Book Review: The Lord's Supper by Keith A Mathison

The Lord's Supper is one of the ordinances of the church that remembers the death of Christ. Most Christians find it interesting that we take time to remember to the death of Christ although He is Risen and sits at the Father's right hand. There are some unhealthy ideas about the Lord's Supper that needs to be corrected because some Christians do not what this is all about. Keith A Mathison has written an introductory book on the Lord's Supper to show Christians why this is important for us. This book is very similar to the one Guy Richard wrote on the other ordinance of the church, Baptism, which is also written from a Presbyterian prospective.

The book begins with defining what the Lord's Supper is, which Baptists agree it is an ordinance of the church although Presbyterians use the word sacrament, which means, according to the Westminster Larger Confession, "a holy ordinance instituted by Christ in his church, to signify, seal and exhibit unto those that are within the covenant of grace...(it is) a visible outward sign and the spiritual reality signified by the sign." The Lord's Supper was instituted by Christ in the upper room before he was crucified which Jesus told the Disciples that every time we partake of it, we remember His death until he comes. Mathison takes a look at the Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Reformed views which are different in many ways.

Mathison continues on explaining the significance of the Lord's Supper including what Paul teaches about it in 1 Corinthians 10-11, which most preachers read before a church takes the Lord's Supper. One of the teachings Paul gives is that we are to examine ourselves, which means to repent of any sins we may need to confess and also to see if we are truly in the faith. One of issues those outside the Presbyterian church may have is if children allowed to partake of the supper. After all, Presbyterians believe they must baptize the child of a believing family. Judging by what I can tell, Mathison does not support the idea of children partaking of the Lord's Supper because children, like adults, must examine themselves before taking it.

This book serves as a well done introduction into the Lord's Supper if you are a member of a Presbyterian church. For Baptists, we must seek out material from a Baptist perspective to understand it. Not saying Baptists cannot learn from Presbyterians about the Lord's Supper, but we need to have a better understanding of what we believe based on Baptist distinctives, if you are a Baptist. If you are a Presbyterian, then please read this book.

Thanks Reformation Trust for letting me review this book.