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Crucial Questions #16

What Is the Lord's Supper?

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In this booklet, Dr. R. C. Sproul cuts through the confusion to define the supper, demonstrate what it means, and show how important it is for the lives of believers and churches. He explores the origins of the supper, explains what it does for us, and refutes erroneous views of the Sacrement. Here is teaching that will enhance any reader’s appreciation for the work of Christ that is pictured in the bread and wine.

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2013

407 people are currently reading
1228 people want to read

About the author

R.C. Sproul

675 books1,973 followers

Dr. R.C. Sproul (1939–2017) was founder of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian discipleship organization located near Orlando, Fla. He was founding pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., first president of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.

Ligonier Ministries began in 1971 as the Ligonier Valley Study Center in Ligonier, Pa. In an effort to respond more effectively to the growing demand for Dr. Sproul’s teachings and the ministry’s other educational resources, the general offices were moved to Orlando in 1984, and the ministry was renamed.

Dr. Sproul’s radio program, Renewing Your Mind, is still broadcast daily on hundreds of radio stations around the world and can also be heard online. Dr. Sproul produced hundreds of lecture series and recorded numerous video series on subjects such as the history of philosophy, theology, Bible study, apologetics, and Christian living.

He contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, spoke at conferences, churches, and academic institutions around the world, and wrote more than one hundred books, including The Holiness of God, Chosen by God, and Everyone’s a Theologian. He signed the 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy and wrote a commentary on that document. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible, previously known as the New Geneva Study Bible.

Dr. Sproul had a distinguished academic teaching career at various colleges and seminaries, including Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and Jackson, Miss. He was ordained as a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America.

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5 stars
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296 (34%)
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116 (13%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
Profile Image for Christian Barrett.
570 reviews61 followers
June 30, 2023
A very simply and worthwhile book showing the different Protestant perspectives on the Lord’s Supper and identifying the difference between Roman Catholic and Protestant views. A worthwhile read.
Profile Image for Salma.
44 reviews1 follower
April 14, 2025
Un buen recurso para aprender sobre la Cena del Señor y la discusión en torno a ella
Profile Image for Wesley and Fernie.
312 reviews1 follower
February 7, 2017
This was a pretty good little book. I enjoyed that he connected the Lord's Supper to the Last Supper, and I think the lesson in church history was helpful in understanding how important understanding the Lord's Supper properly was to the Christians of the past.

It is unfortunate that we, in the West, have a tendency to downplay the Lord's Supper and see it as something traditional that we do because "it's nice." I think we would do well to look at it with more holy reverence, as a means of grace by which we identify our allegiance with our Savior.
Profile Image for Alex Gaidai.
65 reviews1 follower
December 27, 2023
This one was not as expansive as the previous book I read on the same subject. But what was useful here is the discussion of some finer theological points regarding the two natures of Christ, and how that relates to our views of what happens to the sacraments themselves.
Profile Image for Remibelio Matos.
55 reviews
June 29, 2024
«Jesús murió hace dos mil años, y no pasa ni un segundo en el reloj sin que haya personas en algún lugar de este mundo que se sienten, partan el pan, beban vino, y recuerden la muerte de Cristo hasta que él venga». Sproul
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
42 reviews3 followers
January 29, 2019
Short. Simple. Helpful.

Short. Simple. Helpful. Disputes false views and give clear Biblical insight into what The Lords Table is for and how it is to be done.
Profile Image for Kevin Kamm.
12 reviews7 followers
September 22, 2022
This book describes most accurately the way I think about the Eucharist
Profile Image for Eliška Vaníčková.
41 reviews
September 8, 2025
*informační, zajímavé, důležité*

Krátké vysvětlení nejzákladnějších aspektů Večeře Páně včetně různých přístupů k ní (z nichž pohled J. Kalvína na mě působil nejpřesvědčivěji). Nejvíce se mi líbila část objasňující význam této svátosti poukazující jak do minulosti, tak do přítomnosti a budoucnosti.

