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Bible Verses About Communion to Memorize
On the night He was betrayed, Jesus took bread and a cup and gave His church its simplest and deepest ordinance: "this do in remembrance of me." Every time believers eat that bread and drink that cup, Paul says, they "shew the Lord’s death till he come" — a sermon without words, preached at a table.
Memorizing the communion passages changes how you come to that table. When the words of institution from Luke 22 or 1 Corinthians 11 are in your own memory, the moment of receiving stops being a ritual you watch and becomes a remembrance you actually perform. Paul’s instruction to "examine" yourself before eating gives the quiet minutes before the elements their proper work.
These eleven KJV verses gather the institution, its meaning, and the sacrifice it remembers — the body broken and the blood shed for the remission of sins.
KJV verse list
11 Bible verses about communion
Each verse below is shown in the King James Version. Read it slowly, then use the note beneath it to see why it is worth carrying with you.
Luke 22:19-20
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
Jesus’ own words of institution — "this do in remembrance of me" — are the heart of every communion service.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 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. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
Paul’s account, received from the Lord, is the passage read at most communion tables; knowing it by heart makes you a participant, not a spectator.
1 Corinthians 11:28
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
"Let a man examine himself" gives you the inward preparation Scripture asks for before the bread and cup.
Matthew 26:26-28
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Matthew records the cup as "my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins" — the meaning of the meal in one sentence.
John 6:35
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
"I am the bread of life" connects the table to the deeper reality: Christ Himself satisfies the soul’s hunger.
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
The cup of blessing and the one bread declare our communion with Christ and with each other — one body, because one bread.
1 Peter 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
He "bare our sins in his own body on the tree" — the sacrifice the elements point to, stated plainly.
1 Corinthians 5:7
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
"Christ our passover is sacrificed for us" ties the Lord’s Supper back to the Passover it fulfills.
Hebrews 9:22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
"Without shedding of blood is no remission" explains why the cup matters as much as it does.
Acts 2:42
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
The first church continued steadfastly in breaking of bread — communion has been central since day one.
John 6:51
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
The living bread given "for the life of the world" — Jesus’ own commentary on what His body would accomplish.
Memorization help
How to memorize these verses
Communion comes around on a schedule, which makes it a natural review rhythm: in the week before your church observes the Lord’s Supper, review Luke 22:19-20 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-28, and let 1 Corinthians 11:28 shape your self-examination the night before. Reciting the words of institution silently as the elements are distributed turns memorized text into worship. The longer passage (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) is best learned phrase by phrase over two weeks. The Bible Memory App is free to start and will keep these passages fresh from one communion Sunday to the next.
The Bible Memory App turns that practice into a daily habit: type each verse from memory, get instant feedback on every word, and review on a schedule so the verses stay with you for years, not days. It is free to start, and you can add any of the verses above in seconds.
FAQ
Questions about Bible verses on communion
What Bible verse is read at communion?
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 is the passage most often read at communion — Paul’s account of Jesus taking the bread and cup "the same night in which he was betrayed." Luke 22:19-20 and Matthew 26:26-28 are the Gospel accounts of the same institution.
What does "do this in remembrance of me" mean?
In Luke 22:19 Jesus commands His followers to repeat the bread and cup as an ongoing memorial of His body given and blood shed. Paul adds in 1 Corinthians 11:26 that each observance proclaims — "shews" — the Lord’s death until He comes, so remembrance looks backward to the cross and forward to His return.
What does the Bible say about preparing for communion?
1 Corinthians 11:28 says, "let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." Examination means honestly confessing sin (1 John 1:9) and discerning the meaning of the Lord’s body — coming thoughtfully and repentantly, not perfectly.
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