The Lord's Supper as the Sign and Meal of the New Covenant

Short Studies in Biblical Theology

by Guy Prentiss Waters, Dane C. Ortlund (Editor), Miles V. Van Pelt (Editor)

"When he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, 'This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.'" --1 Corinthians 11:24

The Lord's Supper is more than a church tradition or a complex doctrinal controversy--it has practical importance to our daily lives. When Jesus instituted the Supper, it was meant to strengthen the faith of his followers by reminding them of his promises. God has always made promises to his people through covenants, and along with them given signs and meals to point to and confirm his blessings. Looking at the unity of the covenants throughout the Bible, this book will help Christians recover the practical importance of the Lord's Supper as both a sign and a meal of the new covenant blessings God has bestowed on believers in Christ.

Genres: Theology, Ecclesiology, Christian, Biblical Studies, New Testament, Church

128 pages, Paperback

Published January 31, 2019

About the author

Guy Prentiss Waters (PhD, Duke University) is James M. Baird Jr. Professor of New Testament and academic dean at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson. He is the author or editor of fifteen books and numerous chapters, articles, and reviews. He is a teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).

Reviews

[Jethro Wall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sound and simple biblical theology on covenant signs, and how the Lord's Supper functions as one for the New Covenant. My understanding and appreciation as been thoroughly expanded.

"The Supper reminds us that our Savior is committed to bringing us to that banquet - he died for us on the cross to bring us near to him."

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very good. Though I haven’t read a lot on it, this was the best resource I’ve read on the topic of the Lord’s Supper.

Some highlights for me were the detailed discussion through Scripture on the covenants and their outward signs. Also I enjoyed the discussion of how many of these covenants focused on meals (even the tree of life and the covenant of works) - as well as many/most of the Jewish festivals. The discussion on the Lord’s Supper as a full meal enjoyed was interesting considering how differently we practice it today, merely with tiny wafers. It made me consider what the Lord’s Supper would look like if it was done as a meal - say in a community group gathering rather than as a full church event. Seems like it would be much more enjoyable and much more effectual in the hearts and thoughts of those gathered. Also Waters’ observation that there is no lamb in any of the last supper gospel narratives was fascinating (because Jesus is the lamb in the narrative). And lastly the look forward to Jesus’ meal with us at his consummation were all extremely good.

And as a bonus, it was a very short book!

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sixth book I read from the “Short Studies in Biblical Theology” series published by Crossway. I have immensely enjoyed the other five volumes that I read from this series and this work is no different. This particular work explores the Lord’s Supper.
In the introduction the author wrote “Our aim is to see better how the Lord’s Supper points to and confirms the blessings and benefits that God has poured out upon his people in Jesus Christ.” Even in the introduction I thought the author made a powerful point that the Lord’s Supper is what God uses to appeal to our five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell) to believe in the Gospel.
The book consists of five chapters. Chapter one went over “Covenant Basics” in which the author surveyed the various covenants in the Old Testaments. Chapter two also looked at “Covenant Signs” in which the book went over how various covenants in Scripture had accompanying signs. Chapter two is on “Covenant Meals” while chapter four is on “The Lord’s Supper” and chapter five is on “Conclusions for the Church.”
At first I didn’t think I might get as much from this book as I thought I would; I thought I actually knew a lot about the Lord’s Supper already. However the author pointed out somethings that were new to me. I really appreciated Guy Waters (author) putting the Lord’s Supper in the context of Redemptive History and especially with the unfolding of covenants in the Bible. This is especially appropriate in light of the fact that the Lord’s Supper is situated in the New Covenant and is one of the Signs of the New Covenant, with the second one being the Lord’s Supper. I took a lot of notes and found that while typology wasn’t the main point of the book per se nevertheless it helped one to think of how various covenant signs were types and signs that pointed us towards Christ.
In terms of theological persuasion the author is a Covenantal Presbyterian. He’s not pushy with his view of infant baptism but here in this work he does attempt to make a case for a Covenant of Works and also making many of the covenants in the Old Testament as a Covenant of Grace. I thought readers might want to know that. Still no matter what your theological persuasion the book is overwhelmingly good in discussing the Lord’s Supper and Covenant signs. I recommend this book.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Crossway and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Meggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid summary of the sacrament of the Lords Supper throughout the Bible—connecting all of the OT covenants to the new covenant that we live it today. Waters uses so much scripture and insight for any lay person to grow in understanding how we commune with Christ and each other through the Supper. I especially liked his fairly repetitive conclusions at the end of each chapter and the book to reinforce some significant points of theology.

