he Lord’s Supper is a memorial meal and a communion meal; it is also a covenant meal. “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28). “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many” (Mark 14:24). “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20).

hen Jesus says that the contents of the cup is “My blood” He means that it is figuratively His blood. His blood was literally coursing through His veins; hence, it was not literally in the cup. That which was literally in the cup was the fruit of the vine or juice of the grape, an apt figure for His blood.

hen He says “My blood of the new covenant” or “the new covenant in My blood” He means His blood is that which dedicates, ratifies or seals the new covenant or makes it effective. Before we can properly understand how His blood dedicated the New Covenant, however, we need to appreciate the nature of a “covenant.”

he original word for “covenant” in these passages does not refer to an agreement between two equal parties but to an undertaking of one party with absolute authority, which the other must receive or decline, but cannot change. The most obvious example of such an arrangement is a last will and testament. The benefactor and beneficiary do not sit down together and make out the conditions of the will. The benefactor [one party] sets down the conditions of the will for the benefit of the beneficiary [the other party] who can either accept or reject those conditions but cannot alter them.

he representation of this arrangement that God has made with men through Christ as a “will” or “testament” is vibrantly depicted in Heb. 9:15-17, “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.”

n this way, His blood is the seal of the New Covenant. His blood ratified the promises contained in that covenant. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial to the effective means of the covenant—the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Since this memorial involves eating and drinking, it is called a meal or supper.

he Lord’s Supper can also be designated a grace meal, since it reminds the saint of the undeserved favor of God, which made the covenant of grace possible. Each time we consume the bread and fruit of the vine we show our appreciation to God for the countless blessings that we have received through His wonderful grace. And having accepted the covenant of grace, the covenant in His blood, we pledged ourselves to obey Him in everything that this covenant demands of us. Thus the Lord’s Supper should not only remind us of the death of Jesus on the cross, but also of our solemn pledge. It should also provide additional incentive for us to “walk in the light as He is in the light” (1 John 1:7).

od revealed, through His servant Moses, “The life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11), which is probably a reference to the fact that the blood carries oxygen to the various parts of the body, contributing to the proper functioning of each part. When Jesus died on the cross, He surrendered His physical life in the shedding of His blood, making it possible for us to have spiritual life in Him.

hus, in partaking of the fruit of the vine, which signifies the blood of the new covenant, the faithful saint contemplates not only the remission of sins he has received, and is receiving, by virtue of that blood, but also the spiritual life that he received from God after meeting the conditions of the covenant of grace &

SAVING FAITH

By Fred Shewmaker

ithout faith it is impossible to be well-pleasing unto him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek after him" (Heb. 11:6).

or all who desire to "be well-pleasing" to God, this verse is helpful in that it sets forth a thing that is necessary in order to fulfill that desire. However, at the same time, to one who knew only this verse there certainly would be a question about how one may come to have "faith."

aul, writing to the church at Rome, informed them, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Ro. 10:17).

fter considering these passages of scripture, one becomes aware of the fact that it is necessary for a person to hear "the word of God" in order to have the "faith" that is "well-pleasing" to God.

eter wrote, "The word of the Lord endureth forever.  And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Pt. 1:25). Therefore, the reason that Jesus told His apostles, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mk. 16:15) was that all men might hear "the word of God" and come to a possession of the "faith" which is "well-pleasing" to God.

t should be observed that the "faith" that is "well-pleasing" to God is belief of "the gospel." A part of "the gospel" is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and Saviour of the world. However, "the gospel" contains much more than those few facts. To "be well-pleasing to God it will be necessary to accept all of “the gospel."

he gospel" may be said to be three fold. It contains facts to be believed (among which are the facts already listed in this study), commands to be obeyed and promises to be received and enjoyed. There are many folks who believe the facts, but reject the commands and still expect to receive and enjoy the promises.

hose people profess with their lips that they love the Lord. Yet, the Lord is not the object of their love. Now that is a grave charge which might cause someone to think I am judging their hearts. That is not the case, at all. It is only that I believe what Jesus our Lord said. He made the statement in John 14:15: "If ye love me, keep my commandments." Therefore, I know that those who love the Lord would never reject His commandments.

hose who teach that we can be saved by only believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and our Saviour need to explain to us how it is that one is saved without having a love for the Lord. Consider Mark 12:30.

aving faith is that belief of the facts concerning Jesus Christ in the heart of a man that results in a love of the Lord and its manifestation by obedience to the Lord's commandments. It is by obedience to His commandments that we prepare to receive and enjoy the promises God has made to those "well-pleasing unto him." & ("Apostolic Doctrine," December, 1969)

The Bible teaches that, to become a Christian, an individual must:

Hear the word of God (Matthew 13:3-9; 18:23; 17:1-5)

Believe that Jesus is the Son of God (John 3:16; Acts 16:31)

Repent (Luke 24:46-47; Acts 17:30)

Confess faith (Romans 10:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:12)

Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 22:16)