When the Lord instituted the Lord’s Supper we read, “Jesus took bread, blessed and broke 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, this this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-27…KJV). In Luke 22:19-20 we read, “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.” We learn two very important things in these passages that will help to answer your question:

1) It’s only FOR BELIEVERS. Jesus was talking to His disciples when He said, “Given for you…Shed for you.” They were believers in Christ! One may be thinking, “But Judas was NOT a believer.” Correct, but Judas was NOT THERE when the Lord instituted the Lord’s Supper. If you read Matthew 26:17-29 and compare it with John 13:21-30 you will see that Judas was there when they ate the Passover Supper, but he left the room after the Lord revealed that he would betray Him. It was AFTER Judas left that Jesus took the bread and wine and instituted the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is an “act of fellowship” for believers and we are not to have fellowship with unbelievers in this sacred supper (see 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

2) It is a REMEMBRANCE MEETING. The Lord was using the BREAD to symbolize His BODY that would be nailed to the cross where He would bear that punishment for our sins in His body. When believers eat of the bread they are REMEMBERING this and can say, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own BODY on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). The Lord was using the CUP OF WINE to symbolize His BLOOD that was shed to wash away our sins.” When believers drink of the CUP we are REMEMBERING that in the shedding of His blood our sins have been FORGIVEN AND WASHED AWAY” and we have been “REDEEMED TO GOD.” See Hebrews 9:22; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5; 5:8-9.

Everyone one who partakes of this holy communion should be a believer who understands these precious truths. They will know the Lord’s Supper is NOT a ritual to save them and that they are simply responding to the Lord’s request, “This do in remembrance of Me.” If a child has come to the age where they understand they are a sinner and they then understand, by faith, that the Lord died and shed His blood to save them, they can then partake of the bread and wine. But it is vital that they come to this understanding without any coercion; they must see that the Lord wants them to “Remember Him” and then ask to take their place in this sacred fellowship with other believers.

I had referred to the Passover Supper above and that too was a “Remembrance Feast” where the Israelites remembered how God redeemed their firstborn son and delivered him from judgment by the “blood of the Passover Lamb.” We read of the Passover and how the Israelites were to “keep this feast” in Exodus 12:1-14. If we read on in verses 25-27 it says, “It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that YOU SHALL KEEP THIS SERVICE. And it shall be, WHEN YOUR CHILDREN SAY TO YOU, ‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THIS SERVICE?’ that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.” I am sure it was a real delight to Jewish parents to see their children coming to them with this question and hoping it will lead to their desire to “keep this service” too. This is an example for Christian parents today in regards to their children and the Lord’s Supper. We should want to SEE THEM SAVED and then wait for them to ASK ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE LORD’S SUPPER. Once they understand it and desire to partake of it, we can receive them into fellowship and let them “eat of the bread and drink of the cup” in remembrance of their Savior who died for them. Notice, I just said, “WE can receive them into fellowship.” It is the local church that receives other believers into fellowship (see Acts 9:26-28; Romans 16:1-2). This answers your second question, for no one individual can decide to “give a child the bread and wine” to partake of the communion. The local church alone has that responsibility to receive one into fellowship or to “put one out of fellowship” if they are living in sin or holding false doctrine (see Matthew 18:15-20 and 1 Corinthians 5:1-5).  (DO)  (688.1)