This Do in Remembrance of Me — Communion or What?

Many believers take part in something they call Communion, the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist. Some have done so since childhood without ever asking what Jesus actually meant when He said, 'This do in remembrance of me.' This study opens the Bible and lets Scripture speak. The goal is not to defend a denomination or tear down another, but to understand what our Lord instituted on the night He was betrayed — and to let that understanding bring us back to Him.

1. This Do in Remembrance of Me — What Did Jesus Mean?

On the night before His death, Jesus shared a final meal with His disciples. At that meal He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them. He took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them. He spoke words that have echoed through every generation of the church since: words about His body, His blood, a new covenant, and remembrance.

The question this study asks is simple: What did Jesus mean? Not what does our tradition say. Not what does our denomination prefer. What do the Scriptures actually teach about the meal He instituted? When we answer that question honestly, the Lord's Supper becomes far more than a religious routine — it becomes a living proclamation of the death of Jesus Christ and a confident expectation of His return.

2. Read the Word

Before reading any explanation, read what Scripture itself says. These are the primary passages on which this study is built.

3. The Night Jesus Gave the Meal

The meal Jesus instituted was not invented in a vacuum. It was born inside the Passover. For fifteen centuries the people of Israel had observed the Passover as a memorial of God's deliverance from Egypt — the night when the destroying angel passed over every house marked by the blood of a lamb, and when God brought His people out of slavery.

The Passover was a memorial of redemption by blood. Every year Israel remembered what God had done. And now, on the night of that same feast, Jesus took the bread and the cup and gave them a new meaning — not replacing the Passover, but fulfilling it. The lamb had pointed forward to a greater Lamb. The blood on the doorposts had pointed forward to a better blood. The memorial of the old exodus was about to become the memorial of a new and greater redemption.

Jesus knew what was coming. Within hours He would be arrested, falsely accused, beaten, and crucified. And yet He said He had earnestly desired to eat this Passover with His disciples before He suffered. Why? Because on this night He would give them something that would keep the meaning of His death alive in their hearts until He returned. The bread and the cup were His final gift to His people before the cross — a gift that would forever tie their remembrance of Him to the body He would give and the blood He would shed.

4. 'This Is My Body… This Is My Blood'

Jesus said, 'This is my body,' and, 'This is my blood.' He did not say, 'This represents my body,' or 'This symbolizes my blood.' He said, 'This is.' At the same time, He was physically present with them, His body unbroken, His blood not yet shed. The bread in His hand was still bread; the cup was still the fruit of the vine. This is why faithful Christians through the centuries have understood these words in different ways.

Some traditions understand Jesus' words literally, teaching that the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ. Others understand them as a powerful symbol or sign that points to Christ's sacrifice. Still others speak of a real spiritual presence of Christ in the meal without a physical change in the elements. Back To Truth does not settle a question here that the church has wrestled with for centuries when Scripture itself does not give a single sentence that settles every later philosophical formulation.

What Scripture does establish is unmistakable: the bread and the cup point to Jesus' body given and blood shed for us. The language is covenant language. The blood is 'the blood of the new testament,' shed 'for the remission of sins.' Whatever else believers may debate, this is certain — the elements proclaim a real sacrifice, really offered, really sufficient, really effective for the forgiveness of sins.

The body and blood of Christ are not theoretical. They are the price of our redemption. The bread and the cup are not the Savior — Jesus is the Savior. But they are the sign and proclamation of what the Savior did. When we take them, we are not re-sacrificing Christ; Hebrews tells us His offering was 'once for all.' We are remembering, proclaiming, and participating in the benefits of a sacrifice already accomplished on the cross.

5. 'Do This in Remembrance of Me'

'This do in remembrance of me.' These words appear in Luke's Gospel and in Paul's account in 1 Corinthians, but not in Matthew or Mark. The word 'remembrance' translates the Greek word anamnesis. In the biblical world, remembrance was not a vague mental recollection. It was an active calling to mind — a making-present of the significance of a past event in the present.

