even defiantly, the Lord's death by eating and drinking the Lord's Supper "Til he come”.

"Til he come," clearly refers to a future coming of the Lord, that is future in time to the time Paul spoke these words. You see, this coming, spoken of here, cannot possibly be the day of Pentecost, because Paul spoke these words in the spring of A. D. 55 and the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out, came in A. D. 30.

The conclusion of this matter is clearly this: the church is to proclaim the Lord’s death publicly, by keeping the literal supper often, until the Lord Jesus returns the second time in the clouds of glory.

Next, I would like to look to the "Law of the testament”. 

This law is found in the book of Hebrews chapter 9 verses 16 & 17. This law simply stated is this: A testament is only in force after the death of the testator. Notice, if you will please, the Word of God on this matter, "For where a testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is a force only after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator live.”

The section of the Scriptures that we call the New Testament, it's just that, the last will and testament of the Lord Jesus Christ. The dictionary defines the word "testament" as “a solemn, authentic instruments in writing disposing of the estate of a person deceased.” Therefore, the commands and promises of the New Testament are all part of the last will and testament of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

The writer of Hebrews has something important to say about the validity of any testament. He says, "Where a testament is there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead, otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth" (Hebrews 9:16-17).

There are two facts that I wish to put forward here that will bring us to an undeniable conclusion: Fact #1. All things pertaining to a testament are enforced only after the death of the testator (Hebrews 9:16-17); Fact # 2. The elements of communion do pertain to the last will and testament of Jesus Christ. Notice, that Jesus did in very fact say, “For this is my blood of the new testament”… and, “this cup is the new testament in my blood.” (See Matthew 26:26-28 and Luke 22:19-20.) The incontestable conclusion to be drawn from the above two facts is this: when Jesus said, “This do in remembrance of me,” He fully intended for the breaking of bread and the drinking of the cup to be repetitiously performed by His followers AFTER HIS DEATH, because, only then would it have any strength.

Permit me to show some parallels from holy Scriptures. This was not the first time that the Lord gave a command that could not be of value until after His death (and for the same reason), notice the following: Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water… he cannot enter into the kingdom of God” (John 3:5).  And also, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved …” (Mark 16:16). Water baptism was commanded by Jesus but could not be enforced until after His death: see Romans 6:4, "Therefore we are buried with him in baptism… .”  We cannot be buried with Him if He is not yet dead and buried. For this reason, those baptized by John the Baptist before the death of Jesus had to be re-baptized by the apostles and preachers of the NEW TESTAMENT (see Acts 19:1-7). Also, Jesus breathed upon His disciples and said, “receive ye the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). Jesus commanded the disciples to receive the Holy Ghost although the Holy Ghost was not given until the day of Pentecost: see John 7:39,  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

All of the above are true because water baptism and the infilling of the Holy Ghost (like the Lord's Supper) are part of the NEW TESTAMENT and, therefore, not enforced until after the death of the testator. “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise, it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth” (Hebrews 9:16-17).

I have submitted the above to show that Jesus commanded us to eat and drink literal elements in remembrance, and that command could only be fulfilled AFTER His death.

Apostolically Yours,

☩ Jerry L Hayes

If you have enjoyed this essay you would like to own the book written by Bishop Hayes entitled "The Lord's Supper." You may own your personal copy by ordering it from the link provided here:

In "The Lord's Supper" Bishop Hayes presents a comprehensive study of the holy Sacrament. The book answers important questions, like: "What is the Lord's supper?" Who may partake of the Lord's supper?" "Is the body and blood of Christ really present in the elements or do the elements actually change into the body and blood of Christ?" "How often should the Lord's Supper be observed?" These are but a few of the questions addressed in the book. It is safe to predict that this work will be a standard volume in the libraries of those who love the Sacrament.

Order you personal copy of this classic work from the link provided here:https://www.amazon.com/Lords-Supper-Apostolic-Concerning-Corinthians/dp/148254380X/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=Bishop+Jerry+hayes&qid=1554244230&s=books&sr=1-5

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