It is to be noted that as Jesus gave the disciples the bread to eat, he told them that they were receiving his body. As they drank from the cup, he assured them that they were drinking the blood he shed for the sins of mankind. That they received Christ’s true body and blood is usually spoken of as the doctrine of the Real Presence in the sacrament.

How the body and blood of Jesus are received with the bread and wine cannot be understood or explained. Scripture does say, "Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?" And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16) Somehow there is a union of the bread and the body, of the wine and the blood. The Lutheran church has called this a sacramental union, not to explain it, but to confess that this is a union that is unique to the sacrament.

When Lutherans say that "in, with, and under" the bread they receive the true body of Christ, and "in, with, and under" the cup they receive Jesus’ blood, this is not intended to explain the union in any way. It is simply to express the fact of the sacramental union. That there is a sacramental union Scripture clearly teaches. An exact explanation of its nature is not given in Scripture. We simply believe what Jesus says.

Reason, cannot, of course, understand what takes place in the Lord’s Supper. Consequently, people have tried to explain what Christ said in ways that satisfy the reasoning mind. Generally, the Reformed bodies that have Reformers like Zwingli and Calvin as their spiritual ancestors have attempted to rationalize the sacrament. Christ’s words have been explained to mean that the bread "represents" Jesus’ body. Or it may be said that the bread is a symbol of his body. What Jesus says in the sacrament has been compared to a parable. The fallacy in all of these explanations is that they do not take Christ at his word. They all proceed from the assumption that what cannot be understood with man’s reason must be explained in a way that makes it reasonable.

Those who follow the doctrines of Calvin and Zwingli object to the Real Presence of the body and blood of Christ because they do believe that "the finite cannot contain the Infinite." The Protest objections are: 1) How can Christ’s body and blood be present in the elements of communion when Christ is seated in heaven? 2) How can Christ offer His body to the world for ages to come? 3) How can forgiveness be received through communion?

Another rationalism of the Protestants is that when Christ spoke the words, "This is my body," He used Aramaic, which does not have a word for "is" and therefore might have meant "This symbolizes my body." The concrete facts are at war with this speculation, since we have the words in Greek, which does have a word for "is," and we have no evidence that Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper in Aramaic only to have it mistranslated in Greek. This would be a decided failure by the Holy Spirit.

Roman Catholicism, too, attempts to explain what happens in the Lord’s Supper. While the bread and wine retain their appearance, touch, and taste, they say, the elements are changed in substance into Jesus’ body and blood. This is called "transubstantiation" and occurs when the priest consecrates the elements. While this does acknowledge the real presence of Jesus’ body and blood, the explanation goes beyond the words of Scripture and has led to further false teachings. Since they believe the consecrated host (the wafer used in the sacrament) has been changed into the body of Christ, it has been made the object of adoration. They adore the host in a special way when it is carried about in a procession in the "Corpus Christ" celebration. So Roman Catholicism, too, although it retains the idea of a miracle, attempts to "explain" what happens and draws logical conclusions that go contrary to Scripture.

Lutherans believe that 2 (bread and wine) become 4 (bread and wine, body and blood). The Reformed teach that 2 (bread and wine) remain 2 (bread and wine), because they say that the Lord’s Supper is symbolic. Roman Catholics teach that 2 (bread and wine) become 2 (body and blood), the substance of the bread and wine changing forever into the body and blood of Christ, although the appearance remains the same.

The Holy Supper of our Lord is not a symbolic meal. When we eat this bread and drink this cup we’re not playing "let’s pretend." For in, with, and under the bread and wine of this Sacrament Jesus gives us His true body and true blood. His flesh is real food, and his blood is real drink.

This eating and drinking in the Lord’s Supper is a Means of Grace because of the benefits God offers to the recipient. What the benefits are Jesus points out when he speaks of the "body which is given for you" and says of the blood that it "is poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins." This sacrament directs the Christian to Jesus’ death for man’s sins. When we receive Jesus’ body and blood, the death of Christ for the sins of each participant in the Lord’s Supper is proclaimed to him in a very direct and person way. The Christian is assured that he does indeed have forgiveness before God.

When it comes to Christ and his Church, the old "what you see is what you get" approach to reality simply won’t do. If you and I are to grasp the bountiful riches of the gifts of God, ordinary eyesight and intellect won’t work. For His gifts are wrapped in lowly packages: water, word, and meal. Yet behind these sacraments stands Jesus Himself and the power of His Holy Word. And there is life in His Word. The sacraments are tangible wrappings for that life-giving Word. This explains their historic nickname: "the visible word." For in the sacraments the invisible power of the Word of God lies wrapped in visible outer elements. Thus, in these sacraments we meet Jesus. Actually, in the sacraments Jesus meets us. And nowhere does He meet us more intimately than in that sacramental meal we call the Holy Spirit.

