Tag Archives: Lord's Supper

Blog, Worship

MUST I BE A MEMBER TO PARTAKE OF COMMUNION IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST? — BOB PRICHARD

The question of who may partake of communion has long been controversial. Some religious groups practice “closed communion.” In “closed communion,” a person who is not a member of the particular church may not partake of communion. Some even go so far as to forbid other members of the religious group to participate if they are not members of that particular congregation. The alternative to “closed communion” is “open communion,” in which the individual decides whether he will partake of communion.

The idea of “closed communion” comes from the belief that church officials not only have the right, but the duty to see that they bar the unworthy from participating in the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper, however, is only one of the five acts of worship authorized in the New Testament. (The other acts of worship specified in the New Testament are singing, praying, giving, and teaching the Bible.) Since the Lord’s Supper is only one of these specified acts of worship commanded in the Bible, consistency would demand that the person barred from partaking of the Lord’s Supper should be barred from the other acts of worship.

Paul records Christ’s command to observe the Lord’s Supper: “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread, And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” Paul then warns, “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25, 27-29). The warning about partaking “unworthily” has confused many. “Unworthily” is an adverb, describing the manner of worship, not the worthiness of the worshiper.

Paul also states that each person is to “examine himself,” not to “examine his brother.” “Closed communion” makes a church, or its representatives the judge of a worshiper’s worthiness. But each must examine himself, and each who comes to worship must be “discerning the Lord’s body.” Paul said that Christ is the “head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18). Proper examination, and discerning of the Lord’s body would include asking oneself, “Have I done everything the Lord requires to add me to his body, the church?” and, “Am I sincere, with the right attitude of heart?”

No one has the right to “examine” another concerning the Lord’s Supper, forbidding him to participate. The Lord’s supper is for Christians. The one who partakes of the Lord’s Supper without properly examining himself, discerning the Lord’s body, and being willing to make the necessary changes, disobeys God. What we do in worship, and how we do it really matters! God has not left us to our own devices to decide how to worship Him!

Blog, CHURCH, CORINTHIANS, FIRST

MORE THAN A CRACKER — JOSH ALLEN

One Sunday, during the Lord’s Supper, the plate of unleavened bread was being passed down our pew when my then 3-year-old son loudly announced, “Dad, I want some!” Now, this was nothing new. He had been doing it for almost as long as he had been able to speak. But that day, my usual response of, “Son, this is just for Christians”, did not suffice. He fixed me with a very knowing and confident look for a toddler and declared, “Dad, I know it is just a cracker!”

Even though I later tried to explain these things to my little boy, he continued to believe we were trying to trick him and keep this little snack for ourselves. My son, in his innocence, could not grasp that the cup and the cracker represented something far more. He is not the only one who has struggled with this distinction. Adults can also lose sight of what the wafer and the cup signify.

It is not just a cracker, it is an emblem. While the bread and fruit of the vine do not become the body and blood of our Lord, as some falsely teach, we must never look at them as “common” things (Hebrews 10:29). They serve as powerful symbols that call to mind the death of the Lord. 

Christians partake of these emblems with these words in mind “this do in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). “With just a morsel of bread and a few drops of grape juice, we draw our hearts back to Him who died for us.” (Christopher Stinnett). The Corinthian church once lost sight of this purpose and made a mockery of this act of worship. They failed to observe it as a memorial but instead turned it into a common feast, thus earning the Apostle’s rebuke, “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” (1 Corinthians 11:29).

It is not just a cracker, it is an examination. Paul taught, “…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. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). The Lord designed it to be a time, at the beginning of every week (Acts 20:7), for one to examine his or her life in relation to the Cross (James 4:8).  

It is not just a cracker, it is communion (1 Corinthians 10:16). Communion means fellowship or joint participation. Jesus indeed promised, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:29. Cf. Lk 22:28-29). The church is His kingdom (Mark 9:1, Acts 2:47, Colossians 1:12-13). We must never forget that as we come together on the Lord’s day to partake of this memorial meal, Jesus is our unseen guest.

It is not just a cracker, it is a proclamation. In our observation of this memorial, we proclaim our faith in the saving power of Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and His future coming. Paul said, “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). 

No, it is not just a cracker and a bit of juice. It is so much more! It is a meal shared with our Lord, which looks backward to His death, inward in self-examination, and forward toward His future return.