[Brian Parks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, simple, Biblical theology of the Lord's Supper with implications for today's church explored.

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lord’s Supper as the Sign and Meal of the New Covenant by Guy Prentiss Waters is another offering in the Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series, edited by Dane Ortlund and Miles Van Pelt. The aim of the series is to “connect the resurgence of biblical theology at the academic level with everyday believers.” I have eagerly devoured each volume and have benefited greatly from these short, readable works. The Lord’s Supper is no exception.

In keeping with the other books in the series, the author is writing from the unique perspective of Biblical Theology, which seeks to “build up the church by strengthening believers in their grasp of these life-giving truths.”

The Lord’s Supper begins by setting forth some basic covenantal terminology. Three aspects of a biblical covenant are explained:

A covenant assumes an existing, elective relationship between two parties and serves the solemn ratification of that relationship.

A covenant involves life-and-death issues.

A covenant is a sovereign administration of promises with corresponding obligations.

The author walks readers through the various covenants in Scripture and alerts them to their overall meaning and significance.

The next area of focus is the signs, which are appointed by God. These signs direct Christ-followers to the promises of God and ultimately turn their attention to Christ and his redemptive purposes in the cross.

Covenant meals are explored which serve as visual reminders of God’s grace and faithfulness. Also, these meals enabled the people of God to cultivate relationship with him and find solace by resting in his presence.

The culmination of the book explores the Lord’s Supper, which is not only a reminder of what Christ accomplished on the cross; it is a gracious look forward into redemptive history, one that promises a glorious return of Christ and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

The Lord’s Supper is a welcome addition to the Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series and is sure to encourage and equip the people of God as they become more acquainted with kingdom principles and the eschatological reality of things to come.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.

[Simona Sanduleac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked how this book slowly built up the theme of the Lord’s Supper. The author takes you on a journey with him to discover what is a covenant, what are coventant signs and why they are important, and then he starts to explain what the Lord’s Supper is and isn’t by way of examples used from all four gospels, then Acts and then Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians.
The book is brilliantly structured and very concise.
In conclusion, we look to the past to see how God worked through his covenants but we also look forward to the Great Feast which we will share with our Passover Lamb, the One who saved us and gave us reminders of his steadfast faithfulness to His covenant.

[Todd Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frankly, this is more of a systematic treatment of the Lord's Supper than a biblical-theological treatment. So if you want a Reformed theology treatment of the Lord's Supper, this is a concise introduction. Waters asserts that the Passover feast and circumcision are the signs of the Old Covenant. Missing is any discussion of the Sabbath as sign of the Old Covenant, even though that is exactly what the biblical text says. From there, circumcision is replaced by baptism and the Lord's Supper replaces Passover in the New Covenant. The last chapter of the book which deals with New Covenant application is helpful.

[Joe Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shirt and sweet and reminds me of my love for my old seminary prof.

Love this series and will get more of them. I firmly believe that more theology books should be shorter and more direct to the point! And it keeps my book count up!

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great accessible theology for anyone wanting to understand the significance and tradition of the Lord’s Supper.

[Jonah Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little introduction on the Lord’s Supper from a biblical-theological perspective. Dr. Waters takes the reader on a journey from Genesis to Revelation, showing, with precision, the broad covenantal implications for the communion meal that believers partake in together.

He first gives a definition for covenantal terminology. He states that every covenant has basic components, some of which are:

1) That it is a bond between two parties

2) It is has life and death implications

3) Most importantly, it is made and administered by God himself. He does not consent to man before choosing to make a covenant with him.

After explaining the basic terms and themes for the “covenant” concept in Scripture, Dr. Waters gives the significance of each of the biblical covenants, and the signs or sacraments associated with those covenants; his purpose is to trace these covenants to their ultimate meaning and fulfillment in light of Christ’s finished work.

Dr. Waters aims to look at all of God’s gracious dealings with his people in light of the whole of redemptive-history. In doing this, he gives several Old Testament allusions for the New Covenant “meal”-specifically from the Pentateuch and the Prophets. In doing this, he shows how the signs and meals throughout the Old Testament covenants always acted as visible, tangible reminders of God’s presence with his people.

He wraps up the second half of the book by showing the significance of the Lord’s Supper both theoretically and practically. He spends time in the Gospels, Acts, and in the writings of Paul, showing that we not only look back in gratitude and remembrance of what Christ has done, but we look forward, in anticipation of Christ’s return, where he will glorify his children, and bring us to the heavenly banquet-feast where we will again commune with him face-to-face. This shows the believer that the physical, temporal signs we are given now only point to a greater, eternal reality that awaits us.

