Article XXX
Communion in both kinds
Christ’s gifts belong to the whole congregation.
The Article
OF BOTH KINDS
THE Cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the Lay-people: for both the parts of the Lord’s Sacrament, by Christ’s ordinance and commandment, ought to be ministered to all Christian men alike.
In modern English
The cup must not be withheld from laypeople. Christ's institution and command require both parts of the Lord's Supper—the bread and the cup—to be given to all Christians alike.
Scripture readings
- Matthew 26:26–28
- 1 Corinthians 11:23–26
- Galatians 3:26–28
Understand the teaching
The whole congregation shares the cup
Article XXX is brief, yet it addresses a significant question about the life of the church: who receives the gifts Jesus gave at his table? Its answer is that the cup must not be denied to lay people. Both bread and wine belong to the Lord's institution, and both should be ministered to Christian people alike. Clergy do not form a spiritually superior class entitled to a fuller version of the meal.
The historical background is the Western practice of giving the consecrated bread to the laity while ordinarily reserving reception of the cup to the celebrating priest. Various concerns and theological arguments supported that practice. The Reformers judged it against Christ's command and the apostolic account of the supper. Their question was straightforward: when Jesus gave bread and wine, by what authority could the church routinely withhold one from most of his people? This Article places the congregation's common participation under the instruction of the Lord who instituted the sacrament.
Listening to Jesus’ institution
Matthew 26:26–29 records Jesus giving bread and then a cup to the disciples at the last supper. He directs them to drink and explains the cup in relation to his covenant blood poured out for forgiveness. First Corinthians 11:23–26 repeats the pattern of bread and cup within instructions addressed to a Christian congregation. The repeated pairing matters. The church receives a whole action whose distinct elements together proclaim Christ's death.
The disciples at the original meal would become apostolic leaders, so the application to the whole congregation should also be read through Paul's church-directed teaching. In 1 Corinthians 10:16–17, the shared cup and bread express participation in Christ and the unity of his body. Paul is not describing a privilege reserved for ministers. The Article therefore reads Christ's institution within its apostolic transmission to the churches. Christian ministry serves the distribution of Christ's gifts to his people and teaches the meaning of those gifts.
Understanding the disagreement fairly
Roman Catholic teaching developed an explanation often called concomitance: the whole Christ is present under either species, so receiving the bread alone does not mean receiving a divided or deficient Christ. Representing this accurately matters. The disagreement cannot fairly be described as Catholics deliberately giving lay people only half of Jesus. Article XXX focuses on a different question: what did Christ command the church to administer, and may ordinary practice set that instruction aside?
This reading of the Article gives priority to the appointed action. A theological account of what a recipient receives does not by itself justify removing part of the action Jesus established. The bread and cup each contribute to the sacramental proclamation. At the same time, the Article should not be turned into a claim that God's grace is powerless when illness or another genuine impediment makes one element impossible to receive. The positive norm concerns faithful administration to the congregation. Particular pastoral circumstances call for careful judgement within the church's guidance.
Equality without erasing different responsibilities
The phrase about all Christian people alike has consequences for how we imagine the church. Ordained ministers have particular responsibilities, including the authorised administration of communion, yet they share the same need for mercy as everyone else. At the table, a bishop, a new believer and a person with no public role depend upon the same Saviour. Social status, wealth, education and usefulness to an institution do not purchase privileged access to his saving work.
First Corinthians 11 exposes a congregation whose meal reproduced humiliating social divisions. The Article's immediate issue is the cup, but its concern for common reception belongs alongside that broader apostolic vision. Contemporary applications might include examining whether practical arrangements make disabled people feel secondary, whether newcomers understand how to participate and whether prominent members receive preferential treatment. These applications extend the principle; they are not additional sentences secretly contained in the historical text. The underlying question is whether the church's actions communicate the shared grace it publicly proclaims.
Receiving thoughtfully and hospitably
For church leaders, this Article encourages teaching the meaning of both elements, planning distribution carefully and considering those who face practical difficulties. Some people have medical, mobility or other reasons that affect how they receive. A compassionate conversation can help them participate appropriately without public embarrassment. Specific arrangements should follow current authorised guidance and the person's circumstances. The lesson's doctrinal purpose is to establish the generous common provision Christ gives, rather than to prescribe a technical solution for every case.
For a communicant, attend to the distinct meaning of the bread and cup as they direct you towards the self-giving of Jesus. Receive with gratitude that his covenant promise addresses ordinary believers. Then consider how your life together expresses that same shared standing: listen to people with little influence, make room for newcomers and resist habits of religious superiority. Article XXX turns a short instruction about communion into a searching reminder of whom the church serves. The Lord gives his appointed gifts to his people, and those entrusted with ministry are responsible for making that provision faithfully available.
Bring it into everyday life
- Where might your community unintentionally communicate that some Christians have better access to God?