1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The Lord’s Supper proclaims the death of Christ until He comes.
23 For I received from the Lord that which also I delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread.
24 When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Do this in memory of me.”
25 In the same way he also took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in memory of me.”
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
The Lord’s Supper proclaims the death of Christ until He comes.
Paul reminds the Corinthians of the Lord’s Supper tradition he received and delivered, restoring its meaning as a proclamation of Christ’s death until He returns.
After rebuking the Corinthians for corrupting the Lord’s Supper through selfish division, Paul returns to the foundational meaning of the ordinance. By recounting the institution of the Supper, he redirects the church’s attention to Christ’s sacrificial death. The Supper is not merely a shared meal but a proclamation of the gospel and a covenant remembrance centered on the cross. Paul's correction restores the theological meaning of the practice before addressing the necessity of self-examination in the following passage.
Paul recounts the institution of the Lord’s Supper as a tradition received directly from the Lord and passed on to the church. The practice originated during Jesus’ final Passover meal with His disciples before His crucifixion.
Honor, Worship Order, and the Lord’s Supper Under the Lordship of Christ
Because the gathered church belongs to Christ and the Lord’s Supper proclaims his death, believers must conduct themselves in worship with ordered honor, mutual regard, self-examination, and discerning recognition of the body of Christ.