Understanding The Lord's Supper

Church Basics

by Bobby Jamieson, Jonathan Leeman (Editor)

Why did Jesus give the church a meal to eat together?  The Lord's Supper isn't just something churches do together, it's something that binds us together, making many into one. This accessible work biblically explains what the Lord's Supper is, how it relates to a local church's life together, who should celebrate the Lord's Supper, and how we should approach it. 

Genres: Theology, Ecclesiology, Church, Christian, Nonfiction, Discipleship

80 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2016

About the author

Bobby Jamieson is a Ph.D. student in New Testament and affiliated lecturer in New Testament Greek at the University of Cambridge. He and his wife are members of Eden Baptist Church, and they live in Cambridge with their three children. Bobby previously served as assistant editor for 9Marks.

See also R.B. Jamieson

Reviews

[Ryan Cable]

Very good book! Easy to read and quick chapters. I love when authors get to the point and he definitely does.

[Taylor Ney]

my church just reformed how they practice the Lord’s Supper, which made me want to read more on the topic, and I greatly appreciate all this book had to share on it biblically. bobby states that communion is for baptized believers who belong to a church. the whole point of this meal is the gospel. as we partake in it, we reaffirm our trust in Christ and our commitment to the body of believers. this intimate unity can only be experienced if one has repented and believed. therefore, he explains that non-Christians should absolutely be welcomed at church, yet they should be excluded from the Lord’s Table because they do not belong to Christ or His church. this actually should draw them to recognize their need for Christ.

[Brian Pate]

Good overview of the theology and role of the Lord's Supper in the church.

Put simply, observing the Lord's supper is what constitutes a local church, therefore only the church should do it - and they should do it often.

I read this along with our pastoral interns in Brazil.

[Benjamin]

Très bon petit livre d'introduction à la sainte cène.

[Jeremy Mueller]

Deeply connected to the notion of baptism’s necessity for church membership is the ongoing practice of the Lord’s Supper. In this brief, practical book, Bobby explores that connection and underscores a theology of the Lord's Supper. In Luke 22:20, Jesus institutes a monumental new covenant which would mimic the Passover meal celebrated by the Israelite nation in remembrance of God’s deliverance of them from slavery. Only this time, Jesus himself has become the Passover lamb (1 Cor. 5:7) through his death. He institutes a new covenant through which we can attain salvation through faith and then remember his deliverance from slavery to sin to slavery to righteousness by regularly partaking in the Lord’s Supper. So if Baptism is the inaugural ceremony of someone’s coming to Christ, the Lord’s Supper is the anniversary of that ceremony whereby a believer pledges to remember Christ, follow Christ, look toward Christ’s return, and be united to other Christ followers.

[Willy Robert]

Muito claro e objetivo, gostei da forma como o autor organizou a obra. O autor argumenta de uma perspectiva Batista. Recomendo!

[John]

Helpful and well written. Nearly everything you need to know about the LS is here. I recommend taking church leaders through the book. I also commend for the congregation as a whole but you made need to plow the ground first. One question that should have been addressed, “If shut-ins have committed to your local church, why can’t they participate?”

[Salvador Blanco]

Another clear and worshipful book on the sacraments from Jamieson.

The Lord’s Supper is not “intensified private devotion” (35).

“When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we embrace Christ all over again, and we embrace all who are his” (66).

Just a thought: Baptists should celebrate the Lord’s Supper more than 4x a year.

[Dave Betts]

A helpful little book. I don’t agree with a few of the theologically tenuous conclusions the author arrives at in the latter chapters but the writer’s considerably less dogmatic tone was a clear improvement on the other “Understanding...” books I’ve read in the series. Overall, very good.

[Jake Stacks]

Pastoral Cohort. More delight in the sacraments reading and studying these. Who can take communion? What does baptism do? How do membership, elders, and a local body bedrock these things? What does scripture say? Joy, and questions.

[Christopher]

Simple. Straightforward. I liked the short chapters. A bit repetitive. Lacking a lot of specificity and depth but better than his baptism book. A good intro to the Eucharistic celebration.

[JT Stead]

The best concise treatment on the subject. Highly recommend!

[Saolomon Mouacheupao]

Phenomenal resource to handout to members about the Lord’s Supper. Thorough, clear, accessible.

[Audrey Koster]

Helpful and short.

[Austin Maddox]

Concise, simple, and helpful book.

[Samuel G. Parkison]

This little book is a dynamite resource. A great little book to give to members who want to look more into communion.

[Mark Donald]

Excellent primer to the Lord's Supper.

