Have We Missed the Point of the Eucharist?

It struck me recently that we are often missing a critical component for biblically practicing the Lord’s Supper. This is especially the case for Baptists. I, personally, have led this sacrament many times, but I’ve also been guilty of failing to pay attention to this aspect of it as much as I should.

We know the Lord’s Supper involves bread and wine. We know it proclaims the Lord’s death. We debate the significance of the elements. We (too?) carefully guard the table, arguing about who is allowed to partake.

But we skip right over what two tellings of this sacrament describe: “giving thanks.”

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

1 Corinthians 11:23–26, HCSB, emphasis added.

And He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is My body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant established by My blood; it is shed for you.”

Luke 22:19–20, HCSB, emphasis added.

The Greek word behind the italicized words is εὐχαριστέω, from which we get the word Eucharist.¹ How lamentable is it that in our abandonment of Catholicism, Baptists have also abandoned visible gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice?

This sacrament should be called Eucharist, because the Lord’s Supper is supposed to be a picture of unity. It’s difficult to be divided when we are all coming together in gratitude for Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.

But what do we do instead? We point fingers and declare other Christians to be unsaved for not doing it right. Really? Are we really that dense?

Last I checked, salvation was by grace alone (Ephesians 2)—something to be thankful for—not by checking the right theological boxes (something to boast about and divide over).

Christians, we must do better.

We must be grateful for Christ’s sacrifice. And we can all do this–together–whether Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, or Methodist. Even Episcopalians (and Anglicans) can enter into this corporate eternal gratitude to God.

He saved us! We did not! This is why we give thanks at the Lord’s Supper. Put εὐχαριστέω back in the Lord’s Supper! Have gratitude! Stop judging others! Start recognizing similarities.

Call me a heretic, but at the end of the day: Christians have more in common with non-Christians than we do with God. So stop judging nonbelievers too! Love them! Show them salvation is something to be grateful for. Something they should desire as well!

“Christians have more in common with non-Christians than we do with God”

This is why Christ ate with sinners. He recognized this truth: he had humanity (sinful flesh; Romans 8:3) in common with sinners—even though he never sinned.

However, as God, he also had divinity in common with God, so he—unlike us—did not “have more in common with unbelievers than he did with God.” But he also didn’t cling to his divinity (Philippians 2:6) like we cling to our pride.

Thank God for your salvation! Thank God for a salvation that was for the whole world (1 John 2:2)! And show the world—the one Jesus came to save (John 17:21–23)—that Christians can at least unite in gratitude for the salvation he brought!

In this with you!

Thanks for reading!

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Notes and References

1. It is a bit more common than merely within Catholic circles. It is also the most common term for this sacrament among Greek Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Presbyterians. ↩︎

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