| Preface | 3 | |
| Table of Contents | 5 | |
| Reprint Guidelines | 9 | |
| References and Abbreviations | 10 | |
| Introduction | 13 | |
| What Is the Lord´s Supper? | 13 | |
| When Did the Original Lord´s Supper Take Place? | 13 | |
| What Kind of Bread Was Used? | 14 | |
| What Kind of Wine Was Used? | 14 | |
| How Is Christ Present in Communion? | 14 | |
| Practices of the Lord´s Supper | 15 | |
| 1. My Body, My Blood – Literal or Figurative? | 17 | |
| The Words of Institution | 17 | |
| The Argument for a Literal Interpretation of the Words of Institution | 18 | |
| The Argument for a Figurative Interpretation of the Words of Institution | 19 | |
| The Body and Blood of the Lord | 20 | |
| Not “Mere Symbols” | 21 | |
| Actions on the Bread and Wine | 21 | |
| Words of Sacrificial Offering | 22 | |
| Verbs of Eating and Drinking | 23 | |
| 2. Remembering and Proclaiming Christ´s Death (Lk 22:19b; 1 Cor 11:23-26) | 25 | |
| The Command to “Do This” Continually (Luke 22:19b) | 25 | |
| Passover as a Memorial Feast | 26 | |
| In Remembrance of Me | 28 | |
| The Words of Institution in 1 Corinthians 11:23-25 | 28 | |
| Proclaiming the Lord´s Death (1 Corinthians 11:26) | 29 | |
| 3. Being Sharers in the Sacrifice (1 Corinthians 10:16, 18) | 31 | |
| Participation, Communion, Koin?nia (1 Corinthians 10:16) | 32 | |
| Eating a Portion of the Sacrifice for Sin | 33 | |
| Sharers in the Altar (1 Corinthians 10:18) | 33 | |
| Sharers in the Cross | 34 | |
| Communion | 34 | |
| 4. My Body Given for You (Luke 22:19b) | 36 | |
| My Body which Is Broken for You (1 Corinthians 11:24b, KJV) | 36 | |
| Jesus´Body Given for You (Luke 22:19b) | 37 | |
| Jesus´Body as a Sacrifice | 37 | |
| Paintings of Christ´s Body – Pietà and Lamentation | 39 | |
| Jesus Gave Himself to Rescue and Ransom Us | 40 | |
| He Voluntarily Laid Down His Life to Defend Us | 41 | |
| 5. My Blood Poured Out for Many (Matthew 26:28) | 44 | |
| Blood Reserved for Atonement | 45 | |
| Blood Sacrifices in the Old Testament | 45 | |
| Sacrificing the Paschal Lamb | 46 | |
| Poured Out | 47 | |
| Poured Out for Many | 48 | |
| Christ´s Blood in the New Testament | 48 | |
| Depictions of the Blood of Christ | 50 | |
| Songs about the Blood of Jesus | 50 | |
| Poured Out for the Forgiveness of Sin | 51 | |
| 6. A New Covenant in My Blood (1 Corinthians 11:25) | 53 | |
| Covenants in the Old Testament | 53 | |
| Provisions of the Old Covenant | 54 | |
| God´s Promise of a New Covenant | 55 | |
| Provisions of the New Covenant | 56 | |
| Confirmation of the Covenant at a Meal | 57 | |
| The Lord´s Supper as Confirming the Covenant | 58 | |
| The Meal as Giving and Receiving Hospitality | 58 | |
| Invitation to the Covenant | 59 | |
| 7. The Cup of Blessing and the One Loaf (1 Corinthians 10:16-17) | 61 | |
| The Cup of Blessing | 61 | |
| We Partake of the One Loaf (1 Corinthians 10:17) | 64 | |
| Bread Making in Ancient Times | 64 | |
| The One Loaf as a Symbol of Unity | 65 | |
| It´s Me, O Lord | 66 | |
| The Scandal of Christian Divisions | 66 | |
| 8. Eating His Flesh, Drinking His Blood (John 6:53-57) | 70 | |
| Context, Themes, and Parables | 70 | |
| 1. Jesus, the True Manna (6:27-34) | 71 | |