But wait a minute! So God promises his grace with the Lord’s Supper. But why? Why the Lord’s Supper in addition to God’s forgiveness given through the hearing of the word of Christ? It’s as simple as sin. A person convicted by sin needs that extra testimony to God’s forgiveness. In the tangibles of bread and wine, the person crushed by his or her sins and weak in faith encounters the truly superabundant riches of God’s grace in Christ. God wanted people to be absolutely sure of his forgiveness. So he promises his grace also with tangible elements like the bread and wine.

Our living Lord hasn’t left anything to chance. Because we are inclined to doubt the forgiveness of our sins, Jesus presents us with the tangible results of His death on our behalf. Just as a canceled check is evidence of purchase, so His body once broken and His blood once shed is the sign of sins forgiven.

When the pastor announces the forgiveness of sins at the beginning of the worship service, for whom is that forgiveness? Everyone. When the pastor gives the forgiveness in the body and blood of the Lord’s Supper, for whom is that forgiveness? You. Personally. Individually. Jesus comes specifically to you! "For you for the remission of sins."

And sometimes a personal address makes all the difference in the world. Think for a minute which kind of mail you prefer; a third-class flyer addressed to "occupant" or a first-class letter with your name on it?

In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus Christ Himself is not only the host, but the main course as well.

Ignatius, an early church father, called the Lord’s Supper "a medicine of immortality, an antidote, that we may not die but live in God through Jesus Christ, a cleansing remedy through warding off and driving out evils."

St. Bernard said: "The body of Christ is to the sick a medicine, to pilgrims a way; it strengthens the weak, delights the strong, heals weariness, preserves health. Through it man becomes more gentle under reproof, more patient under labor, more ardent for love, wiser for caution, more ready to obey, more devoted to giving thanks."

Chrysostom wrote: "If those who touched the hem of His garment were properly healed, how much more shall we be strengthened if we have Him in us whole?"

On the night Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, he was celebrating the Passover. Here are the roots of the Lord’s Supper. In this most remarkable meal, the main course was the antidote to certain death. In the tenth plague, the angel of death extracted from every household. There were no exceptions. However, in those homes where the blood of the lamb marked the doorway, a death had already occurred. The lamb – the Pasch, or "Passover" – had already given up its life, and so the avenging angel would pass over that house on his deadly journey through Egypt.

The very lamb which had delivered them from death by the shedding of its blood was also the main course in this meal. In this supper there was life in the face of death.

In the Lord’s Supper, there is life in the face of death. Jesus gave His body and shed His blood only once on the cross. And yet in His holy meal He distributes that very same body and blood again and again for us Christians to eat and to drink. "Do this," invites Jesus, "in remembrance of me." (1 Cor. 11:24) "O Christ, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on me." (CW)

Every communicant gives powerful public testimony in the eating and drinking of this Holy Supper. Our testimony in this meal is not just before people at the Communion rail, but before angels and archangels and all the company of heaven as well: "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." (1 Cor. 11:26)

It’s interesting that the Old Testament models of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper both have a common origin in Israel’s deliverance from bondage in Egypt. The Red Sea victory and the Passover rescue were directed against the same enemy, Pharaoh. So also the sacraments of Holy Baptism and Communion are signs and seals of Christ’s victory over one ancient foe, the devil.

In these outward signs He offers hidden realities for our hearts to believe. And believing, we rejoice. For in the victory over Satan there is also victory over the fallen world and our own sinful nature.

Just as both sacraments are directed against the same powerful enemy, so they also have one crucial benefit: the forgiveness of sins. Peter instructed the crowd who heard him on Pentecost Day: "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38) In His Holy Supper Jesus specifies His blood as poured out for the forgiveness of sins. (Matt. 26:28)

Yet in this holy meal, there is also a future dimension. For the Holy Supper is a foretaste of something greater to come. In this sacred meal we consume with our mortal bodies the medicine of the immortal life which is in Jesus Christ, the Living Bread come down from heaven. Here in this world we see the presence of God only dimly by faith. But there in heaven’s glory we shall see God face to face and eat and drink in His presence forevermore. For it is the marriage supper of the royal Son of God and His holy bride, the Church. "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready." (Revelation 19:7)

When Jesus preached, he addressed great multitudes. The gospel was to be proclaimed to all nations. When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, he did this in the rather small circle of his disciples. The Lord’s Supper was not intended to be distributed to mankind in general, but was given as an assurance to Jesus’ believers. It was instituted for those who already knew Christ by faith and had been baptized. New converts to Christianity were first directed to baptism and only later received Holy Communion (cf. Acts 2:38; 8:12:26; 10:47).

Since the Lord’s Supper is to be observed "in remembrance" of Jesus’ death, we must assume that those who are received at the Lord’s Table have received instruction in the gospel. The Lutheran church has generally considered the instruction preceding confirmation as a preparation for receiving communion.

