I was brought up Catholic and although I knew what about Holy Communion I was never allowed to go up to the altar and receive it because I never took catechism. I never really thought about how important it is, so, as I grew in my Christianity I learned what it truly means and thought that if I was as confused there has to be others as well. So, I am here to explain the truth about what Holy Communion means, who is allowed to receive it and what it means to us to receive it.
What
is Holy Communion?
If
you have been brought up in church chances are that you are familiar
with Holy Communion, or some form of it, such as Eucharist, the Holy
Sacrament, the Last Supper, the Lord's Supper, or the Sacrament. The
phrase holy communion is defined as a spiritual union held by
Christians to exist between individual Christians and Christ, the
Church. In other words, one body of Christ joined together believing
in the Gospel of Christ and trusting in it for the atonement of their
sins.
Holy Communion is the sacrament or observance
established by the Lord Jesus Christ during His last Passover meal
with
the disciples. “And
as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it,
and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
And
he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink
ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is
shed for many for the remission of sins.”
-Matthew 26:26-28.
How
is Holy Communion Observed?
In
most churches Holy Communion is observed by passing around wafers or
pieces of bread and wine or juice. The bread represents the body of
Christ, which signifies that you are one body in Christ when you
accept Him as our Savior. The wine represents the blood of Christ
that was shed for the remission or atonement of your sins when He
died on the cross.
Before I go further I need to explain the
fault in some churches that use alcoholic wine for giving Holy
Communion, this it is wrong since Christ would not have been drinking
that kind of wine. Jesus would have been drinking grape juice, which
is also know as wine. There are two types of wine, fermented, which
has been turned into alcohol, and non-fermented, which is the juice
of any kind of fruit. Jesus made and would have been drinking the
non-fermented type. When Jesus was being crucified they tried to give
him fermented wine and He refused to drink it. “And
they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it
not.”
- Mark 15:23. Why? Fermented wine causes drunkenness and if Jesus
drank it it would have meant that Jesus would be committing sin and
also contributing to causing people to sin, which would have been a
sin also. Therefore, if He were to remain sinless He would not have
been drinking something that would cause Him or anyone else to sin.
By partaking in Holy Communion we are in a fellowship that
allows God to impart His very life on us. “Whoso
eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will
raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my
blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.”
- John 6:54-56. When we take the bread, we show our participation,
acceptance, and fellowship with Christ. We show our desire to be one
with Him.
Who
Can Receive Holy Communion?
Many
have taught that you can only partake of Holy Communion if you have
been baptized in to the true church, or having received confirmation,
or having never committed a serious sin, but this is not true. The
taking of communion is for anyone who is saved that desires to
commune with the Lord in a deeper manner. It is something that can be
done daily and at every meal.
The Word of God simply says we
are to receive the body and the blood in a thoughtful and worthy
manner. The Lord Himself instituted Communion as an ongoing
observance to commemorate His death and soon return. “For
as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the
Lord's death till he come. Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread,
and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the
body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let
him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and
drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not
discerning the Lord's body.”
- I Corinthians 11:26-29. This means that before we partake of Holy
Communion we should examine ourselves before God. Every time we
participate in this observance, we are calling to our remembrance of
what Christ's sacrificial death means to us. Therefore, the Lord's
Supper is not only a memorial ordinance, it is an everlasting
ordinance. It is also to be observed by every believer until that day
when we share it with Him in His Father's Kingdom. Praise God!