Read during Corona Virus when we are unable to gather. Makes me yearn for the opportunity to celebrate the meal together as a church.

[Chloe Lawrence]

A short read that gets surprisingly deep. I wish I’d read this one sooner, because even as someone who’s grown up in the church I found bits of truth I hadn’t considered before.

[Kim]

Gives a solid definition of what the Lord's Supper is and breaks down each part of its definition. Includes who should partake, how often, how, who leads it, how to explain it to others, and its role with baptism in the church.

I really enjoyed the application chapter of how an individual should respond/partake in the Lord's Supper!

The Lord’s Supper is a church’s act of communing with Christ and each other and of commemorating Christ’s death by partaking of bread and wine, and a believer’s act of receiving Christ’s benefits and renewing his or her commitment to Christ and his people, thereby making the church one body and marking it off from the world. The Lord’s Supper is celebrated by the church as a church to have fellowship with Christ and fellowship with each other. Through the partaking of the Lord’s Supper, the many are made one. Only believers who are baptized and belong to a church should participate in the Lord’s Supper, because you must profess faith and commit to Christ and His people before being able to renew one’s profession of faith and reaffirm your commitment to Christ and the church in the Lord’s Supper. Pastors/a godly person teaching the Word in place of an appointed pastor should lead the Lord’s Supper, it should be done often, during a whole church gathering, with clear explanations for the meaning of the ordinance and those who should/should not participate in the Lord’s Supper. We look back and thankfully remember what the Lord did for us on the cross when He freed us from our sin, we look around and marvel at God’s work of salvation in the people around us partaking with us in the Lord’s Supper, we look forward and anticipate His return and the coming of His kingdom, and we look inward to confess our sin before looking back at the cross, knowing we are forgiven in Christ.

[Chandler]

“The Lord's Supper is a church's act of communion with Christ and each other and commemorating Christ's death by partaking of bread and wine, and a believer's act of receiving Christ's benefits and renewing his or her commitment to Christ and his people, thereby making the church one body and marking it off from the world."

Having read and deeply appreciated Jamieson’s academic works on Hebrews and theological interpretation of Scripture, I thought I would give attention to some of his more popular-level work. This little book is a great biblical-theological and practical sketch of the Lord’s Supper. Jamieson argues (rightly I think) that the Lord’s Supper actually makes a church, it is not just something we do while at church. In discussing the biblical basis of the Supper, Jamieson looks at how the Passover Meal in the OT anticipated the Lord’s Supper. The Supper is a memorial meal, a new or remade Passover meal that identifies the church. The Supper proclaims the death of Christ, and also looks forward to and anticipates the marriage supper of the Lamb. The Lord’s Supper brings the past and the future into the present as we commune with God and other believers through the elements (cf. Boersma “the reconfiguration of space and time”). Jamieson also shows that approaching the table worthily does NOT mean that we have to be morally worthy and clean of any and every sin—in that case we could never partake in the Supper. Instead, to approach the table worthy means to be a believer who loves and treats other believers well. I will revisit this book in the future!

[Jimmy]

Want to read a biblical and practical book on the Lord’s Supper? This is helpful whether you are a church leader (a pastor/elder or deacon) or you are just a member of the church. I would say this is also helpful for young Christians as well who want to understand the Lord’s Supper. This book is part of a Church Basics series published by B&H Publishing Group and I really like the way this work is formatted. I have previously read three other titles in this series and they were really good which incline me to read this book; it did match the expectations.
There are a total of twelve chapters in this book of 66 pages, which means the chapters are short. That’s not a bad thing; the author gets straight to the point. These twelve chapters are grouped into three parts, with part one being titled “Snapshots” and is a biblical theology marching from the Passover to the Lord’s Supper. Part two defines what the Lord’s Supper is and what does the Lord’s Supper do in terms of it as an ordinance. In Part three the book lays out the practical implementation for the Lord’s Supper with each chapter tackling questions like what gathering may celebrate the Lord’s Supper, who may participate and who should lead the Lord’s Supper. I found this section very helpful to think through things for my own church.
I do recommend this work. I wish there were more works on practical ecclesiology like this series; and since there isn’t many like it works by 9 Mark ministry will be used for years to come.

[Mother Hen]

This book answered in decent detail some questions that have arisen in our church recently. It also brought up new questions for me to discuss further with my husband. These questions revolve around who is permitted/encouraged to participate in communion. The author did a great job briefly expounding upon why he believes what he does on this topic.

The author admires those who practice weekly communion and while he isn't convinced of it himself, it sounds like he wants to be. He did not convince me that it shouldn't be weekly and, while I would never cause division over it, I am thankful that my church started doing it weekly this year. It has been such a blessing!

