1 Corinthians 11:25 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The cup is easily received as a familiar part of worship, yet Paul gives it weighty meaning. Jesus spoke over it after supper, at the threshold of his betrayal and death. His words join remembrance, covenant, and his blood, inviting the church to receive this gift with gratitude, faith, and serious attention.
At the Lord's Supper, the cup recalls Jesus' blood and declares the new testament established through him. Repeated sharing of it keeps his self-giving death before the gathered church.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 11:25
First Corinthians 11 moves from instructions about conduct in gathered worship to a sharp correction of the Corinthians' shared meal. Their divisions had allowed some to eat abundantly while others were left hungry, so their gathering no longer expressed the Lord's Supper rightly. Paul answers by passing on what he had received concerning the night Jesus was betrayed. Verses 23 and 24 recount the bread and Jesus' giving of thanks. Verse 25 then recounts the cup after supper. Verse 26 explains that eating and drinking proclaim the Lord's death until he comes, leading into Paul's call for self-examination and mutual care.
What Does 1 Corinthians 11:25 Mean?
Jesus "took the cup" after the meal and gave its use a defining word: "This cup is the new testament in my blood." The cup itself is identified with the testament in the sense that it is the appointed cup through which that covenantal gift is remembered and received in the assembly. Jesus speaks of his blood, directing attention to the costly giving of his life. The phrase "this do ye" makes the action deliberate and continuing. "As oft as ye drink it" leaves room for repeated observance, while "in remembrance of me" gives the practice its center. The church remembers a living person who gave himself, rather than preserving a detached religious memory.
In this chapter, Paul's account confronts conduct that contradicted the meaning of the meal. Some Corinthians had turned a gathering intended to express the Lord's Supper into separate private suppers marked by hunger, drunkenness, and shame for those who had little. The cup therefore calls the congregation back to the gift it shares. A testament or covenant concerns a binding relationship established by God, and Jesus connects this new testament directly to his blood. Paul does not pause to explain every aspect of that relationship here; he stresses what the church must faithfully remember. The Lord's Supper belongs to the whole gathered body, whose treatment of one another ought to agree with the Lord they proclaim.
Jesus' wording echoes the covenant language spoken when Israel was gathered before the Lord at Sinai, where blood marked a solemn covenant relationship. Here the promised new testament is connected to Jesus' own blood. This connection is strengthened by Jesus' words in Luke's account of the supper and by the promise of a new covenant in Jeremiah. The verse also looks ahead within Paul's argument: each drinking of the cup shows forth "the Lord's death till he come." Remembrance is therefore joined to hope. The church receives the cup in the present, bearing witness to the death of the Lord and awaiting his coming. His sacrifice is remembered as the foundation of the covenant people he gathers.
Bible Verses Related to 1 Corinthians 11:25
“Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
- Luke 22:20
“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:”
- Jeremiah 31:31
“And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.”
- Exodus 24:8
“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:26
Where 1 Corinthians 11:25 Echoes in Scripture
Luke 22:20 records Jesus speaking of the cup after supper as the new testament in his blood. Paul's wording closely follows that account and grounds the Corinthians' practice in the Lord's own action. The echo matters because Paul is correcting a troubled congregation by returning to the received account of Jesus' supper, rather than treating the meal as a custom the church may reshape around status or appetite.
How to Apply 1 Corinthians 11:25 Today
When we share the cup, its meaning calls for more than routine. We can come remembering the Lord's costly love, grateful that he established a covenant relationship through his blood. The chapter also directs our attention outward. In a congregation, household, or table fellowship, the weak, overlooked, poor, and unfamiliar must not be treated as interruptions to worship. Shared remembrance bears fruit in shared regard. Before participating, we may consider whether resentment, selfishness, or disregard for another person needs honest repentance and practical repair. The cup turns our attention toward Christ and toward the people he gathers.
Reflection & Prayer
What attitudes toward Christ's people would be exposed if we remembered his blood with full seriousness? We may pray: "Lord Jesus, keep your self-giving love before us. Teach us to receive your appointed meal with gratitude, faith, and care for those gathered with us. Prepare our hearts to remember your death and await your coming. Amen."