Category: Bible verses

Avoid Taking Communion in an “Unworthy Manner”

by Paul Tautges | November 14, 2015 12:13 pm

One of the soberest warnings in the New Testament concerns the manner in which we approach and participate in the Lord’s Supper. Following the apostle’s repetition of Jesus’ command to regularly “do this in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), he exhorts:

27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.

This warning to take God’s judgment seriously was prompted by the reality of the Corinthian’s self-exaltation, which was manifested by sinful living, pride, divisions, self-satisfaction, and contempt for others (read 11:17-22). In fact, things were so bad that God’s judgment had already begun, and some were experiencing illness and even death. Therefore, in response to the warning of God’s judgment upon those who eat of the bread and drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, what should we do? How should we prepare for a Communion service?

EXAMINE YOURSELF

Communion is a time to examine your own heart, not primarily the hearts of others. I say primarily since the leaders of a local church and its members do have the biblical responsibility to discipline its members who are living in unrepentant sin. This discipline includes–when necessary–exclusion from participation at the Lord’s Table. So, there is a time to examine others, in a proper, biblical manner. When this is the case, the public discipline of a member is a firm reminder to all of us to practice repentance as a lifestyle.

Foremost in our minds, however, when preparing for the Lord’s Supper, should always be the state of our own relationship with God. Is there personal sin that you are cherishing in your heart (Psalm 66:18), of which you must repent? Spend time in personal confession of sins to the Lord and then rest in the promise of His forgiveness (1 John 1:8-9).

STRIVE TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS

Scripture places the irrevocable duty upon believers to make every human effort to resolve the conflicts[1] they have with others, primarily with other professing believers, and before attending public worship (Matthew 5:24). Conflict was certainly one of the issues the apostle confronted in his letter to the Corinthians, some of whom were even going as far as suing each other in the secular court (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). When anger is left to turn into resentment then ground is given to the devil for his destructive work, and bitterness defiles many people (Ephesians 4:26; Hebrews 12:15). Biblically speaking, there simply is no acceptable, justifiable “out” for the person who claims to know Christ but also refuses to be reconciled.

But what do you do if a person who professes to know Christ refuses to be reconciled to you? What then? What do you do? Must you abstain from taking communion until that person is willing to resolve the conflict biblically? Must you put your own Christian life “on hold” while they remain unwilling to heed God’s command? Scripture answers, No. If you have made multiple attempts to resolve a conflict, but the other person refuses, you must pray for your enemy (Matthew 5:44) and rest in the truth of Romans 12:18-19,

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

If you have tried everything to be at peace with that person, as far as it depends upon you, then you need to rest in the fact that God knows the steps you have taken, He knows your heart’s desire to be reconciled, and you must let God be God by leaving room for Him to carry out His work.

PREPARE YOUR MIND AND HEART

Here are a few practical suggestions:

  • Read one or more Gospel accounts of the crucifixion in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.
  • Read Psalm 22 or Isaiah 53, meditating on the prophecies concerning the Messiah’s suffering.
  • Sing a cross-centered hymn or worship song, thinking deeply about the truths conveyed in the lyrics. Here are few suggestions: And Can It Be?, Hallelujah! What a Savior, In Christ Alone, I Will Glory in My Redeemer, The Power of the Cross, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, and many more.
  • Spend time in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart to worship the Lord in a worthy manner.
  • Spend time in prayer for tomorrow’s Communion service. Pray for all who come to partake, the musicians, choir, Scripture readers, and preacher. Pray the Spirit leads all to exalt Christ.

Tomorrow, as you join with other believers who love the Lord Jesus Christ, make the necessary preparations.

LISTEN TO THE SERMON: How To Take Communion[2]

*If you were blessed by this article, please consider subscribing to the blog by entering your email in the box in the right margin.

Related

Endnotes:

  1. make every human effort to resolve the conflicts: https://counselingoneanother.com/2012/06/29/resolve-conflict-asap/
  2. How To Take Communion: https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/cornerstonecc/sermons/92222134931865/

Source URL: https://counselingoneanother.com/2015/11/14/avoid-taking-communion-in-an-unworthy-manner/

Copyright ©2024 Counseling One Another unless otherwise noted.

