Four different ways Christians understand the Lord's Supper---Baptist view (memorialism), Reformed (spiritual presence), Lutheran (consubstantiation), and Roman Catholic (transubstantiation)---are fairly represented and debated to provide readers with an opportunity to draw their own conclusion on this important Christian institution.

Lord's Supper. Eucharist. Communion. Sacrament. Ordinance. While it's the meal that should unite us as followers of Christ, it sometimes appears we can't even agree on what to call it, let alone how we might share a common theological view of its significance. Even if we cannot reach full agreement, how can we better understand one another and t...

Presents the biblical institution of the Lord's Supper, theological issues (the presence of Christ, the sacrament's efficacy and necessity), and pastoral considerations.

"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.

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.

"The Word is for the engrafting; the Sacraments are for the confirming of faith. The Word brings us to Christ; the Sacrament builds us up in Him. The Word is the font where we are baptized with the Holy Ghost; the Sacrament is the table where we are fed and cherished. The Lord condescends to our weakness. Were we made up all of spirit, there would be no need of bread and wine. But we are compounded creatures. Therefore God, to help our faith, not only gives us an audible word but a visible sign. Things taken in by the eye work more upon us than things taken in by the ear. So, when we see Christ broken in the bread and, as it were, crucified before us, this more affects our hearts than the bare preaching of the Word."

In what way can we consider the Lord's Supper more than just a memorial service but a means of grace? In this impressive new study, Richard Barcellos shows that the Lord's Supper is a means of grace because of what the Holy Spirit does in the souls of believers when local churches partake of it.