“Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” – 1 Corinthians 11:28-29
The Apostle Paul emphasizes that while the Lord’s Supper (aka Communion) can’t save you, it could kill you! That’s a heavy thing to consider, particularly about something so joyfully and spiritually uplifting as the Lord’s Supper. Jesus established the Lord’s Supper to be a blessing and remembrance. He ordained that His people should celebrate it until He returns and so we do. When we gather together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim the death of Jesus in a very vivid way. We proclaim that His body, represented by the bread, was broken for us and His blood, represented by the cup, was shed to establish the new covenant of grace in which we receive forgiveness and eternal life. We celebrate our ongoing union with Christ and His faithful presence among us.
For this reason, Paul commands us to participate in the Lord’s Supper in a worthy fashion. We’re commanded to examine ourselves before we take the elements. We should confess any sin to God that remains to be confessed. We should remember and reflect on what the bread and the drink represent. We must discern the body. But what does that mean???
The broader concern Paul is addressing in chapter 11 is about divisions within the church. It describes rich members feasting and getting drunk before the Lord’s Supper while poor members watch them and go hungry. Discerning the body is about recognizing and protecting the unity of the church. The Lord’s Supper isn’t meant to be experienced alone but to be celebrated alongside all the brothers and sisters gathered in the local church. Because the local church is the body of Christ, we must examine the state of the church and heal any divisions we might be part of before taking the elements of Communion. We must pursue reconciliation with anyone we may have gotten into conflict with. We must never separate people within the church based on any sort of category or preference but intentionally unite with them as the one, Spirit-filled, unified body of Christ.
The next time you come to the Lord’s Table to enjoy the spiritual nourishment of the Lord’s Supper, take time to examine yourself. Get your heart right with God. Then make sure your heart is right toward every other person in the church with you. Work for unity within the church and recognize that when you take the elements, you take them together as one body. We are the body of Christ here on earth. #FollowJesus