I visited a church once that supposedly partook of the Lord’s supper. I was dumbfounded for how they did it. There was no reading of Scripture in regard to this practice. There was no prayer. While someone was making announcements, others were distributing the elements of the bread and the cup. Each individual consumed what was given to them. When the announcements were over, so was the observance. This obviously was a habit and nothing more of the church. It seemed to be a magical, good luck practice with no reverence involved. They did it just to do it. Certainly, they were guilty of the admonitions Paul gave in today’s text.
The purpose and background for Paul’s instructions was that he found the people of Corinth observing the Lord’s supper with no regard to its meaning. There was no difference between what they did as part of their worship service and what they did as part of a church fellowship meal. Because they saw no difference, they were guilty for not reverencing the death of Christ on the cross. When Christ instituted this special meal, he did it on that very night he was betrayed. He broke the bread; did not simply distribute it to the disciples. It represented his physical body that would be assaulted by his enemies. It may seem ironic that he prayed giving thanks. Understand that he was telling the disciples that he was thankful for the opportunity to be murdered. Then after partaking of the meal, he told the church through the disciples to do this in remembrance of him which means to call to mind the ghastly treatment he received as payment for mankind’s sin.
It might be an interesting question of why Jesus wanted them to consume the elements. Why did he not just do it himself because it represented him? The answer is very basic. When we consume anything, it becomes part of us. Therefore, to receive the bread and the cup is a step toward receiving into your separate lives what Christ did for us. We could never pay sufficiently for her own sins before God. It had to be the perfect substitute in our behalf as payment for our sins. When we partake of the elements into our bodies, we are receiving the work of Christ in our behalf. We are accepting his substitution for our sin. This is why we must do it in remembrance of him. It is necessity that we keep in mind that our Lord and Savior went to extreme limits so that we might be redeemed.
This is a commemoration of the glorious Lord who came from heaven by grace to rescue us through his death. The Corinthians (and we) must avoid the danger of partaking unworthily. To do unworthily means to have intentions or practices opposite of what Christ designed. It also reflects the state of mind that some people substitute for God plans. We are guilty of relating the sacred institution established by Christ which in effect means we despise his body and blood. The Corinthians considered by their practice what Christ did was no more worthy of partaking that they would for any meal at home or at church. They brought upon themselves guilt with punishment for their behavior. It is to say to a grieving mother at the loss of her child, “Oh, sorry about that. Pass the potatoes. “
This warning is not intended to deter serious Christians from partaking of the Lord’s supper. I have known people who exempted themselves because they had a guilty conscience for other behaviors outside the church. The solution is for us to confess our sins so that we might be in a right relationship with Jesus. We cannot allow our sin and our guilt to interfere with the celebration of Christ’s death burial and resurrection. It is a form of false modesty to avoid participating in the sacred meal. If we truly are guilty, if we truly regret something, then we must confess it. We must present it to God for forgiveness. Then in a holy state of mind, we rejoice over the glorious work of our Lord. This is a personal one on one experience with Jesus.
Christian Writer 