I agree with the author that I would love to see communion be done as an actual meal. This is something my husband and I have wanted for years...and while I know there are logistical complications to that, I think it is very worth working out.

Unless I missed it, which is completely plausible with all these little ones in my care, I did not see the author discuss grape juice vs. wine. I believe this is a worthy conversation as well. We have been convinced for some time that wine is best and I'm thankful to have that option now.

Overall, a great short book!

[Craig Turnbull]

Jamieson gives a highly accessible and quick introduction to a vital rite of the Church. With a strong emphasis on ecclesiological strength supporting the Lord's Supper (as you might expect from a 9Marks book) and great treatment of the Passover as a precursor to the Last Supper, this book will bring greater meaning the next time you participate.

Here's some favorite quotes:

"When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we’re not just remembering the past; we’re tasting the future."

"This meal marked the birth of their nation. Who is Israel? The people rescued by God from Egypt. And the Passover reminded them year by year that they were a people—the only people—whom God freed from slavery and made his own."

"The Lord’s Supper is not a private devotional experience that just happens to involve a bunch of other people doing the same thing at the same time. So revel in the togetherness of the Lord’s Supper. Don’t just close your eyes and confess your sins; look around and marvel at those he’s redeemed."

[Josiah Richardson]

A short overview of a Baptist's perspective on the Lord's supper. You could tell in several areas that he wanted to move beyond the Zwinglian memorialism that is prevalent in Baptist circles, but kinda just left it there. It is as if he recognizes there should be more to the eucharist than simply remembering what it signifies, but won't go as far as that rode will actually take him. Being sacramental is seen as being Catholic, which is a shame, because the majority of the puritans and reformed guys that the author looks up to and quotes at times in this and other works, would have seen the sacrament of the Lord's supper in a much deeper way than Jamieson does. But I can't fault a Baptist for doing Baptist things, and so if you want something that isn't going to bore you and looking for the typical baptist viewpoint, this is a good option.

[Mark D.]

I enjoyed this book. Many are only concerned with the how to of the Lord's Supper. They want to make sure the right elements are used, and the right people observe. They are more concerned with making sure the Supper is done correctly, than why the Supper should be observed. In this book, Jameison describes the why of the Supper. He expresses why it should be observed by the church, how the many are made one; and much more. Also, Jameison discusses with the individual how they should take the supper, what their thoughts should be as they observe. This is a great little book for church members to aid them in understanding the basics of church life.

[Troy Nevitt]

This perfectly good book is a small guide to understanding the basics of the Lord's supper. Though I think I agree with many of the things he said in this book, I think the biggest shortcoming of this book is that it could be better defended. A handful of his texts did not feel like there was a lot of weight that could be carried. It's broad and brief, which makes for light argumentation.

However, for getting a basic sense of the Lord's supper in 60 pages or so, it's a very valuable resource to go through for someone to learn if they have not thought deeply about the Lord's Supper before.

[Drew Cox]

"The point of the Lord's Supper is the gospel. The gospel frees us from sin. The gospel reconciles us to God. The gospel gives us God for our Father, Jesus for our elder brother, and all the saints as brothers and sisters. The gospel unites us to Christ and to each other."
---Bobby Jamieson

This is just a taste of the rich encouragement this book offers. Biblically sound, wonderfully practical and helpful, and immensely encouraging! Get this book, read it, and pass it on to fellow church members and friends!

[Melody]

I strongly dislike this book. The author filled it with his own opinions (frequently using phrases like, "I think," and "It seems to me that"), instead of just teaching what the Bible actually says about the Lord's Supper. And, one of his main arguments is that the Lord's Supper should only be celebrated within the context of a corporate gathering of the local church. However, I believe that it would be a more accurate interpretation of the Bible to say that the Lord's Supper should be celebrated by Christians belonging to the church universal.

[Gary Ellison]

Fantastic little book to help us think biblically about a subject that the church is perhaps guilty of neglecting. Jamieson explains the core texts for how we conduct and participate in the Lord’s Supper; his arguments are clear and helpful. I gave it 4 stars as there were some sections in which I longed for more detail (though I know this book wasn’t designed for detail). It will serve as a beneficial spring board into deeper thought. This is an asset to the church and very accessible for all levels of engagement.

[Brian]

Why did Jesus give the church a meal to eat together?

The Lord's Supper isn't just something churches do together, it's something that binds us together, making many into one. This accessible work biblically explains what the Lord's Supper is, how it relates to a local church's life together, who should celebrate the Lord's Supper, and how we should approach it.