"Remember, in first-century Rome, Christians were accused of the crime of cannibalism. There were rumors that the Christians were meeting in secret places such as the catacombs to devour somebody’s body and to drink that person’s blood. Even that early in church history, the idea of a real connection between bread and flesh and the wine and blood had already appeared."
Profile Image for Flo.
189 reviews
July 13, 2021
hilfreich, wenn auch sehr philosophisch und etwas kompliziert. manches wird nur kurz gestreift (zB die verschiedenen Aspekte des Abendmahls und die Frage, wer teilnehmen kann, bzw. wie man sich prüft), während anderes sehr ausführlich behandelt wird (zB Transsubstantiation)…

One—THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PASSOVER
- Rückblick auf das Passah in 2Mose 12,1–13
- "The sign character of this ritual was really a sign of deliverance. It was a sign of redemption because it meant that these people would escape the wrath of God.
Ultimate calamity is exposure to the wrath of God. S 10 Christ saves His people from the wrath of the Father. Not only are we saved by God, but we are saved from God, and that idea is dramatically displayed in the Passover as recorded in the book of Exodus." (S. 9-10)
- "When Jesus celebrated His final Passover with His disciples, He departed from the standard liturgy in the middle of the celebration. He added a new meaning to the Passover celebration as He took the unleavened bread, attaching a new significance to it when He said, “This is My body which is broken for you.” Then, after the supper had been completed, He took the wine and he said, in effect, “I’m attaching a new significance to this element as you celebrate the Passover because this wine is my blood. Not the blood of the lamb in the Old Testament whose blood was marked on the doorpost, but now this cup is my blood.” In essence, Jesus was saying, “I am the Passover; I am the Pascal Lamb; I am the one who will be sacrificed for you. It is by My blood being marked over the door of your life that you will escape the wrath of God.” So He said: “From now on, this is My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of your sins. This is the blood of a new covenant.” This new covenant that He instituted that very night fulfills the old covenant, giving it its fullest and most meaningful expression." (S. 11)

Two—THE INSTITUTION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
- Das Abendmahl schafft eine Verbindung zu Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft:
- Wir erinnern uns zurück an Jesu Tod am Kreuz (Vergangenheit).

Three—THE CONSUMMATION OF THE KINGDOM
- Wir schauen jedoch auch voraus in die Zukunft (Offb 19,1-10)
- "Every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper in this world, we shouldn’t only look back to Christ’s past accomplishments, but to the future feast that is yet to be fulfilled. There is still more of the kingdom of God for us to experience. We have experienced the inauguration of the kingdom in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, but we still await the final, future consummation of the kingdom. So when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we see that it’s not just a sign of what has already happened, but it’s also a sign and seal of what will happen in the future." (S. 29)

Four—REAL BODY AND BLOOD?
- Gegenwart: Transsubstantiation? Nein.

Five—THE NATURES OF CHRIST
- kompliziert, aber hilfreich.

Six—THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST
- "Because of the omnipresence of the Son of God in His deity, we really meet the whole Christ in the Lord’s Supper and are nurtured by the Bread of Heaven." (S. 51)