Those who jointly partake of Holy Communion acknowledge one another by such an action as being united in faith. St. Paul wrote, "We, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." (1 Corinthians 10:17) Error and unbelief destroy this unity. When another person’s confession reveals that he holds to error, a Christian should not pretend that unity exists. When a Christian receives the Lord’s Supper with another, he is expressing religious fellowship, such fellowship is to be expressed only where unity is recognized. Where it is evident that those who profess Christianity are not agreed in their faith, joint communion must wait until agreement has been reached.

Offensive conduct also is disruptive of the fellowship of faith. Whoever persists in sin without repentance separates himself from Christ and his church. He should not be received at the Lord’s Table. The reason is not his sin, but his lack of repentance. The worthiness of a communicant consists not in his holiness of life, but in his repentance and faith in Christ. Where repentance and faith are quite evidently lacking, communion must be withheld lest the Christian "share in the sins of others." (1 Timothy 5:22) To receive one who is unrepentant is to condone his lack of repentance.

Because Scripture has placed restrictions upon those who may receive Holy Communion, and since joint communion is a confessional act, confessional Lutherans practice "close communion," that is they celebrate communion in the close circle of those who repent of their sins, believe in Jesus Christ, and confess a unity of faith. The pastor is entrusted by the congregation with the administration of the sacrament. He will invite and encourage penitent sinners to find comfort in the sacrament. He will withhold the sacrament from those who according to Scripture are not to receive it from such who do not express a unity of faith by their confession.

Altar fellowship in the scriptural sense is not permissible when there is a divergence in doctrine and in life. Where there is no unity of the spirit and no agreement in practice, it is absurd to simulate a fellowship which does not, in fact, exist.

One of the greatest treasures of the church is the Holy Supper, the last will and testament of the Savior, bequeathing the benefits of his suffering to the believers until the end of time. From ancient times the church has therefore been very zealous in guarding this sacrament against abuse. Admission to the Lord’s Supper had always been regarded as a very great privilege.

In the early church, the Lord’s Supper was not open for everyone. Those who were searching for Christ, were invited to services held in the catacombs only after they were "sponsored" by a Christian who would vouch that they were not spies intent on persecuting the Christians. [This is the basis of our baptismal sponsors today.] These new Christians were invited to take part in the worship service, but they were ushered out of the service for the celebration of the Holy Supper. This Supper was only for those who were repentant of their sins, who recognized the Real Presence in this Sacrament, and who were united in Christian faith. Only after two years of careful instruction, [our basis for confirmation today] would the catechumenate become a member of the church and be invited to receive the Lord’s Supper.

One of the biggest fallacies of the Christian church in other denominations is that open communion is "the way it should be." Open communion has never been the way in the Christian church until the last century – and primarily only in America!

The Bible teaches close communion! The early Christian church practiced close communion! The church of the Reformation practiced close communion! Those who are united in a common unity of faith practice close communion!

Martin Luther, after 1529, once the lines of truth and falsehood and been established between Lutherans and the Reformed, opposed every kind of church fellowship with Zwingli (a father of the Reformed who did not believe in the Real Presence) and his followers. Luther wrote in his "Warning Against the Doctrine of Zwingli":

"It shocks me to hear that in one and the same church, at one and the same altar, both parties should take and receive one and the same sacrament, with one party believing that it receives nothing but bread and wine, and the other believing that it receives the true body and blood of Christ. And I often ask myself whether it is possible that a preacher or pastor could be so callous and wicked as to tolerate such a thing, to let each party conceive of the sacraments in its own way and let both parties think that they are receiving the same sacrament. But if there be such a pastor, he must have a heart harder than stone, steel, and adamant; he certainly is an apostle of wrath."

Christians are not divided because they do not celebrate the sacrament together; they do not celebrate the sacrament together because they are divided on other issues. Until greater unity is established in these other fields, only another issues is added if we insist on making the Lord’s Supper a means to an agreement. … Open communion is too easy a remedy for the wounds of the body of Christ today. ("Christendom", 1942)

If we carefully study the scriptural principles involved, we find it clearly indicated that inter-communion, altar-fellowship without doctrinal unity, is rank hypocrisy. If people who according to their open confession do not share the same faith, if they are at variance with regard to truths which both parties claim to find stated in the Bible, and yet engage in a rite which is meant to express, in the most solemn manner, the fullest spiritual communion, ["common union"] they make a pretense at unity which does not exist, and they practice this deception in the innermost sanctuary of the Christian church.

To go to the same table with those who we know to be in error to any truth which Christ has revealed, is not only to hold the truth of Scripture cheap, but to make such persons all the more settled in their errors or indifferent to the importance of truth. (Quoted in "The Lutheran Witness" Vol. LVII, 1938, p. 53)

Communion Fellowship