1 Corinthians 11:25

My Notes

What Does 1 Corinthians 11:25 Mean?

"After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." Paul records the LORD'S SUPPER institution: after the meal, Jesus took the cup and declared it the NEW COVENANT IN HIS BLOOD. The command: DO THIS — as often as you drink — IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. The cup is the covenant. The blood is the seal. The drinking is the participation. The remembrance is the purpose.

The phrase "this cup is the new testament in my blood" (touto to potērion hē kainē diathēkē estin en tō emō haimati — this cup is the new covenant in My blood) makes the cup a COVENANT INSTRUMENT: the cup doesn't just CONTAIN wine. It IS (represents, inaugurates) the NEW COVENANT — the covenant prophesied by Jeremiah (31:31-34), the covenant that replaces the old, the covenant sealed by Jesus' BLOOD rather than animal blood. The cup IS the covenant. The blood IS the seal.

The "this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me" (touto poieite, hosakis ean pinēte, eis tēn emēn anamnēsin — this do, as often as you drink, unto My remembrance) commands REPEATED PRACTICE: 'as oft as' means the frequency isn't prescribed — it's OPEN. The 'remembrance' (anamnēsis) isn't just MEMORY — it's ACTIVE RECALL, making-present, bringing-into-the-now. The communion doesn't just REMEMBER a past event. It makes the past event PRESENT.

Reflection Questions

• 1.When you take the cup, is it active remembrance or mere ritual?
• 2.What does the cup BEING the new covenant (not just representing it) teach about communion's weight?
• 3.How does 'as oft as ye drink' — open frequency — trust the community?
• 4.What does 'in remembrance of ME' — person-focused, not event-focused — change about communion?

Devotional

This cup IS the new covenant — in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink, in REMEMBRANCE of Me. The cup doesn't just hold wine. The cup IS the covenant. The blood seals it. The drinking participates in it. The remembrance makes the past present. The command is: keep doing this. Every time. In active recall.

The 'new testament in my blood' makes the cup COVENANTAL: the old covenant was sealed with animal blood (Exodus 24:8). The new covenant is sealed with JESUS' blood. The cup represents the TRANSFER — from old to new, from animal to divine, from repeated sacrifice to once-for-all sacrifice. The blood in the cup isn't just commemorative. It's COVENANTAL. Every drinking is a covenant-renewal.

The 'this do ye, as oft as ye drink it' is the command with OPEN frequency: Jesus doesn't say 'do this weekly' or 'do this monthly.' He says 'as often as you drink.' The frequency is LEFT OPEN — the community decides how often. The command is the DOING, not the scheduling. The 'as often as' trusts the community to practice the remembrance at its own rhythm.

The 'in remembrance of me' makes the purpose CHRISTOLOGICAL: the remembrance isn't of the EVENT primarily. It's of the PERSON — 'of ME.' The communion is focused on JESUS — His body, His blood, His sacrifice, His presence. The bread and the cup are means of ENCOUNTERING Christ, not just recalling history. The 'remembrance' (anamnēsis) is ACTIVE — making-present, bringing-into-now, experiencing-again. The past becomes present at the table.

When you take the cup, is it REMEMBRANCE — active, present, encountering Christ — or just ritual?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture