Paul's first letter to the Corinthian believers contains mostly instructions and reprimands. His second letter will have a much more positive tone, but for now there are things that need to be straightened out. Today the apostle deals with the unholy way some of the believers are participating in the Lord's Supper. The section we will study today is very relevant to our own observation of the Lord's Supper, and at my church a portion of this section is read every time we participate in communion, which is what is meant by the term "the Lord's Supper".
"In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval." (1 Corinthians 11:17-19) We've already learned that the Corinthians are an argumentative bunch. Some of the believers are forming their own little cliques and factions within the church. They are doing their own thing and are excluding those who don't agree with them.
The little cliques and factions within the church are behaving in an unholy manner at the Lord's Supper and they are behaving in an unloving way toward their fellow believers. "So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!" (1 Corinthians 11:20-22) Instead of pooling their resources enough to ensure everyone is able to participate in communion, people are bringing picnic lunches. Those who are poor have little to bring---sometimes nothing to bring---and they are left out. Meanwhile those who are wealthy are feasting on large meals and drinking to excess in the Lord's house. Paul says, "Shame on you! If you want to feast or get drunk, do it at home, not in the Lord's house. The Lord's Supper is meant to be a time to reflect on the blood of our Lord and on the broken body of our Lord. Your minds are to be on Him. This is not an occasion for gluttony or drunkenness. This is an occasion to solemnly and reverently commemorate the sacrifice our Lord made for us."
Paul reminds them how the first Lord's Supper was conducted. "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes." (1 Corinthians 11:23-26) The Lord's Supper is a symbolic reenactment of what Jesus endured for our sake. It is a solemn occasion, not an occasion for revelry.
Paul warns the Corinthian church that judgment may fall on anyone who participates in the Lord's Supper in an unholy manner. Indeed, as we will soon see, judgment has already fallen on some of them. "So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord." (1 Corinthians 11:27) The apostle urges them, "Before partaking of the meal, think about whether you are doing it in the right spirit. It would be better for you not to attend at all than to sin against the Lord with your improper behavior."
"Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup." (1 Corinthians 11:28) This is the verse we read in my church before taking communion. We need to spend a few minutes in introspection before we participate. We need to fix our minds on Christ and solemnly consider all that the Lord suffered for our sake.
"For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world." (1 Corinthians 11:29-32) The Lord disciplines those who are His, and in the verses above we find Him doing just that. Paul attributes some of the sickness and death of church members to their disrespectful attitude toward the Lord's Supper. Being disrespectful toward the Lord's Supper is like trampling underfoot the great sacrifice He made. This is another section of 1 Corinthians where it is imperative to keep in mind that Paul is talking to Christians---to people who are genuinely saved by Christ. He's not saying that any of them has lost their salvation because of their conduct at the Lord's Supper; he's saying some of them have been disciplined because of their conduct at the Lord's Supper.
Not all of the sickness that comes upon us in this world is a result of the Lord's discipline, but there are definitely times when this is the case, such as in the church at Corinth. Paul warns them, "Some of you are afflicted in body because of your irreverent attitude toward the Lord. Some of your members have already passed on (fallen asleep) because they persisted in participating in the Lord's Supper in an unholy manner. If you would straighten this problem out you would not have to endure discipline for your wrongdoing. Because you belong to the Lord, He sometimes disciplines you with illness so that you will repent of your errors. Because some of your members have kept drifting from the Lord and have kept sinking further into sin, He took them on out of the world to prevent them from harming themselves spiritually to the point of becoming reprobates. He has done these things out of love and for your own good. But you can relieve a lot of your problems right now by correcting the things that are wrong in your behavior."
"So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further instructions." (1 Corinthians 11:33-34) Anyone who has ever participated in the Lord's Supper knows it does not contain enough bread (or crackers) and wine (or grape juice) to fill a hungry belly. The only communion I have ever taken consisted of one small unleavened wafer and one tiny cup of red grape juice. I don't know how they conducted the Lord's Supper in Paul's day, but it wasn't with feasting and drinking. It wasn't done for the purpose of satisfying hunger or thirst, so Paul instructs them to eat a meal at home before attending the supper. No one is to pack lavish picnic lunches. No one is to be left out. The church is to gather together as a whole and reverently partake in the bread and the cup, meditating on the sacrifice of our Lord, and worshiping Him in the right spirit.
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