A Question About The Lord's Supper
Brother Sewell: Is there a positive command to take the Lord's Supper to God's children? If so, please give chapter and verse.
It seems strange to me that any child of God should be inquiring about a positive command to eat at his own Father's table, and thereby commune with Jesus, who has done so much for him. It occurs to me that Christians should esteem it as a privilege to eat at the Father's table, and thus feast upon the spiritual food the Lord has ordained for them. It would seem just as rational for helpless, dependent children of an earthly father to ask for a positive command to eat at their own father's table. Yet this is never done. Those helpless little children embrace the privilege provided and extended to them as the only means, of perpetuating their earthly lives, and never think of asking if their father has commanded them to do it.
God's children are as dependent upon his divine provisions of spiritual food for spiritual life as earthly children are upon the provision of earthly parents for life in the flesh. Instead of asking for positive authority to go to the Lord's house on the first day of the week to eat at the Lord's table, they should rejoice in the privilege extended to them, and rejoice and thank and praise his holy name that he has permitted them to enter into such close relations with him, to enjoy such rich communion with him at his own table. They should be glad indeed when they may go up to the house of the Lord to feast with him and his children. But when people hold back and ask for a positive command to take the Lord's Supper, it really looks as if they do not want to go, and that unless it is a thing that must be done or else they will miss heaven they will not do it. But if such must have positive authority, a positive command, it is at hand.
When Jesus instituted the Supper, he said: "This do in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19.) When by miraculous vision he gave the Lord's Supper in charge to the apostle Paul, he repeated the same words: "This do in remembrance of me." (1 Cor. 11:24.) Here is not only a command, but a repetition of it. This do is the same as Do this. I do not see how a more positive command could be given: The command to repent or to be baptized is no more positive than this. This do — that is, attend to the Lord's Supper; for that is the very thing he was talking about.
This condensed and impressive sentence accomplishes two ends. It gives, in the first place, the positive command to attend to the Lord's Supper, and, in the next place, in the later clause gives the design of it — in remembrance of me. It tells us at the same time what to do and gives the purpose for which it is to be done. 0, how full and explicit is the Lord's word! When Paul repeated this sentence to the Corinthians, he was not merely giving them information as to what the Lord had given him, but was giving it as a positive command to them to do this very thing — that is, attend to the Lord's Supper. The command is a general one in its bearing, meaning all Christians to the end of time. Therefore, here is a divine and positive command, first given by Jesus himself and repeated by the Holy Spirit through Paul, applying to all the Lord's people through all time. Not only have we this positive command to attend to the Lord's Supper, but the Lord has set the time. "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow." (Acts 20:7.) Paul had tarried at this place seven days — that is, as we would express it, he got to Troas on Monday, and remained over the next first day of the week, which made seven days, and departed at the end of the seven days — that is, probably on the morning of the eighth day — having been there seven days and nights. Then also, in 1 Corinthians 16, Paul speaks of their meeting on the first day of the week as a fixed custom. Thus by divine precedent and example of inspired, men the first day of the week is fixed as a divine appointment to the end of time as the day on which the disciples of Christ are to meet to break bread. Then, in Hebrews 10:26, the apostle says: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is," etc. The question arises: What assembling is this which Christians are positively required not to forsake? There is but one assembling required in the New Testament, and that is the assembling of the saints together on each first day of the week to worship the Lord in his own appointments.
The first day of the week is, therefore, the time divinely set as the day upon which the Lord's people are required to meet to break bread. Therefore we have the positive command from Jesus himself, and repeated by the Holy Spirit through Paul, to attend to breaking bread. Then we have also the day divinely set on which it is to be done and the positive requisition not to forsake it. The first church at Jerusalem began at once to comply with the divine command of Jesus: "This do in remembrance of me." They began at once to break bread. "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching (doctrine) and fellowship, and of breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2:42.) Thus from the very day the church of God was established on earth the disciples began to obey the injunction, This do, etc.; and it was the universal custom of all Christians everywhere in New Testament time to meet on the first day of the week to break bread. The day is called in Revelation "the Lord's day." Now, surely here is authority enough, if that is all that is needed. Shall we observe it? Jesus said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words." The command, This do, is the command of Jesus; and every soul that loves him will keep these words to the full extent of his ability. And, doubtless, there ought to be a much larger measure of the love of God cultivated in the hearts of many who claim to be the disciples of Christ. With a good measure of love welling up in the heart of the Lord's people, they would not spend much time hunting for commands on this institution. Nay, they would sooner inquire: "Will the Lord's table be set today in my reach, and can I have the exalted privilege of remembering the death of my Lord and, Master with my Father's children?"
This will be all they will want to know when the Lord's day comes. Ah, what a gracious privilege to true and living disciples of Christ to sit at the Lord's table with his people and feast with him and his servants, Ws followers! Instead of more authority, we need more of the love of God in the soul. We have the authority. Now let us cultivate the love for God and Jesus that will lead us to comply with the demands made upon us. The man that wants to go to heaven in the proper sense of the expression, loves to honor and obey the Savior who died for him, will love to sit at his table and remember the great sufferings of Jesus to provide the way by which he may go to heaven, and will love these things more and more as the years go by.