Do this in remembrance of Me

Here is a quick story a professor and dean of a graduate seminary told about communion. Does it sound like your understanding of communion? “When you were little and getting ready to take your seat at the family dinner table, did your mom ask, “Have you washed your hands?” If you had, you probably proudly held them up to show her. But on those rare occasions when she caught you “dirty-handed,” you’d sheepishly have to slip away to put soap and water to work. As often as we were reminded, we should have remembered to wash our hands every time. But since we are creatures of forgetfulness, or just too preoccupied with other things, that getting ready for the table often got lost in the shuffle. Then, too, there were times we knew our hands were dirty, but we came to the table anyway! Some in the early church developed a bad habit of coming to the table—the Communion table—without “clean hands.”” You get his point. This is the subtle way that Christians are kept in the bondage to their sins. Seminary trained “professors” and “deans” like this are putting out so-called Christian leaders that are teaching Christians that their sins are not forgiven; that they are not “clean.” But, what did Jesus say regarding what we now celebrate as communion? 

“Then he took a loaf of bread; and when he had thanked God for it, he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19)." The professor is saying that we must “remember” what we have done. However, Jesus tells us to remember what He has done. What did Jesus do? About Jesus, John the Baptist said, “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!” Jesus took away our sins. Jesus said, “It is finished (John 19:30)!” The death of Jesus Christ was the propitiating sacrifice God required to pay the debt of sin we owed, but could not pay. Now, through faith in Him, what are we?  “For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:22).” We are CLEAN! Everything this professor claims about us, despite being packaged in a clever story, is completely false. Jesus said, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32).” He is the truth. Knowing Him and His truth is what sets us free from the bondage that error can put us in. Therefore, we must test everything we are told up against God’s word because as Jesus said, “Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17).” Knowing the truth about forgiveness will set us apart (sanctify us) by setting us free to discern the difference between what God’s word says and how man can deceive us by twisting it. It is in this way that we can be confident to sit at the dinner table with “clean hands” and partake in communion.