The Lord's Supper as Sacrament or Ordinance Defined
The nature of the Lord's Supper, also known as Communion or Eucharist, is a deeply contested topic among Christian traditions, particularly regarding whether it is primarily a sacrament or an ordinance, and what that distinction entails. The institution of the Lord's Supper is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19-20) and by Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:24-26, occurring on the night Jesus and his disciples ate the Passover [1, 2].
One prominent view, often associated with Reformed and Baptist traditions, understands the Lord's Supper primarily as an "ordinance" [5]. In this perspective, it is a command or an act of obedience instituted by Christ for believers to observe. The purpose is largely commemorative, serving to "show" or "announce publicly" the Lord's death until he comes again [6, 2]. John Gill, a Baptist commentator, notes that the early church's gathering was not solely for the Supper but also for communal meals, suggesting a focus on the act of coming together as an assembly [7]. This view emphasizes the symbolic nature of the bread and wine, which represent Christ's body and blood, rather than containing his literal presence [6]. The focus is on the believer's faith and remembrance of Christ's sacrifice [2].
In contrast, many traditions, including Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican, understand the Lord's Supper as a "sacrament," implying a means of grace where God is actively at work through the elements. Thomas Aquinas, representing Scholastic Catholic thought, explains that Christ instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper to leave himself with his disciples under sacramental species as he was about to depart in his physical form [10]. Augustine, an early Church Father, indicates that the universal Church partakes of the Eucharist while fasting, highlighting its sacred precedence over other food [11]. The Lutheran tradition, as articulated in the Augsburg Confession, emphasizes that both bread and wine (both "kinds") are given to the laity, citing Christ's command in Matthew 26:27 and Paul's example in 1 Corinthians 11:27, indicating a real presence of Christ in the elements [12]. This view, sometimes called "consubstantiation" in distinction from "transubstantiation," holds that the substance of Christ's body and blood accompanies the bread and wine [9, 8].
Despite these differences, all traditions agree that the Lord's Supper is a central act of Christian worship, designed to commemorate Christ's sacrifice and foster fellowship among believers and with Christ [1, 3, 4]. The divergence often stems from differing hermeneutical approaches to Christ's words, "This is my body" and "This is my blood," and varying understandings of how divine grace is conveyed.
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Lords Supper — The words which thus describe the great central act of the worship of the Christian Church occur but in a single passage of the New Testament-- (1 Corinthians 11:20) + Its institution .--It was instituted on that night when Jesus and his disciples met together to eat the passover, (Matthew 26:19; Mark 14:16; Luke 22:13) (on Thursday evening, April 6, A.D. 30). It was probably instituted at the third cup (the cup of blessing) of the passover [see on [821]Passover], Jesus taking one of the unleavened cakes used at the feast and breaking it and giving it t”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Lord's Supper — (1 Cor. 11:20), called also "the Lord's table" (10:21), "communion," "cup of blessing" (10:16), and "breaking of bread" (Acts 2:42). In the early Church it was called also "eucharist," or giving of thanks (comp. Matt. 26:27), and generally by the Latin Church "mass," a name derived from the formula of dismission, Ite, missa est, i.e., "Go, it is discharged." The account of the institution of this ordinance is given in Matt. 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19, 20, and 1 Cor. 11:24-26. It is not mentioned by John. It was designed, (1.) To commemorate t”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Communion — Fellowship with God (Gen. 18:17-33; Ex. 33:9-11; Num. 12:7, 8), between Christ and his people (John 14:23), by the Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1), of believers with one another (Eph. 4:1-6). The Lord's Supper is so called (1 Cor. 10:16, 17), because in it there is fellowship between Christ and his disciples, and of the disciples with one another.”