John 13:2 shows that Judas came to worship with a wicked heart. After Jesus washed his feet and give him the bread, Satan himself entered into Judas (John 13:27).
1 Corinthians 10:16 declares that we share in the body and blood of Christ when we observe the Lord's Supper. We get the word Communion from that Greek word, koinōnia (κοινωνία). After Jesus "gave thanks" (eucharisteō/εὐχαριστέω), he gave the bread to his disciples. So we may refer to what began with the Last Supper as the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper or Table, or Holy Communion.
Conversely, when people participate in pagan worship, they have communion with demons (1 Corinthians 10:20-21).
The Lord's Supper is a Memorial because it displays what the Lord Jesus did for us, once for all time (1 Corinthians 11:24-26; Hebrews 10:12). But 1 Corinthians 11:27-29 makes clear that the Supper is more than a Memorial. That's why we should partake with self-examination, lest we partake in an unworthy way. That's why people who partook as Judas did became weak, sick, and died (1 Corinthians 11:30).
Many in the ancient church believed that the bread and wine were replaced with Christ himself. Aquinas used Aristotle to explain this; whereas, the Orthodox maintained it as a mystery.
At the other end of the spectrum is the belief that the Supper is only a memorial, bringing to mind what Jesus did similarly to a flannelgraph.
In between are Martin Luther and John Calvin. Luther taught that the human nature of Jesus took on divine attributes, so Jesus' actual body and blood could be present everywhere. Calvin taught that the Holy Spirit himself feeds us with Christ by seating us with him in heaven.
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After serving Grace Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Louisiana, Bob was honorably retired on Sunday, September 27, 2015, and given the title "Pastor Emeritus." This was forty years to the day after he became their pastor.
He now works for the Presbytery of the Gulf South as...