This book was short and concise, but very rich. It has given me a renewed piety for communion. It is ironic that I am writing this review in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, where our church has not gathered in a few weeks for communion, nonetheless, it has made me all the more eager to share in that meal!
Every Christian ought to benefit from reading this book.

[Kevin Burrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great summary treatment

Waters does a great job of succinctly explaining the concept of covenant, before delving into the topic of Communion in the second half of the book. While some of the "covenant signs as covenant meals" are easier to identify than others (such as the tree of life in the covenant of works, or the Davidic covenant's lack of a clearly identifiable physical sign), the connections between Passover and Lord's Supper are treated well. Because this is a "short study" it won't answer all your questions (I would have loved a deeper treatment of Christ's fulfillment of Israel's feasts, or addressing the topic of paedocommunion, or transubstantiation/consubstantiation, or fuller explanations of the absence of reference to a Passover lamb at the Last Supper), but this makes it an accessible focused approach, that could then be supplemented with Beza, Calvin, etc. Helpful book for its purposes.

[Jesse1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book on the Lords supper , really appreciated the scripture sprinkled throughout this book . The book was heavy in a sense that it talked about how serious the lords supper is, which I so appreciate. There was also comparing of the different covenants to the lords supper as well, which was great. I really appreciated the ending where it mentions who shouldn’t take the lords supper and who should. By the end as a devout Christian the seriousness can scare me from taking the lords supper but in the book I was reminded that I myself should. I enjoyed it , I learned from it , and I would definitely recommend.

[Mitchell Traver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn’t expect the book to be predominately about Covenant Theology, only at the end diving into the Lord’s Supper. Honestly, I think Guy’s approach was fantastic. Coherent, succinct, and unabashedly covenantal. Dr. Waters clearly lays out how the Lord’s Supper fits into the Covenantal framework, and helped me understand very practically how that plays out in the day to day. This may be more broad for some readers, but for the lay person, it’s a gem.

[Clayton Keenon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid. Good theology. If someone wanted to get a solid foundation for understanding the Lord’s Supper, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book.

My only complaint is that for a book in a series with the explicit aim of communicating academic biblical theology with “everyday believers,” I would have expected more illustrative material (analogies, stories, application) to make it connect.

[Harrison Lang · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets four stars just for the last two chapters. This book could have gone without the first three. Dr. Waters uses the Lord's Supper and the New Covenant to try to make more of an argument for Covenant Theology rather, than actually going over the Lord's Supper.

[Gabie Peacock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful primer on the biblical and reformed view of the Lord's Supper. This refreshed me as a church member, and I would absolutely recommend this to anyone that would like to do a short study on the topic. The author covers all the main theological points in detail but without jargon or dryness. The table, covenantal meals, the passover connection, the wine, the bread, spiritual eating, fencing the table, eating unworthy, examining ourselves, etc...
Very well done.

[Luke Schmeltzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sizable chunk of the book was just explaining covenant theology from a Westminsterian perspective, which I have my differences with. The section that was actually on the Lord's Supper was very good.

[Brian Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful overview of the redemptive-historical events pointing towards, and from the Lords Supper. I really appreciated the short section at the end which Answers FAQ that are likely to come up within the life of a local congregation. I’ll definitely check out other books in this series.

[Sean McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise, explanation of the Reformed view of the Lord's Supper. Highly recommended.

[Peter Kiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad. Spent a long time on covenant theology basics without talking about the intricacies of the Lord's supper as much as I was hoping for.

[Molly Sawyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have more understanding than ever before of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism as signs of the new covenant. These are truths that every professing Christian needs to understand. And, unfortunately, these are not taught in depth, only alluded to, in most faith traditions. This book is an outstanding, succinct, and simple teaching on the old and new covenants and their God-appointed signs.

[David Couch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have grown to love the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series by Crossway. These short books pick up a topic, and show how the Bible develops them over salvation history. The Lord’s Supper is one of those topics, and I was glad to see the editors pick it.

The title interested me since it picked up on two aspects of Biblical Theology that I have not seen much work done on so far (let alone at a popular level): covenant signs and covenant meals. I also appreciated the pun (that I assume is intended) in the title, so kudos to the team for that one!