When Israel observed the Passover, they were not merely thinking about something that happened long ago. They were participating in the continuing reality of God's redemption. The memorial brought the meaning of the exodus into the present generation. In the same way, when Jesus said, 'Do this in remembrance of me,' He was not asking His disciples to perform an empty ritual. He was giving them a practice that would bring the meaning of His death into the present experience of His people — not by repeating the sacrifice, but by making its significance live again in the hearts of those who share the meal.

Remembrance, rightly understood, points us toward Jesus. His body given for us. His blood shed for us. His sacrifice. The new covenant. His death. His promised return. If the Lord's Supper ever becomes a habit we perform without thinking about Christ, it has lost its purpose. Jesus did not say, 'Do this in remembrance of the ritual.' He said, 'Do this in remembrance of me.' The whole meal is designed to keep our attention fixed on Him.

6. The Lord's Supper in Corinth

The most extended teaching in the New Testament on the Lord's Supper is found in 1 Corinthians 11, and it was written to correct a serious problem. The church in Corinth was abusing the meal so badly that Paul said their gathering was doing more harm than good.

In the early church, the Lord's Supper was often celebrated as part of a fuller shared meal — what some call a love feast. In Corinth, that meal had become a display of selfishness and division. The wealthy brought their own food and ate it before others arrived. Some had plenty while others went hungry. Some even became drunk. The meal that was supposed to proclaim the unity of the body of Christ had become a spectacle of inequality and disregard for the poor.

Paul's correction was sharp. He said they were 'despising the church of God' and 'shaming those who have nothing.' The problem was not that they were using the wrong liturgy or the wrong elements. The problem was that their manner of participating contradicted the very meaning of the meal. The Lord's Supper proclaims a Savior who gave Himself for others. To eat it selfishly, while a brother or sister goes hungry, is to deny the meaning of the cross by the way we share the meal.

This is essential context for everything Paul says next. His warning about eating 'unworthily' is not an abstract theological concern. It is rooted in a concrete situation: believers were treating each other with contempt at the very table that proclaims Christ's self-giving love. To understand Paul's correction, we must understand what he was correcting.

7. Examine Yourself

These verses have troubled many sincere believers. Some have stayed away from the Lord's Table for years, afraid that they are not worthy. It is important to read Paul carefully. The word translated 'unworthily' in the KJV describes the manner in which a person eats and drinks, not the worthiness of the person himself. The same Greek root appears as an adverb describing the action, not as an adjective describing the believer.

This distinction matters enormously. Paul is not teaching that a person must make himself personally worthy of Christ before coming to the table. No one is worthy of Christ in that sense. If worthiness were the condition, the table would be empty. The grace of God is precisely for the unworthy — for sinners who come to Christ not in their own righteousness but in His.

What Paul is addressing is the manner of participation. The Corinthians were eating and drinking in a way that disregarded what the meal meant and disregarded the people for whom Christ died. To eat the bread and drink the cup carelessly, selfishly, or with contempt for fellow believers is to treat the body and blood of the Lord as a common thing. That is what Paul calls eating 'unworthily.' The warning is not 'make yourself worthy enough for Jesus.' The warning is 'approach what represents and proclaims Christ's sacrifice with seriousness, faith, repentance, love, and proper regard for fellow believers.' Grace and reverence are not enemies. They belong together.

Paul's instruction to 'examine yourself' is not a call to paralyzing self-scrutiny or to sinless perfection. It is a call to honest self-judgment: to look at our hearts in the light of the cross, to confess known sin, to repent, to forgive, and to come to the table looking to Christ — not to ourselves. When we judge ourselves honestly, we avoid the Lord's corrective judgment. Self-examination should lead us toward repentance, faith, and dependence upon Jesus — never toward self-righteousness or despair.

