1 Corinthians 11:23

For. received of the Lord that which also. delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed took bread;

'I received of the Lord' -the original source for all his teaching. (John 14:26; John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:9; Ephesians 3:3) Here is. claim to inspiration. (Galatians 1:11)

'that which also. delivered unto you' -Paul had taught them (in the past), exactly what Jesus had revealed to him. Paul had not been presumptuous to alter it, but the Corinthians had. Of the "traditions" that they claimed to be keeping, this was not one of them. (1 Corinthians 11:2)

Points to Note:

1. The only way to correct the abuse of. biblical practice, is to get back to the original instruction. The restoration of NT Christianity can only happen by "going back to the Bible." This was Paul's method!

2. Paul doesn't correct the "common meal". He has placed all such meals outside the assembly. He presents the correct view of the Lord's Supper, indicating that the only meal which the congregation is to sponsor, which Christians are to partake of when assembled for worship, is the Lord's Supper.

3. Paul, an apostle of the Lord, refused to improvise or alter the original instruction given by Jesus.

'the night in which he was betrayed' -'The Master, knowing of the betrayer, still offered himself!. (McGuiggan p. 158)

Being sold out by others, being forsaken and abandoned, being stabbed in the back by. professed friend, being let down by "brethren", didn't stop Jesus from doing God's will! How can we let it stop us? He instituted the Lord's Supper while His betrayal was going on.

There is. great contrast here between the serious and solemn occasion when Jesus instituted this feast and the careless manner in which the Corinthians were handling it. As we partake of the Lord's Supper, let us remember not only the death of Christ, but the circumstances and the various trials He was facing in instituting the Supper itself.