Preaching Meal
The Sign that Seals
March 7, 2021
Rev. Tim Sharpe
In 1 Corinthians 11:26 Paul teaches that every time we eat the bread and drink the cup we proclaim Christ’s death (and resurrection) as the defining reality of our identity and life, which calls us to repentance, mutual examination, and unity in the church until he returns.
Summary
This five‑minute reflection on 1 Corinthians 11:26 argues that the Lord’s Supper must place the death of Christ at its center because that death (and the accompanying resurrection) is the ordering principle of Christian identity and obedience—Christ obeyed and died in our place—so that when we partake we are repeatedly reset and identified by his life, death, and resurrection alone. Keeping Christ’s death central also protects the unity of the church: the Supper requires honest self‑examination and confrontation of unrepented sin that would otherwise cause division, warning us against allowing lesser priorities to overshadow what truly matters.
Key Points
- Text focus: 1 Corinthians 11:26 — "as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."
- Primary claim: The Lord’s Supper must center on Christ’s death (and resurrection) because it proclaims the core of the Christian faith.
- Theological point: Christ’s obedient death functions as substitution and must be paired with the resurrection in our proclamation.
- Personal implication: Communion repeatedly resets and defines believers by Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, not by their own status.
- Ecclesial implication: Centering on Christ’s death protects church unity by requiring repentance and honest examination of sin.
- Warning: When other concerns become more important than Christ’s death, they become sinful and dangerous to the church’s unity (James 4 connection).
- Practical call: Approach the table prepared to examine your sin, repent, and consider your role in preserving the unity of the body.
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