bible verses about communion

Bible Verses About Communion: 12

Bible verses about communion: 12 Scriptures on the Lord's Supper, bread, and cup.

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By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 30, 20265 min read1 Corinthians 11:23 (NIV)

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"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread…"

— 1 Corinthians 11:23 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about communion want Scripture for the Lord's Supper — bread, cup, and remembrance — not only the baptism ordinance or the cross event alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about baptism, Bible verses about the cross, Bible verses about fellowship, Bible verses about jesus, and Bible verse of the day. Communion here means the Lord's table — koinōnia shared in the body and blood of Christ — distinct from baptism and from the crucifixion narrative alone.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "communion" / "participation" is κοινωνία koinōnia (Strong's G2842; Bible Hub G2842) — fellowship, sharing, or participation. Paul asks whether the cup is a participation in Christ's blood and the bread a participation in his body. The meal remembers the Lord's death until he comes — thanksgiving and self-examination at one table.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians 11 presses the received tradition: the Lord Jesus took bread on the night he was betrayed, and the cup after supper — do this in remembrance of me (Bible Hub commentaries on 1 Corinthians 11:23; Bible Hub MHC 1 Corinthians 11; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on 1 Corinthians 11). On Matthew 26 he marks the Passover night: this is my body; this is my blood of the covenant (Bible Hub commentaries on Matthew 26:26; Bible Hub MHC Matthew 26; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Matthew 26). (Baptism and cross-event lists live on those pages; this list centers the table of remembrance.)

12 Bible verses about communion

  1. 1 Corinthians 11:23-24. "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.'" The meal is received tradition — body for you, remembrance. See Bible verses about jesus.

  2. 1 Corinthians 11:25. "In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.'" The cup is new-covenant blood — drink in remembrance. See Bible verses about the cross.

  3. 1 Corinthians 11:26. "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Eating and drinking proclaim his death until he comes — past and future in one meal. See Bible verses about the cross.

  4. 1 Corinthians 10:16. "Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?" Cup and bread are koinōnia — participation in Christ. See Bible verses about fellowship.

  5. 1 Corinthians 10:17. "Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf." One loaf makes many one body — table unity. See Bible verses about the church.

  6. Matthew 26:26. "While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" Jesus gives bread as his body — Passover night gift. See Bible verses about jesus.

  7. Matthew 26:27-28. "Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" Covenant blood poured out for many — forgiveness at the cup. See Bible verses about forgiveness.

  8. Luke 22:19. "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.'" Luke keeps the same command — do this in remembrance. See Bible verses about jesus.

  9. Mark 14:22-24. "While they were eating, Jesus took bread… 'Take it; this is my body.' Then he took a cup… 'This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.'" Mark joins body and covenant blood for many. See Bible verses about the cross.

  10. John 6:53. "Jesus said to them, 'Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.'" John presses life through eating and drinking the Son of Man — deeper than a snack. See Bible verses about jesus.

  11. Acts 2:42. "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." The early church kept breaking of bread with teaching, fellowship, and prayer. See Bible verses about fellowship.

  12. 1 Corinthians 11:28. "Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup." Self-examination belongs at the table — come honestly. See Bible verses about repentance.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for preparing to take the meal, teaching children about the table, or remembering Christ's death — not twelve as a ritual checklist. If you need the received tradition, start with 1 Corinthians 11:23-24. If you need koinōnia language, open 1 Corinthians 10:16. If you need baptism's washing sign, open Bible verses about baptism. If you need the cross event, open Bible verses about the cross. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about communion?

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 (received tradition; this is my body), 1 Corinthians 10:16 (participation in blood and body), and Matthew 26:26-28 (bread and cup of the covenant) are clear starting places.

How do Bible verses about communion differ from baptism or the cross?

Baptism pages center washing and new-life identification. Cross pages center the crucifixion event and atonement. A communion page centers the Lord's table — bread, cup, remembrance, and koinōnia — then cross-links baptism and the cross. See Bible verses about baptism and Bible verses about the cross.

What does koinōnia mean here?

Greek koinōnia (G2842) is fellowship, sharing, or participation — Paul uses it for sharing in Christ's blood and body at the table.

Who should take communion?

Churches differ on age and membership; Paul calls for self-examination and warns against unworthy eating. This page gathers the main texts; ask your church for its practice. See Bible verses about the church.

Where can I read more about baptism, the cross, and fellowship?

Start with Bible verses about baptism, then Bible verses about the cross, Bible verses about fellowship, and Bible verses about jesus.

Sources

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