So that’s the cover, let’s look at the book. The introduction starts the volume off well, pointing to the fact that “a full appreciation of the importance of the Lord’s Supper in the Christian life requires us to look first to the progression of God’s covenants in human history and then to the signs and meals that God appoints within those covenants.” Readers of the previous entries in this series have been taught to do this, so it is nice to be reminded of this key point.

Chapter 1 is entitled ‘Covenant Basics’. It becomes evident quite quickly that Waters does not fully agree with the volume in the series already called ‘covenant’. There is a footnote to point to the entry, but Waters instead defines covenant his own way. This leads to the book having a whole chapter going over the topic again. I felt this could have been dealt with elsewhere – perhaps as an appendix – because it resulted in the book feeling slow to start.

The book title points to the idea of ‘Covenant Signs’, so that is what the second chapter tackles. Waters says “When we look at the various covenants that God made with people in Scripture, a striking pattern emerges—God appointed a sign to accompany the covenant that he made.” However, the pattern is not as obvious as it may appear. The new covenant has two, and the Davidic does not seem to have one at all (an indication that it’s a development of the Abrahamic, says Waters). The claim made at the start of the chapter left me feeling a little suspect of the claim that the pattern is ‘striking’ and a pattern at all.

Third, we turn to look at ‘Covenant Meals’. This is where I felt the book could have spent most of its time. Feasting is a big topic in the Bible. In fact, you could do a whole Biblical Theology on the topic of food. I felt that the author did a good job here in showing how meals develop Biblically. By getting this topic addressed, I felt ready to think about the main topic of the book itself – the Lord’s supper.
And that is where we progress to in chapter 4. The chapter starts out with Waters tying all the previous chapters together. I was still not convinced that he had to discuss his theology of covenants again – it felt a bit like axe grinding. The author does a good job of working through the gospels and specific epistle tests to discuss the Lord’s Supper. By looking at each separately, you come away with a greater understanding of the Bible’s teaching on the topic.

The book finishes with a section titled ‘conclusions for the Church’. I really liked this. Theology can be so abstracted from the day-to-day practice of the church, but this shows the topic’s direct relevance.
After summarising everything that we’d seen, three questions are tackled: How is Christ present in the supper; who may come to the supper; and how is the Lord’s Supper like and unlike Baptism. These were well put together, and the author answered them using the work he had shown earlier in the book. It was interesting that differing views in this section were highlighted through footnotes – it did make me wonder if the same could have happened with chapter 1!

Overall, this is a book that I would find useful to have for reference. However, it is trickier than other volumes to just give to people, since it covers more than the topic itself. I felt at times that because of that, it was not at as much of a popular level as the earlier entries in the series. It was more friendly though than ‘from chaos to cosmos’.

If you’re looking for a theology of the Lord’s Supper, and are happy to think through wider issues in theology at the same time, then give this a read.

Thanks to Crossway for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book to read and review. ‘The Lord’s Supper as the Sign and Meal of the New Covenant’ is out now in the UK.

[Hobart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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“All the salvation and redemption brought about by Christ for his disciples is founded in the body and blood he gives them to eat and drink at the Eucharist”
-- Herman Ridderbos

Waters uses that insight from Ridderbos to help explain the significance of the Lord's Supper in the Christian religion, and thinking along these lines undergirds this entire book -- not just that the Supper is something we ought to do, but something it's vital to participate in -- for our own spiritual health.

Waters begins by reviewing the basics of covenant theology -- defining covenant and looking at the major covenants and how they point to Christ. Then Waters shifts to looking at the signs and seals of the various covenants -- with a focus on the purpose of visible, tangible signs. The third chapter narrows that focus to covenant meals throughout redemptive history. Once the context has been firmly established, Waters introduces the Lord's Supper with a survey of applicable biblical texts. Finally, Waters considers some practical and contemporary questions and applications. I'm not going to get into any specifics beyond this because what I want to focus on takes a lot of foundation work, and this would stop being about the book and would become a recap of the whole thing.

In a book this short (by design), I'm not sure Waters did his readers any favors by being as thorough in the first two chapters -- it will be review material for many readers, and those who aren't that grounded in covenant thinking are going to need more explanation of the ideas. Still, I appreciated what he wrote.The other three chapters were just great -- I could've used more of all of them, but that's not the point of the books in this series. The careful consideration of the Supper in its redemptive historical context is so important and putting these ideas in a size and format that aren't intimidating is going to be valuable.