8. Discerning the Body

Paul says the one who eats and drinks unworthily does so 'not discerning the Lord's body.' This phrase has been understood in more than one way. Some emphasize that 'the body' refers to the physical body of Christ given on the cross — and that to fail to discern it is to treat the sacrifice of Christ as a common, ordinary thing. Others emphasize that 'the body' also refers to the church, the body of Christ — and that to fail to discern it is to disregard the brothers and sisters for whom Christ died. In the context of 1 Corinthians 11, where the central problem was division and disregard for the poor, both meanings are deeply relevant.

The word translated 'damnation' in the KJV is better translated 'judgment' in many modern versions. Paul is not saying that a believer who participates carelessly loses salvation. He is saying that God's loving, corrective discipline comes upon His children who treat His table lightly. Verse 30 says that because of this, 'many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.' God was disciplining the Corinthian church. Hebrews 12 makes clear that the Lord disciplines those He loves. The purpose of the discipline was not condemnation but correction — 'that we should not be condemned with the world' (v. 32).

In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul calls the cup and the bread a 'communion' — a participation, a sharing, a fellowship — in the body and blood of Christ. And he immediately connects this to the unity of believers: 'we being many are one bread, and one body.' The Lord's Supper is not only a vertical act between the believer and Christ. It is also a horizontal act that expresses the unity of the body of Christ. To discern the body, then, includes recognizing both what Christ has done and who Christ has made us to be together.

9. Communion, Lord's Supper, or Breaking of Bread?

The title of this study asks: 'Communion or what?' It is worth asking what the Bible actually calls this practice. The New Testament uses several expressions.

The English word 'communion' comes from this verse. The Greek word behind it is koinonia — a word meaning participation, sharing, fellowship, or communion. The cup and the bread are a koinonia in the body and blood of Christ. So the word 'communion' is not an invention of later tradition with no biblical root. It is directly connected to the concept Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 10:16.

Paul also calls it 'the Lord's supper' — a name that reminds us that this meal belongs to the Lord. It is not our meal; it is His. He instituted it. He defined its meaning. He is the One it proclaims.

The book of Acts describes the early church devoting themselves to 'the breaking of bread.' This simple phrase may refer to shared meals in general, to the Lord's Supper specifically, or to both together — as was common in the early church. The expression 'breaking of bread' recalls Jesus' action at the Last Supper and at the meal on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:30-35).

So is it wrong to call it 'Communion'? No. The word is connected to 1 Corinthians 10:16. Is it wrong to call it 'the Lord's Supper'? No — that is Paul's own term. Is it wrong to speak of 'the breaking of bread'? No — that is the language of Acts. The more important question is not which English label we use, but whether we understand and practice what Scripture teaches. A church can use the most biblical terminology possible and still miss the meaning if its people eat and drink without remembering Christ, without examining their hearts, and without love for one another. The label matters less than the reality.

10. How Often Should We Do It?

Paul says 'as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup.' The phrase 'as often as' assumes a recurring practice but does not command a specific frequency. Scripture does not say 'every Sunday,' 'once a month,' 'once a year,' or 'every day.' Different churches have reached different conclusions, and faithful believers have practiced the Lord's Supper on different schedules throughout church history.

Some point to Acts 20:7, where the disciples came together 'on the first day of the week' to break bread, as evidence that the early church observed the Lord's Supper weekly. That may well be the case. Others note that 'breaking bread' in Acts can also refer to ordinary shared meals, and that one passage does not by itself establish a universal command. What we can say clearly is this: Scripture establishes the practice and its significance. Scripture does not give the church a universally explicit calendar frequency in these passages. Where Christians differ on frequency, we should extend grace, since the Lord Himself did not specify a schedule. What matters is that when we do eat and drink, we do so in remembrance of Him.

11. What About John 6?

John 6 is often brought into discussions of the Lord's Supper because Jesus speaks there of eating His flesh and drinking His blood. The passage deserves careful attention.