| 2. Jesus, the Bread of Life (6:35-51) | 72 | |
| Flesh Given for the Life of the World (6:51b) | 73 | |
| 3. Partaking of the Son of Man (6:52-59) | 74 | |
| Arguments for Taking the Passage Literally of the Eucharist | 75 | |
| What Does Jesus Mean about Eating His Flesh, Drinking His Blood? | 75 | |
| 4. Reactions to the Teaching (6:60-71) | 76 | |
| The Spirit Gives Life, the Flesh Counts for Nothing (6:63) | 77 | |
| The Bread of Life Passage and the Lord´s Supper | 78 | |
| 9. The Lord´s Supper and the Great Banquet (Luke 22:16, 18; Matthew 26:29) | 80 | |
| Jewish Expectation of the Great Feast | 80 | |
| Jesus´Teaching on the Great Banquet | 81 | |
| The Marriage Supper of the Lamb | 83 | |
| The Lord´s Supper Looks Forward to the Great Banquet | 83 | |
| The Promise of Future Fellowship | 84 | |
| The Lord´s Supper as a Promise of the Future | 84 | |
| We Shall See His Face | 85 | |
| 10. Preparing Ourselves for the Lord´s Supper (1 Corinthians 11: 27-34) | 86 | |
| Divisions between the Rich and Poor in Corinth (11:17-22) | 86 | |
| Not Discerning the Body (11:29) | 88 | |
| Sinning against the Body and Blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27) | 89 | |
| Incurring Judgment and Discipline (1 Corinthians 11:29-32) | 90 | |
| Self-Examination (1 Corinthians 11:28, 31) | 91 | |
| Confession and Repentance | 92 | |
| How to Prepare for Communion | 94 | |
| Appendix 1: A Brief Glossary of the Lord´s Supper | 96 | |
| Words for the Lord´s Supper | 96 | |
| Nouns Used to Refer to the Lord´s Supper | 98 | |
| The Presence of Christ in the Sacrament | 98 | |
| Celebrate, Perform, Partake | 99 | |
| Appendix 2: A Brief History of the Doctrine of the Real Presence and Transubstantiation | 100 | |
| The Early Church Fathers | 101 | |
| Symbolic Vocabulary | 101 | |
| An Open Controversy | 102 | |
| The Reformers on the Real Presence | 103 | |
| Appendix 3: Songs, Choruses, and Hymns for Communion | 104 | |
| Newer Communion Songs | 104 | |
| Older Communion Hymns | 106 | |
| Appendix 4: Introduction to Textual Criticism | 109 | |
| Types of Copying Errors | 109 | |
| Autographs and Manuscript Families | 110 | |
| External Evidence: The “Earliest” Manuscripts | 111 | |
| Internal Evidence: Four Guidelines in Textual Criticism | 112 | |
| Does It Make Any Difference? | 113 | |
| Can We Believe the Bible? | 114 | |
| Appendix 5: Handouts for Classes and Groups | 115 | |
| 1. My Body, My Blood – Literal or Figurative? | 116 | |
| Brief Glossary of the Lord´s Supper | 120 | |
| 2. Remembering and Proclaiming Christ´s Death (Luke 22:19b; 1 Cor. 11:23-26) | 124 | |
| 3. Being Sharers in the Sacrifice (1 Corinthians 10:16, 18) | 126 | |
| 4. My Body Given for You (Luke 22:19b) | 128 | |
| 5. My Blood Poured Out for Many (Matthew 26:28) | 130 | |
| 6. A New Covenant in My Blood (1 Corinthians 11:25) | 132 | |
| 7. The Cup of Blessing and the One Loaf (1 Corinthians 10:16-17) | 134 | |
| 8. Eating His Flesh, Drinking His Blood (John 6:53-57) | 135 | |
| 9. The Lord´s Supper and the Great Banquet (Luke 22:16, 18; Matthew 26:29) | 139 | |
| 10. Preparing Ourselves for the Lord´s Supper (1 Corinthians 11: 27-34) | 141 | |