I wish I had this book twenty years ago when I started studying the Lord's Supper, it would've been very helpful and would've saved me a lot of time. I took a lot of notes while reading this and am going to spend a lot of time following up on them -- and rereading this a couple of times. It's the kind of book you want to hand out to your friends so you can talk about it with them. The last chapter was particularly helpful and encouraging. This would be a great companion read to Letham, Mathison, and Wallace (to be read after Letham, but before Mathison, probably).

Waters is one of the better academic writers the Reformed world has -- thankfully, he's also capable of producing concise and clear works for laity. This short volume demonstrates that well. It's helpful, encouraging and I have no doubt will strengthen some believers' in their use of the Supper as it shows others how important it is.

I'd been previously unaware of the series Short Studies in Biblical Theology , I'm pretty sure I'm going to be getting my hands on some of the other volumes. I love the idea behind the series and if they're all this helpful, it'll be worth it.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Crossway via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lord’s Supper is an important topic, but many in the modern church lack a deep understanding of the significance surrounding it. In his 120 page book “The Lord’s Supper as the Sign and Meal of the New Covenant,” Guy Prentiss Waters deals with this issue in the next book in the Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series.

The purpose of the series is as the series preface states:

The ultimate goal of Short Studies in Biblical Theology is to magnify the Savior and to build up his church—magnifying the Savior through showing how the whole Bible points to him and his gracious rescue of helpless sinners; and building up the church by strengthening believers in their grasp of these life-giving truths.
The book does an excellent job of this in showing how the various meals in scripture point to Christ. The passover meal looks forward to the messiah and the Lord’s Supper points back to the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Waters also explains that the Lord’s Supper points forward as well as a reminder of the hope of the return of the messiah at the end of the age.

There are five chapters in the entire book, three of which are spent on addressing necessary context regarding the questions “What is a covenant?” “What is a covenant sign?” and “What is a covenant meal?” The final two chapters deal specifically with the Lord’s Supper and its relevance to the church.

I found Waters’ writing style to be engaging and one thing I enjoyed about the book is the length. It is long enough to properly make important points, but it is short enough to keep its readers engaged and interested.

A reason that this book is important is that the Lord’s Supper is not something that people should take lightly. It is not for the well-educated theologian to grasp and the layman to brush off. Paul makes it very clear in 1 Corinthians 11 that it is considerably important. The author clarifies the manner in which the Lord’s Supper should be taken and who should be taking it.

Walter speaks on the significance of the Lord’s Supper both to the individual, for strengthening faith, corporately, to strengthen the familial bonds of God’s covenant people, and lastly to distinguish the church from the world around them. He does not spend much time on these, but he does address important questions that come to mind when thinking about the Lord’s Supper. 1) How Is Christ Present in the Supper? 2) Who May Come to the Supper? and perhaps less of a burning question, but still rather significant 3) How Is the Lord’s Supper Like and Unlike Baptism?

I’d recommend this book for those who may have not thought much of the sacrament of which their church should be partaking, or for those wishing to go deeper into study of the significance of the Lord’s supper as sign and meal of the new covenant.

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 6th book of the Short Studies In Biblical Theology series Guy Waters address the topic of the Lord’s Supper in his little book The Lord’s Supper As The Sign And Meal Of The New Covenant. Here Waters attempts to explain the Lord’s Supper from the perspective of Biblical Theology while intentionally attempting to write at a more popular level. The end result is a very accessible and edifying explanation of the Lord’s Supper.

Water’s begins by explaining the reason for writing this book. He writes, “One reason I have written this book is to help Christians recover the importance of the Lord’s Supper in the Christian life through a renewed appreciation of the Supper as both a sign and the meal of the new covenant. Our aim is to see better how the Lord’s Supper points to and confirms the blessings and benefits that God has poured out upon his people in Jesus Christ.”

The book consists of five chapters. Chapter one discusses “Covenant Basics” where Waters reviews Old Testament covenants. Chapter two takes the covenantal discussion one step further by demonstrating how covenants in Scripture typically are followed by “Covenant Signs.” God gave these covenant signs to remind His people of His promises to them and their obligations to Him under the covenant. Chapter three explains the various “Covenant Meals” found in Scripture. When God redeemed Israel from Egypt, He instituted feasts to remind them of what He had done for them. In Chapter four Water’s brings all this together in his discussion of “The Lord’s Supper.” The book concludes with chapter five in “Conclusions for the Church.” In addressing the significance of the Lords Supper Water’s argues that the Lord’s Supper strengthens the faith of God’s covenant people. He also addresses important questions like how Is Christ Present in the Supper? who may come to the Supper? and how is the Lord’s Supper like and unlike Baptism?

