“The Lord’s Table”
I Corinthians 10:21
Every Lord’s day evening we gather around the Lord’s table to celebrate our redemption by Christ exactly as he commanded us, eating the unleavened bread that represents his holy humanity and drinking the cup of wine which represents his precious blood. This is a highly symbolic ordinance, full of instruction for all who behold it, delightful to all who participate in it properly, and honoring to our Lord. It has absolutely no saving merit or efficacy. It has no mystical power. It is not a sacrament ( a means of grace), but an ordinance to be observed by those who have experienced grace. The table is an ordinary wooden table, not an altar. The bread is ordinary unleavened bread, not the body of Christ, except in symbol. The wine is ordinary concord grape wine, not the blood of Christ, except in symbol. Yet, the ordinance is highly significant.
It symbolizes our Savior’s death as our
Substitute (I Cor.
This ordinance is a declaration of our
faith (I Cor.
Observing the ordinance is an act of
grateful remembrance (I Cor.
The Lord’s table
is a symbol of our union with one another in Christ (I Cor.
The Lord’s table
is also a prophetic ordinance. It is the showing forth of the Lord’s death “till he come” (I Cor.
Don Fortner