The Lord's Supper: 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Scripture Study
We invite you to use these scripture studies for personal enrichment, group study or discipleship.
Context
Advent Christians recognize that Jesus gave only two ordinances to his church. Baptism is the first, and the second is the Lord’s Supper. Scripture addresses this rite in only two places: Jesus’s institution at his last supper (Matthew 26:26-29 and parallels) and Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians (10:14-22; 11:17-34). In the early church, only baptized believers in proper relationship to Christ could participate in this ordinance, which was celebrated weekly.[1]
This is an ordinance Christ himself established for the church to practice as a commemoration of his death. Both theologically and sociologically, the Lord’s Supper was the central act of the weekly assemblies of the early church.[2] The Lord’s Supper is expressive of the central realities of the Christian faith and of what the church is all about.[3] The longest and most detailed passage regarding the supper is found in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.
All churches administer it on a regular basis, be that weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually. Virtually every branch of Christianity practices it, and though there are many different interpretations of it, there are many points of agreement.[4]
[1] https://www.9marks.org/article/how-the-lords-supper-makes-a-local-church/
[2] Everett Ferguson, The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1996), 249.
[3] Ibid, 250.
[4] Millard Erickson, Christian Theology: Third Edition (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013), 1034.
Points of Agreement
And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
- Established by Christ
- The necessity of repetition
- At least a form of proclamation
- A spiritual benefit to the partaker
- Restriction to followers of Christ
- An ordinance practiced by the gathered church.
Questions of the Text
- What was Paul’s criticism of the Corinthians in regard to the Lord’s Supper?
- Where did Paul receive his understanding of the Lord’s Supper?
- What elements did Jesus use when he established the Lord’s Supper?
- What do the elements represent?
- What commands did Jesus give regarding the Lord’s Supper?
- According to verse 26, what is it Christians are doing, at least in part, when they celebrate the Lord’s Supper?
- What warning is issued in verses 27-32? What is the solution for avoiding this danger?
- Notice how many times the phrase “come together” is mentioned. What does this suggest about the proper setting for celebrating the Lord’s Supper?
- What does this passage suggest about the communal nature of the Lord’s Supper?
- While the Lord’s Supper clearly points us to the past, does it also point us to the future?
Application Questions
- Do you adequately examine yourself when taking the supper? What are the dangers of not doing so?
- What difference should it make that the Lord’s Supper is an act of the entire church?
- How can taking the Lord’s Supper help you connect more deeply with the Lord? With other church members?
- Are there times when you, personally, should not take the Lord’s Supper? Why?
- Write down one action you will take because of what you have learned from this passage.
“The Lord’s Supper, 1 Corinthians 11:17-34,” The Advent Christian Witness, Summer 2022