Seven—BLESSING AND JUDGMENT
- "In the Westminster Confession of Faith 29.4, there is this statement: Private masses or receiving the sacrament by a priest or any other alone, as likewise the denial of the cup to S 58 the people, worshiping the elements, the lifting them up or carrying them about for adoration, and the reserving them for any pretended religious use are all contrary to the nature of this sacrament and to the institution of Christ.”" (S. 57-58)
- "Because of this teaching, one of the strong principles that came out of the Protestant Reformation in reference to the Lord’s Supper is what we refer to as “the fencing of the table.” In some churches, before the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, the minister will warn people who are not members in good standing of an evangelical church that they should not participate in the sacrament. He will remind the congregation that the Lord’s Supper is only for Christian people who are truly penitent. There are even some churches that won’t allow you to participate in the Lord’s Supper unless you are a member of that particular congregation. If you’re a visitor you’re discouraged from participating even if you are a Christian.
The purpose of fencing the table is not to exclude people out of some principle of arrogance but rather to protect people from the dreadful consequences that are spelled out here by the Apostle Paul, where in this chapter he speaks of the manducatio indignorum, which means “eating and drinking unworthily.” When a person participates in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner, instead of drinking S 62 a cup of blessing, they are drink a cup of cursing. They are eating and drinking unto damnation, and God will not be mocked. If people celebrate this most sacred of activities in the church and they do it in an inappropriate way, they expose themselves to the judgment of God.
Oscar Cullman, the Swiss theologian, said that the most neglected verse in the whole New Testament is 1 Corinthians 11:30: “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” Some scholars believe that the meaning of 1 John 5:16–17 is that God will not send Christians to hell who misused and abused the Lord’s Supper, but He might take their lives.
The point that Paul makes here is that the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament that involves and requires a certain discernment. We are to discern what we are doing. We are to come with a proper attitude of humility and repentance. Of course, the point is not to exclude people from the table. Nobody is worthy, in the ultimate sense, to come and commune with Christ. We, who are unworthy in and of ourselves, come to commune with Christ because of our need. But we are to come in a spirit of dependence, not arrogantly, confessing our sins and trusting in Him alone for salvation. If we handle these sacred things in a S 63 hypocritical manner God will not hold us guiltless. That’s why we need to explore the significance of this sacrament.
In participating in the Lord’s Supper, we meet with the living Christ, receive the benefits of communing with the Bread of Heaven, and yet at the same time we must keep ourselves from any form of behavior or distortion of this sacrament that would cause the displeasure of God to fall upon us." (S. 61–63)
Profile Image for John Yelverton.
4,431 reviews38 followers
January 11, 2018
Sadly, R.C. Sproul has to devote a great amount of this book towards what the Lord's Supper isn't, before he can move on toward what it is; but once he does, he does it quite well.
Profile Image for Chloe Cox.
52 reviews
January 24, 2025
R.C. Sproul’s What Is the Lord’s Supper? exceeded my expectations in terms of depth and clarity. While it is a brief booklet, Sproul manages to cover an impressive amount of ground, providing both a biblical and historical framework for understanding this vital ordinance of the church.

Sproul’s explanations are concise yet rich, offering a thorough rundown of key Scriptures related to the Lord’s Supper and unpacking their significance with theological precision. He traces the roots of the sacrament back to its Old Testament foreshadowing in the Passover, bringing clarity to its fulfillment in Christ. I also appreciated the way he wove in elements of church history, showing how the understanding of the Lord’s Supper has developed (and sometimes been distorted) over time.

The booklet is approachable, even for those new to the subject, but it still offers enough insight to benefit readers already familiar with Reformed theology. Sproul’s ability to condense complex doctrines—like the nature of Christ’s presence in the Supper—without oversimplifying is one of his strengths.

The only reason I didn’t give it a full five stars is that I would have loved for him to spend more time on the practical aspects of how believers should approach the table today. While he touches on this, the focus leans more on theology and less on application.

Overall, this is an excellent resource for anyone seeking a biblically sound and historically informed understanding of the Lord’s Supper. It’s concise yet comprehensive, making it a great tool for personal study or group discussion.
Profile Image for André Mello.
25 reviews
August 1, 2021
Um livro que todo cristão deveria ler.
Simples, objetivo e com muita clareza sobre os pontos principais do que a igreja é composta.

"Os reformadores protestantes tomaram uma posição diferente nesta matéria. Eles buscavam isolar e delinear as marcas de uma igreja válida e acabaram concordando em três características distintivas. Primeiro, eles diziam que uma igreja é uma igreja verdadeira quando o evangelho é pregado com fidelidade. Segundo, uma igreja verdadeira é aquela onde os sacramentos são corretamente administrados. E terceiro, eles diziam que uma igreja verdadeira pratica a autêntica disciplina de seu povo."
201 reviews2 followers
April 24, 2018
A helpful, clear and concise booklet explaining what is the Lord's Supper. It concerns itself mostly with the 'why's of the Lord's Supper - why do we celebrate the Lord's Supper, why do we celebrate it in the way we celebrate it, and why do we believe what we do about the Lord's Supper. R.C. Sproul is of course coming at this from the reformed theological position, and spends some time explaining how this position was reached, being rooted in the teaching of the Bible.
Profile Image for Timothy Coplin.
384 reviews2 followers
September 7, 2017
Systematic, concise and God honoring treatise on the Lord's Supper from the reformed point of view. Contrasts are made with contrary views and practices outside of the reformed community.

Recommended reading for anyone desiring a better understanding of the practice: its roots, its observance, its meaning.

