But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. (Romans 6:8-9)

The Lord’s Supper represents our union with Christ. And it is done regularly in every visible church. I understand the Reformers debated hotly over what it means and how it should be done. I do not think that the ceremony has some spiritual power to change people. Unless it is supported by the knowledge of God, it is a mere ceremony. The Lord’s Supper is a daily reminder that our Lord died to make us live forever along with Him.

In this passage, there are two things that I want to talk about. One is that the Lord’s Supper happened before Christ’s death. And the other is that the washing of the disciples’ feet explains to us that our salvation is the work of Truth and Spirit (v.10).

Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean. And you are clean—but not all of you.” (v. 10)

The Lord’s Supper could have happened after Christ’s resurrection. But it happened before because we had to die just as God warned Adam and Eve in Genesis 2:17:

… but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.  

Some people misinterpret this and say that God did not kill Adam and Eve because He loved them. Adam and Eve became separated from God because of their rebellion. Being separated from God is death. Indeed, all human is born dead and enslaved to sin. Although one may say that he/she did not commit a crime that brings punishment, the absence of the knowledge of God is sin. Those who rely on their good works remain dead to God.

Although it was not us who died, God considers that we died because Christ, our representative, died because of our sins. Therefore, anyone who is not united with the Son through the Holy Spirit is still a rebel. Those who reject the Son will receive eternal damnation. We claim that Jesus is our Lord because we are united with Him. We believe not only Him but also the One who sent Him. No one can have faith in God without the power of the Spirit. I mentioned that the feet represent the work of the Spirit in my previous post “Ezekiel 1”. Anyone who received the Spirit preaches the Gospel. We are all disciples of Jesus Christ. The disciples wash people with the Word and prepare them to receive the Holy Spirit. We read that verse 14 is fulfilled in the Book of Acts.

So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you. Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. (vv. 14-17)

One may attend the Lord’s Supper over 100 times and yet it means nothing if he/she does not have the Spirit. This person may talk about God and quote Bible verses as if he knows God, but his unfaithfulness will eventually be revealed through his own words. It is not a church ordinance that changes people. It is the Word and the Spirit who make us perfect. We are now the children of God.

We received punishment and have been pardoned forever because Christ died and resurrected with us. God did everything alone.

“Comfort, comfort My people,” says your God. “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; and call out to her, that her warfare has ended, that her guilt has been removed, that she has received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2)