These are startling words. Some traditions see in them a direct reference to the Eucharist and a foundation for sacramental theology. Others note that John 6 was spoken during Jesus' ministry in the synagogue at Capernaum (John 6:59), likely before the Last Supper was instituted, and that the passage is primarily about faith and union with Christ rather than about the Lord's Supper specifically. It is not wise to be more dogmatic than the text warrants. We should not casually claim that John 6 definitely has nothing to do with Communion, nor that it definitively proves one particular sacramental theology. Christians interpret its relationship to the Lord's Supper differently.

What is unmistakable in the passage is this: life is found in Christ. Jesus says, 'I am the bread of life.' He says the one who comes to Him will never hunger and the one who believes in Him will never thirst. Coming to Christ and believing in Christ are at the heart of what it means to eat His flesh and drink His blood. The passage is ultimately about dependence upon Jesus — receiving Him, trusting Him, abiding in Him.

Jesus Himself clarifies at the end of the discourse: 'It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.' The life He offers is received through the Spirit and through His words, which are spirit and life. Whatever else we say about John 6, this is certain: the reader must come to Christ, believe in Him, and depend upon Him. Without Him there is no life. With Him there is eternal life. The Lord's Supper, rightly understood, points to the same Christ and the same dependence.

12. The Gospel at the Center

Everything about the Lord's Supper points to the gospel. Sin separates humanity from God. The Bible is clear that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot atone for our own sin. We cannot bridge the gap between a holy God and fallen humanity by our own effort.

Jesus gave Himself for us. His blood establishes the new covenant. The prophet Jeremiah promised a day when God would make a new covenant with His people — not like the old covenant that they broke, but one in which He would write His law on their hearts and remember their sins no more.

When Jesus took the cup and said, 'This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you,' He was announcing that the promise of Jeremiah 31 was being fulfilled. The new covenant was being established — not by the blood of animals, but by His own blood. Forgiveness and reconciliation with God would come through Christ and through Christ alone.

This is why the Lord's Supper must never replace Jesus. The ritual itself is not the Savior. The bread is not the Savior. The cup is not the Savior. JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAVIOR. The meal points to Him. It proclaims Him. It calls us to remember Him. But it does not save us apart from faith in the One it proclaims. To trust in the ritual rather than in the Christ the ritual reveals is to miss the meaning entirely. The Supper is a means of remembering and proclaiming the Savior, not a substitute for Him.

13. Until He Comes

This single verse holds together the past, the present, and the future of the Christian faith.

The past: Christ died. The Lord's Supper looks backward to the cross. We remember His body given, His blood shed, His sacrifice once for all. We do not re-enact the crucifixion; we remember what was accomplished there. The bread and the cup are a proclamation of a death that has already been died, a sacrifice that has already been offered, a redemption that has already been achieved.

The present: His people remember and proclaim Him. Every time we eat and drink, we 'shew' — we declare, we proclaim — the Lord's death. The Supper is a living sermon, a visible gospel, a proclamation that Christ has died for sinners. It is also a present communion, a present participation, a present fellowship with the Christ who is alive and with the people who are His body.

The future: He is coming again. The Supper looks forward. Paul says we do this 'till He come.' Jesus Himself said at the table, 'I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.' The Lord's Supper is a meal of anticipation. We eat and drink now, but we look for the day when we will eat and drink with Christ in His kingdom. Every observance is a reminder that history is moving toward a destination — the return of the Lord and the marriage supper of the Lamb.

So the Lord's Supper is never merely backward-looking. It is backward to the cross, inward to the heart, outward to the body of Christ, and forward to the coming of the Lord. It holds the whole gospel in a piece of bread and a cup.

14. Before You Partake

If you are preparing to share in the Lord's Supper, consider these things before you partake. This is not a checklist to earn worthiness — no one is worthy of Christ in that sense. It is a way to approach the table with the seriousness, faith, and love that Scripture calls for.