Yet another R.C. Sproul gem worth of being ranked with the classics from ages past.
Profile Image for Rodrigo Santos.
239 reviews4 followers
December 10, 2019
De forma simples e didática o dr. Sproul explica qual o verdadeiro significado da Ceia do Senhor. O livrete é muito importante para entender a profundidade e o verdadeiro significado dessa ordenança. O autor também aborda as diferentes visões sobre esse tema passando pela igreja católica romana, Lutero e Calvino. Recomendo a leitura.
Profile Image for Timothy.
367 reviews5 followers
June 18, 2020
Great in pointing us to the past, present and future aspects of the Lord's Supper.
It gives a brief overview without going into many details or practical applications. Helpful as a start but you will need to look elsewhere for more discussion especially regarding differences in belief and practice of the Lord's Supper.
Profile Image for Jeff.
546 reviews13 followers
August 12, 2020
This brief book is a part of the Crucial Questions series. Sproul had such a clear and concise style, this is an easy read. There are some points I am always going to differ with him, but there was a lot of good in this book. He does give quite a bit of space to historical issues surrounding the Lord's Supper that may be more or less relevant depending on the reader's background.
Profile Image for Enrique Villegas valerio.
15 reviews
November 13, 2020
El genio de Sproul se hace evidente al concentrar en apenas unas páginas, con un estilo tan fluido y dinámico, sin perder por ello la profundidad, elementos claves sobre la Cena del Señor.

Desde una perspectiva reformada, Sproul se concentra en refutar algunos errores en el entendimiento de este sacramento.
Profile Image for Ramon de la Cruz.
225 reviews
November 8, 2021
Breve sumario del concepto doctrinal de la Cena del Señor.

Este resumen crítico del Teólogo Sproul es una exposición resumida y concreta sobre la cena del Señor. Está celebración es un mandato por parte del Maestro y la misma nos hace memorizar el sacrificio puro y Santo que hizo el Rey por sus elegidos.
1 review
February 11, 2023
Now I understand more

This is a very helpful introduction to a proper understanding of The Lord's Supper. The simple explanation of the origin of the practice as well as the spiritual aspects of this sacrament will lead to a deeper rejoicing of the blessing of the message of the Gospe.
Profile Image for Davi Fonteles Lima.
49 reviews
June 4, 2023
Conhecendo a série de Pontos Cruciais, esse livro faz mais sentido. A motivação de R.C se baseia muito em tirar dúvidas porque isso e aquilo com umas inserções de exegese teológicas junto com apologética e história da igreja como finalização.

Não é homogêneo, então parece estranho. Mas a proposta desbanda críticas aqui.
Profile Image for Christopher Humphrey .
283 reviews13 followers
December 11, 2025
This is a profoundly simple volume that can be read in the course of a few evenings. It is a faithful, biblical explanation of the meaning and purpose of the Lord's Supper. This would be an excellent book for family devotion time or for reading with a small discipleship group. As always, Sproul is articulate, erudite, and eminently clear. Happy Reading!
Profile Image for William.
388 reviews5 followers
December 18, 2017
This is good primer on the Lord's Supper; it left me with more questions than answers. It would have benefited greatly from a section recommending further reading to explore the various topics in greater depth.
Profile Image for Brandon.
393 reviews
December 30, 2018
Good and simple overview of the Lord's Supper from a Reformed perspective.

Chapter 1: The Passover
2: Sacred Meal
3: Marriage Feast of the Lamb
4: The Presence of Christ
5: Christology
6: Reformed view of presence
7: Warnings and fencing the table
Profile Image for Jason Rodriguez.
39 reviews
April 14, 2020
Helpful

I wanted to pick up this book because of certain talk I had been seeing regarding practicing the Lord’s Supper “online/virtually.” This is a good primer on the Lord’s Supper, especially if you have never read anything on the topic.
69 reviews
December 27, 2020
I rated his booklet on Baptism a three. This one goes to a two because it is poorly explained. Once again, it is so sad to take an immeasurable gift like this and remove the glory and comfort of receiving Christ in the flesh.
Profile Image for Moses kota.
3 reviews
July 25, 2021
Clear and easy to understand

Lord's Supper was explained clearly with references and the controversies surrounding it. It gives an opportunity for us to approach the right path. Thanks to R.C. Sproul
42 reviews
April 5, 2023
This book is a quick read and gives a good foundational understanding of what the Lord's Supper is. It does not stray much into other territory, but it does a good job of provided a basic understanding of it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews

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