The Passover represents Christ's sacrifice for all mankind — the individual and the world — and pictures the initial step in God's plan of salvation. Only through acceptance of this sacrifice can one repent and be forgiven. Repentance is the first step toward conversion and eternal life.
What is the Passover?
The Passover is the first of God's seven annual holy days, instituted in Egypt when God commanded Israel to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood. When God saw the blood He passed over the firstborn of Israel, sparing them from death while the firstborn of Egypt perished.
This foundational event in Israel's history was not merely historical — it was deeply prophetic. Every detail of the original Passover pointed forward to Jesus Christ, the true Lamb of God, whose sacrifice at Calvary fulfilled what the ancient rite could only picture.
"For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
— 1 Corinthians 5:7–8The Lamb Without Blemish
God commanded that the Passover lamb be "without blemish" — a perfect male of the first year. This was no accident. Every detail of the Passover lamb was a precise portrait of the coming Messiah:
How Jesus Instituted the New Testament Passover
On the night He was betrayed — the night portion of the fourteenth of Nisan — Jesus gathered with His disciples for one final meal. It was there He transformed the ancient memorial into the New Testament Passover observance the Church keeps to this day.
Jesus first washed the disciples' feet, illustrating the humility and servant-heartedness His followers must have. Then He took the bread and the cup — symbols of His broken body and shed blood — and instructed His disciples to observe this memorial in remembrance of Him.
"And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.'"
— Luke 22:19–20Years later the Apostle Paul confirmed this observance for all Christians: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26). The followers of Christ will keep this memorial until He returns.
The Passover and Salvation
The Passover is the first step in God's great plan of salvation — which is why it is the first of His annual holy days. Before one can be saved, there must be the recognition of sin, repentance, and acceptance of Christ's sacrifice as payment for that sin. That is exactly what the Passover pictures.
Just as the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of Israel caused God to "pass over" and spare the firstborn from death, the blood of Jesus Christ — accepted by faith and repentance — causes God to pass over our sins, delivering us from the death penalty that sin brings.
"Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
— 1 Peter 1:18–19How We Observe It Today
The Church of God International observes the New Testament Passover once a year, on the evening of the fourteenth of Nisan according to the Hebrew calendar. The service includes:
The service is observed with solemnity and reverence. Visitors are welcome to attend and observe, though only baptized believers partake of the bread and wine.