What Is the Lord's Supper?

What Is the Lord’s Supper? offers a concise introduction to the meaning, history, and theology of the sacrament commonly known as Holy Communion or the Eucharist. Part of the Crucial Questions series, this booklet is written for Christians and thoughtful inquirers seeking to understand what Scripture teaches about this central act of worship.

Dr. R.C. Sproul traces the Lord’s Supper from its roots in the Old Testament Passover through its institution by Christ in the Upper Room and into the life of the church. He examines how the Passover narrative in Exodus prefigures the sacrificial death of Christ and explains the significance of the bread and wine as signs and seals of God’s covenant promises.

The book surveys the major theological positions on Christ’s presence in the elements—including Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed views—giving careful attention to the Christological questions that shape each tradition’s understanding. Sproul also addresses the once-for-all nature of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and its implications for how the church celebrates the sacrament. A final chapter draws on the Apostle Paul’s warnings in 1 Corinthians to underscore the gravity of partaking in the Lord’s Supper, explaining the pastoral practice of fencing the table as an act of care rather than exclusion.

Key Themes

• The Old Testament Passover as the theological foundation for the Lord’s Supper
• The meaning of Christ’s words of institution and the debate over the elements
• Christ’s presence in the sacrament across major Christian traditions
• The once-for-all sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice and its bearing on worship
• The call to self-examination, repentance, and reverent participation

Featured Quotes

“Because of the omnipresence of the Son of God in His deity, we really meet the whole Christ in the Lord’s Supper and are nurtured by the Bread of Heaven.”

“The purpose of fencing the table is not to exclude people out of some principle of arrogance but rather to protect people from the dreadful consequences that are spelled out here by the Apostle Paul.”