Watch “Supernatural Seminar”

The Supernatural Seminar with Dr. Michael Heiser is a four-part lecture that dives into the unseen realm of the Bible.

Beginning with part one, Dr. Heiser lays the foundation for the lecture with some key themes, including family/identity, mission/destiny, God’s original family, God’s human family, supernatural rebellions, and the Bible as a supernatural epic.

The supernatural worldview of the bible
Psalm 82, read in Hebrew, uncovers the supernatural worldview of the Bible. Dr. Heiser breaks down elohim, the divine council, and much more.

Dr. Heiser explores Psalms 82, 89, and many more in this episode.



More about the supernatural
If this video piqued your interest, then you may want to consider enrolling in Unseen Realm 101, an online deep-dive into the unseen realm, based on Dr. Michael Heiser’s book, The Unseen Realm. Unseen Realm 101 and 102 includes teaching not in the book that you can’t get anywhere else.

Dr. Heiser is a world-renowned Old Testament Hebrew scholar, author, and the AWKNG School of Theology executive director.

If you missed them, you can watch all four episodes of the series here.

Find more information about Unseen Realm 101 and other courses offered through AWKNG School of Theology by visiting the course catalog.

Children of God love one another

See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, we are [even here and] now children of God, and it is not yet made clear what we will be [after His coming]. We know that when He comes and is revealed, we will [as His children] be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is [in all His glory]. And everyone who has this hope [confidently placed] in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (holy, undefiled, guiltless). Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness [ignoring God’s law by action or neglect or by tolerating wrongdoing—being unrestrained by His commands and His will]. You know that He appeared [in visible form as a man] in order to take away sins; and in Him there is [absolutely] no sin [for He has neither the sin nature nor has He committed sin or acts worthy of blame]. No one who abides in Him [who remains united in fellowship with Him—deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin. No one who habitually sins has seen Him or known Him. Little children (believers, dear ones), do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who practices righteousness [the one who strives to live a consistently honorable life—in private as well as in public—and to conform to God’s precepts] is righteous, just as He is righteous. The one who practices sin [separating himself from God, and offending Him by acts of disobedience, indifference, or rebellion] is of the devil [and takes his inner character and moral values from him, not God]; for the devil has sinned and violated God’s law from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are clearly identified: anyone who does not practice righteousness [who does not seek God’s will in thought, action, and purpose] is not of God, nor is the one who does not [unselfishly] love his [believing] brother. For this is the message which you [believers] have heard from the beginning [of your relationship with Christ], that we should [unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another; and not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother [Abel]. And why did he murder him? Because Cain’s deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, believers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into Life, because we love the brothers and sisters. He who does not love remains in [spiritual] death. Everyone who hates (works against) his brother [in Christ] is [at heart] a murderer [by God’s standards]; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know [and have come to understand the depth and essence of His precious] love: that He [willingly] laid down His life for us [because He loved us]. And we ought to lay down our lives for the believers. But whoever has the world’s goods (adequate resources), and sees his brother in need, but has no compassion for him, how does the love of God live in him? Little children (believers, dear ones), let us not love [merely in theory] with word or with tongue [giving lip service to compassion], but in action and in truth [in practice and in sincerity, because practical acts of love are more than words]. By this we will know [without any doubt] that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart and quiet our conscience before Him whenever our heart convicts us [in guilt]; for God is greater than our heart and He knows all things [nothing is hidden from Him because we are in His hands]. Beloved, if our heart does not convict us [of guilt], we have confidence [complete assurance and boldness] before God; and we receive from Him whatever we ask because we [carefully and consistently] keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight [habitually seeking to follow His plan for us]. This is His commandment, that we believe [with personal faith and confident trust] in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and [that we unselfishly] love and seek the best for one another, just as He commanded us. The one who habitually keeps His commandments [obeying His word and following His precepts, abides and] remains in Him, and He in him. By this we know and have the proof that He [really] abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us [as a gift]. 1 John 3:1‭-‬24 AMP https://bible.com/bible/1588/1jn.3.1-24.AMP

Love

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (1 John 4:7-12)