Daily devotion – Communion…in a worthy manner?
1 Corinthians 11: 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.
In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul did not say that we had to be ‘worthy’ to take part in communion, but only that we should partake of the Lord’s Supper in a ‘worthy manner’.
During a communion service in Scotland the Pastor noted that a woman in the congregation did not accept the bread and the cup from the elder, but instead sat weeping. The Pastor stepped down from where he was at the table and went to this lady’s side and said, “Take it, my dear, it’s for sinners!”
The Lord’s Table is not for ‘good people’ because the Bible declares that we are all sinners. The Lord’s Table is for forgiven people, sinners who have been saved by the grace of God!
But equally as important is it that we as forgiven sinners not treat the Lord’s Supper in a sinful manner.
To participate in a worthy manner we must examine our own hearts, judge our sins, and confess them to our Lord. To come to the table with unconfessed sin in our lives is to be guilty of Christ’s body and blood, for it was sin that nailed Him to Calvary’s Cross.
If we will not judge our own sins, then God will judge us and chasten us until we do confess and forsake our sins.