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Communion of the Lord's Supper — Prefigured -- Ex 12:21-28; 1Co 5:7,8. Instituted -- Mt 26:26; 1Co 11:23. Object of -- Lu 22:19; 1Co 11:24,26. Is the communion of the body and blood of Christ -- 1Co 10:16. Both bread and wine are necessary to be received in -- Mt 26:27; 1Co 11:26. Self-examination commanded before partaking of -- 1Co 11:28,31. Newness of heart and life necessary to the worthy partaking of -- 1Co 5:7,8. Partakers of, be wholly separate to God -- 1Co 10:21. Was continually partaken of, by the Church -- Ac 2:42; 20:7. Unworthy partakers of Are guilty of”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Baptism, Christian — An ordinance immediately instituted by Christ (Matt. 28:19, 20), and designed to be observed in the church, like that of the Supper, "till he come." The words "baptize" and "baptism" are simply Greek words transferred into English. This was necessarily done by the translators of the Scriptures, for no literal translation could properly express all that is implied in them. The mode of baptism can in no way be determined from the Greek word rendered "baptize." Baptists say that it means "to dip," and nothing else. That is an incorrect view of the m”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 11:26: For--in proof that the Lord's Supper is "in remembrance" of Him. show--announce publicly. The Greek does not mean to dramatically represent, but "ye publicly profess each of you, the Lord has died FOR ME" [WAHL]. This word, as "is" in Christ's institution (Co1 11:24-25), implies not literal presence, but a vivid realization, by faith, of Christ in the Lord's Supper, as a living person, not a mere abstract dogma, "bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh" (Eph 5:30; compare Gen 2:23); and ourselves "members of His body, of His flesh, and of Hi”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 11:19: When ye come together therefore into one place,.... Though does not signify so much the unity of the place, as of the persons meeting together, and their conjunction; so the phrase is used by the Septuagint, in Deu 25:11, yet it supposes a place where the church were wont to assemble for divine worship; this is not to eat the Lord's supper: their view in coming together was not so much to celebrate the supper of the Lord, as to partake of their own supper, which was either the paschal supper, or something like it; which many of them "judaizing" observed befo”
- Mark (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Mark 14:22: 14:22-25 The Last Supper began with a blessing. In modern practice, Christians ask God to bless the food; Jews in Jesus’ day blessed God for providing the food with the words, “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.” • this is my body. . . . This is my blood: Some understand these words to mean that the bread and wine are transformed into the very body and blood of Jesus (transubstantiation); others, that the bread and wine remain bread and wine but that the real presence of Jesus is found in them (consubstanti”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 99: obviously has reference to that view of the presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper historically associated with the Lutheran tradition—a view which has often been called (in contradistinction to transubstantiation) “consubstantiation.” Whereas “transubstantiation” means a change of the substance of the bread and wine into the substance of Christ’s body and blood, “consubstantiation” means that the substance of the bread and wine is accompanied by the substance of Christ’s body and blood. Perhaps three references from Lutheran trad”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Sacrament of the Eucharist, Art. 5: Article: Whether the institution of this sacrament was appropriate? I answer that, This sacrament was appropriately instituted at the supper, when Christ conversed with His disciples for the last time. First of all, because of what is contained in the sacrament: for Christ is Himself contained in the Eucharist sacramentally. Consequently, when Christ was going to leave His disciples in His proper species, He left Himself with them under the sacramental species; as the Emperor's image is set up to be”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 1: Augustine — Confessions, Letters — CHAP. VI. -- As to the question whether upon that day it is right to partake of food before either offering or partaking of the Eucharist, these words in the Gospel might go far to decide our minds, ": 8. Must we therefore censure the universal Church because the sacrament is everywhere partaken of by persons fasting? Nay, verily, for from that time it pleased the Holy Spirit to appoint, for the honour of so great a sacrament, that the body of the Lord should take the precedence of all other food entering the mouth of a Christian; and it is for t”
- Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), 1 To the laity are given Both Kinds in the Sacrament of the Lord’s: 1 To the laity are given Both Kinds in the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, because this usage has the commandment of the Lord in Matt. 26:27: Drink ye all of it, 2 where Christ has manifestly commanded concerning the cup that all should drink. 3 And lest any man should craftily say that this refers only to priests, Paul in 1 Cor. 11:27 recites an example from which it appears that the whole congregation did use both kinds. 4 And this usage has long remained in the Church, nor is it known w”