Waters has a very engaging yet very readable writing style. I would recommend this book to anyone who may have not given the Lord’s Supper much consideration or would like to gain a deeper understanding of the significance of the Lord’s supper as sign and meal of the new covenant.

My personal rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good look at the Lord's Supper. Waters does an excellent job of rooting the meal in the OT covenants and feasts. He also handles ably the NT texts that address the Lord's Supper. I might quibble with a few things--whether or not Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Life before the fall (he says no; I say yes); what it means to "discern the Lord's body" at the Table (he thinks it refers to how the elements represent Christ's body; I think it refers primarily to the church as the Lord's body)--but what kept this from getting 5 stars was his shying away from two aspects of the Lord's Supper.

Scripture and the Reformed confessions often refer to the sacraments as "signs and seals." Well, for the Supper, Waters has a bit too cutely changed that to the Supper as a "sign and meal." Thus he grossly underplays what the meal means as a seal--that is, what God is doing in the meal. There is some vague talk of "spiritual nourishment," but any understanding of the Supper as a means of grace, to use another confessional term, is nearly entirely absent. I wish Waters would have discussed just how the Lord uses this meal for spiritual nourishment.

He also probably overemphasizes the Passover background of the Supper at the expense of the OT fellowship meal as the background of the Supper. This is a bit odd since he talks a great deal about the OT covenants and about how they were usually accompanied by meals. But he hardly discusses fellowship meals, which other scholars have ably shown to have a strong impact on a Biblical understanding of the Lord's Supper.

Despite these issues, I enjoyed this book and think it was one of the strongest entries in this Crossway series.

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covenant theology's center is the redemptive work of Christ, accomplished in history and applied to God's people in every age. In a powerful way, covenant theology shows us how our Christian lives relate to Christ's work on our behalf. Covenant theology, then helps us to be better readers of the bible, to see Christ with greater clarity, and to learn how to live for Christ in this age.

There is much controversy in the church regarding the Lord's Supper. Some churches practice the Lord's supper quarterly, once a month or every gathering. With timing, volunteer issues, some churches might not practice the Lord's supper which in my opinion hurts the body. After reading this study on the Lord's supper and the covenants, it only solidifies our relationship with Christ. The Lord's supper points us to the cross and the work of Christ. It is done in thanksgiving and with a humbleness of the heart.

The text clarifies what the covenants do and how they point to Christ. How each of the covenants build on each other and help us as people of the Lord to know God's goodness and grace. The Lord's Supper is our opportunity to feed upon Christ by faith. It strengthens our faith and our resolve to know him more deeply. I highly recommend.

A Special Thank you to Crossway Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the basics of the theological significance of the Lord’s Supper for modern Christian believers. The author approaches this by first exploring the significance of covenants between God and people in Scripture and then the roles of signs of covenants. From there, he looks at the role of meals in covenants and the role of the Lord’s Supper specifically.

This is a very approachable but also obviously well-researched look at the Lord’s Supper for the average Christian. Putting Communion in the setting of a sign of a covenant, and setting the scene for what that looked like throughout Scripture definitely enriches understanding of its significance. I appreciate the historical build up and broad scope the book provides. I also appreciate that there are extensive Scripture references provided throughout to back up what the author is saying. This is a great resource for both people who have been Christians for a long time or those new to the faith. I’ll definitely be looking to add this title to our library.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Zach McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guy Waters provides a concise biblical theology of the Lord's Supper that will be a helpful introduction for individuals of all ages in the church. Waters breaks down the sacrament of the Lord's Supper in a helpful progression from "Covenant Basics," providing a brief overview of reformed covenant theology; to "Covenant Signs," looking at the way in which God condescends to and serves his covenant people through tangible signs and seals; along with a focused look at "Covenant Meals" throughout redemptive history. After proving this biblical theology of covenant meals throughout Scripture, readers are given specifics on the New Covenant meal, along with some conclusions and applications for the Church.

Waters writes from a Reformed/Presbyterian view point, which comes out particularly in his covenant theology, understanding of the Christ's presence in the sacrament, and what the purpose and function of the sacrament actually is. He also writes in a way that is engaging and easy to follow which will prove to be helpful for those new to reformed sacramental theology.

In conclusion, this work serves its general purpose - to provide an introduction to the Lord's Supper in order to encourage those in the Church to appreciate the goodness of the Gospel that is tasted in the meal. However, if you are looking for details on popular debates concerning the sacrament (Christ's presence, who may partake, how often, etc.) you will only get a few comments on each point.