The Lord's Supper A Covenant Meal

1 Corinthians 11:25 “This cup is the new covenant in My blood.”

Luke 22:20 “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

Mark 14:24 “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many.”

Matthew 26:28 “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

The Blood of the New Covenant When He says that the cup is His blood He means that which is in the cup symbolizes His blood. When He says “My blood of the new covenant,” or “the new covenant in My blood,” He means His blood is that which dedicates, ratifies or seals the new covenant, or makes the New Covenant effective. Before we can properly understand how His blood sealed the New Covenant, however, we need to under-stand the idea of “covenant.”

What Is a Covenant? The word for “covenant” in these passages does not mean, “an agreement between two equal parties,” but “an ‘arrangement’ made by one party with complete authority, which the other must accept or reject, but cannot alter.” The most obvious example of such an arrangement is a last will and testament.

Who Sets the Terms of the Will? The benefactor and the beneficiary do not sit down together and make out the conditions of the will. The benefactor (one party) sets down the conditions of the will for the benefit of the beneficiary (another party), who can either accept or reject those conditions but not alter them. This is vividly portrayed in Hebrews 9:15-17.

Hebrews 9:15-17 “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.”

Who Sets the Terms of the Will? The benefactor and the beneficiary do not sit down together and make out the conditions of the will. The benefactor (one party) sets down the conditions of the will for the benefit of the beneficiary (another party), who can either accept or reject those conditions but not alter them. This is vividly portrayed in Hebrews 9:15-17. In this manner, His blood is the seal of the New Covenant in that it ratified the promises of God, as contained in that covenant.

God's Last Will and Testament In the likeness of a will, and of His own free choice and grace, God offers man a saving, sanctifying relationship with Him through Christ, which man cannot change or annul, but only accept or reject. The conditions of the covenant of grace are belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, repentance, confession of faith and baptism in water for the remission of sins.

A Covenant Meal The Lord’s Supper is a memorial to the effective means of this covenant—the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Since this memorial involves eating and drinking, it is called a meal or supper. And since it is designed to commemorate a covenant, it is a covenant meal.

Our Covenant Relationship w/God We must also recognize that our relationship with God as those redeemed by Christ is not something we have entered into in our own right and on our own terms. It is solely and completely made possible by the grace of the loving God through the merits of Christ, the Sin-offering.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

John 1:29-31 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.' I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water."

John 1:32-36 And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God." Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!"

A Covenant Meal and a Grace Meal The Lord’s Supper can well be designated as a grace meal, as well as a covenant meal, since it is a reminder to the saint of the unmerited favor of God that made the covenant of grace possible. Every time we consume the elements - the bread and the cup, which symbolize the Lord’s body and blood, respectively - we show our appreciation to God for the countless blessings we have received through His wondrous grace.

A Covenant Meal and a Grace Meal And since we have accepted the covenant of grace, the covenant in the Lord’s blood, we have pledged our-selves to obey Him in everything that His covenant enjoins on us. Thus in partaking of the Lord’s Supper we are reminded of this solemn pledge, to be incited to walk daily in the light as God is in the light.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Physical Life is in the Blood God revealed, through His servant Moses, “The life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11), which is probably a reference to the fact that the blood carries oxygen to the various parts of the body, contributing to the proper functioning of each part. When Jesus died on the cross, He surrendered His physical life in the shedding of His blood, making it possible for us to have spiritual life in Him.

Spiritual Life is in the Blood Thus, in partaking of the fruit of the vine, which signifies the blood of the new covenant, the faithful saint contemplates not only the remission of sins he has received, and is receiving, by virtue of that blood, but also the spiritual life that he receives from God after meeting the conditions of the covenant of grace. Shouldn't God's children do this as often as possible? And shouldn't they look forward to each opportunity to do so?