Ellen White taught that "by partaking of the Lord's supper, the broken bread and the fruit of the vine, we show forth the Lord's death until he comes" (
1SG 112.2). This passage identifies two sacred memorials in Christian worship: the Lord's Supper commemorating Christ's death, and baptism commemorating His resurrection. ## The Lord's Supper as a Memorial of Christ's Death The Lord's Supper serves as a vivid memorial that keeps the scenes of Christ's suffering and death fresh in our minds. Ellen White explained that "by partaking of the Lord's supper, the broken bread and the fruit of the vine, we show forth the Lord's death until he comes. By observing this memorial, the scenes of his sufferings and death are brought fresh to our minds" (
1SG 112.2). The broken bread symbolizes Christ's broken body given for our salvation, while the wine represents His blood shed for the cleansing of sins (
3SG 228.1).
This ordinance was designed to be celebrated frequently, not just occasionally. She emphasized that "the salvation of men depends upon a continual application to their hearts of the cleansing blood of Christ. Therefore, the Lord's supper was not to be observed only occasionally or yearly, but more frequently than the annual passover" (
3SG 228.1). Each celebration brings believers into an imaginative participation in the upper room experience, as "we in imagination join in the scene of Communion in the upper chamber. We seem to be passing through the garden consecrated by the agony of Him who bore the sins of the world" (
DA 661.1). ## Pointing to Christ's Second Coming Beyond commemorating His death, the Communion service also points forward to Christ's return. Ellen White wrote that "the Communion service points to Christ's second coming. It was designed to keep this hope vivid in the minds of the disciples" (
DA 660.1). The disciples found comfort in Christ's promise that He would not drink of the fruit of the vine again until He drank it new with them in His Father's kingdom. She noted that "unspeakably precious to them was the thought, 'As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come'" (
DA 660.1). ## Baptism as the Memorial of Christ's Resurrection The second memorial mentioned in the passage is baptism, which commemorates Christ's resurrection. Ellen White explained that "the resurrection of Christ is commemorated by our being buried with him by baptism, and raised up out of the watery grave in likeness of his resurrection, to live in newness of life" (
1SG 112.2).
This ordinance symbolizes the believer's death to sin and resurrection to new life in Christ. ## The Spiritual Significance These memorials serve a deeper purpose than mere remembrance. Ellen White taught that "Christ has instituted this service that it may speak to our senses of the love of God that has been expressed in our behalf. There can be no union between our souls and God except through Christ" (
DA 660.1). The love of Jesus, with its constraining power, is to be kept fresh in our memory through these sacred ordinances. She emphasized that "nothing less than the death of Christ could make His love efficacious for us. It is only because of His death that we can look with joy to His second coming. His sacrifice is the center of our hope. Upon this we must fix our faith" (
DA 660.1). --- 💡 **You might also want to explore:**
• What did Ellen White say about the proper preparation for participating in the Lord's Supper?
• How did she describe the relationship between the Lord's Supper and the foot-washing ordinance?
• What counsel did she give about the frequency and manner of celebrating Communion?
Ellen Chat