1. 1

   Remember Jesus. Let your attention rest on Him — His body given, His blood shed, His love demonstrated on the cross.

2. 2

   Examine yourself honestly. Ask the Lord to search your heart and reveal anything that is not right in His sight.

3. 3

   Confess known sin. Do not hide what Christ came to forgive. Bring it to Him and receive His cleansing (1 John 1:9).

4. 4

   Forgive others. If you are holding bitterness or resentment against anyone — especially a fellow believer — let it go. The cross that forgives you is the cross that calls you to forgive.

5. 5

   Seek reconciliation where possible. If your relationship with a brother or sister is broken, take steps toward healing. The meal that proclaims unity should not be eaten in the spirit of division.

6. 6

   Reject hypocrisy. Do not take the bread and cup with one hand while holding onto sin with the other.

7. 7

   Recognize your dependence upon Christ. You are not coming because you are worthy. You are coming because He is worthy, and because His grace is sufficient for you.

8. 8

   Remember fellow believers. The Supper is a shared meal. You are not alone at the table. Christ died for the church, and the Supper expresses our unity in His body.

9. 9

   Give thanks. Thank Jesus for His body and His blood, for the new covenant, for forgiveness, for the promise of His return.

10. 10

    Proclaim Christ's death. As you eat and drink, you are declaring to the world and to your own heart that Christ has died for sinners.

11. 11

    Look forward to His return. This is not the final meal. One day you will share it anew with Him in His kingdom.

None of this means you must become flawless before coming to Christ. Self-examination is not a pursuit of perfection. It is a pursuit of honesty — bringing your real self to the real Savior, who receives all who come to Him in faith. If the Lord's Supper drives you away from Christ because you feel unworthy, something has gone wrong. It should drive you to Christ, because it is His body and blood that make the unworthy welcome.

15. Questions for Reflection

1. 1

   When you think about the Lord's Supper, is your attention primarily on a ritual or on Jesus?

2. 2

   What does Jesus' sacrifice mean personally for you? Have you come to Him in faith for the forgiveness of your sins?

3. 3

   Is there known sin you need to bring before God in repentance before you share the meal?

4. 4

   Is there bitterness, division, or unforgiveness affecting your relationship with another believer? What would it look like to seek reconciliation?

5. 5

   What was happening in Corinth that caused Paul to rebuke the church? How does that apply to the way believers treat one another today?

6. 6

   What does it mean to 'proclaim the Lord's death until He comes'? How should that shape the way you live between the cross and the return of Christ?

7. 7

   How should remembering the cross change the way we treat other believers — especially those who have less or who are overlooked?

8. 8

   Are you trusting in the ritual itself, or in the Christ the ritual reveals?

16. Prayer

17. Scriptures to Study Further

The following passages will deepen your understanding of the Lord's Supper and the redemption it proclaims. Read them in their full context.

1. 1

   Matthew 26:26-29 — Jesus institutes the meal at the Last Supper

2. 2

   Mark 14:22-25 — The parallel account of the Last Supper

3. 3

   Luke 22:14-20 — Luke's account, including 'this do in remembrance of me'

4. 4

   John 6:22-59 — Jesus the Bread of Life

5. 5

   Acts 2:42, 46 — The early church devoted to breaking of bread

6. 6

   Acts 20:7 — The disciples gathered on the first day of the week to break bread

7. 7

   1 Corinthians 10:14-22 — The cup of blessing and the Lord's table

8. 8

   1 Corinthians 11:17-34 — Paul's teaching on the Lord's Supper and self-examination

9. 9

   Exodus 12:1-14 — The institution of the Passover

10. 10

    Jeremiah 31:31-34 — The promise of the new covenant

11. 11

    Hebrews 9:11-28 — Christ the Mediator of the new covenant by His blood

12. 12

    Hebrews 10:1-18 — The once-for-all sacrifice of Christ

13. 13

    1 Peter 1:18-19 — Redeemed by the precious blood of Christ