Welcome,
The Lord's Supper/Communion
Wed, 07/15/2009 - 02:46
In 1 Corinthians 11:17-30 Paul was talking about the Lord's Supper; the unworthy manner of the Corinthians taking the Lord's Supper. My questions are:
1. Why do almost all evangelical churches/pastors put emphasis on confession of sins before taking the Lord's Supper? What are the biblical scriptures supporting this practice? In the passages (17-30) i cannot see the emphasis on confession. am i wrong in this interpretation?
2. What does it mean to "examine yourself"? is it our unworthiness, our sins that need to be confess before we take the communion? or it means to examine oneself in the light of approaching the memorial supper of what Jesus has done on the Cross?
For confession takes a center stage or prerequisite of taking the Lord's Supper then we totally changes the atmosphere, the focus of the communion. More on our selves, our unfitness to be in the Lord's table instead of focusing our whole being to remember and apply the signifance of what the Lord has done. Am i wrong on this assertion?
Thank you.
Thu, 07/16/2009 - 07:57
#2
RE: The Lord's Supper or Communion
I had the same problem as you described. If you look at the beginning of this discourse or directive by Paul.
He starts by pointing out the problem is that THEIR MEETINGS tend to have a detrimental affect on other beleivers that have gathered together with them. First Paul points out that there are divisions, hard feelings and obviously no forgiveness.
Paul chooses to remind them that they eat the Lord's Supper together in this condition of unforgiveness and division. Certainly not the way the Body of Christ should be, it is SINFUL for they are not LOVING one another as they ought.
The examination of ourselves should be of the very things that Paul has already listed off here. You should be asking yourself:-
Do I hold a grudge against another person here in the congregation today?
Have I neglected to forgive another member of the body of Christ?
Do I Hate instead of Love my brother/sister in Christ?
Can I truly share in the BODY of Christ today if I haven't taken care of the anger, bitterness and unforgivness I am habouring?
If any of the above are true you need to forgive the person against who you are holding ill feeling and ask the Lord to forgive you as well. Only then are you in a position to take communion.
I had a problem with another person at Church for a long time and until I sorted that out I knew I could not join in communion and I did not. It bothers me that some people just take communion every time it is given at Church. I wonder if they truly understand this teaching, especially when after the service you hear them coplaining about some one else at Church?
Here is another teaching by Jesus that parralels this but before his death so He speaks of offering a scarifice at the Temple Altar.
MT 5:23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
We need to reconcile with our brother/sister in Christ before receiving communion like this man did before offering his sacrifice to God.
I hope I was helpful in explaining this to you?
Cheers
Mel
1CO 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 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." 25 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." 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
1CO 11:27 Therefore, 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. 28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. 32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Wed, 07/15/2009 - 14:21
#3
Hi, I will try to answer
Hi, I will try to answer your question the way I personally see it. When I take communion in my church, I am reminded that the bread is the body of Christ, broken and the blood is his blood that he shed for us. I realize that it is not literally his body or blood, but just in remembrance of Him.
I personally take the examine yourself part of the scriptures to mean to look at myself on the inside, only me and God knows whats TRULY in my heart. To make sure that I am as clean as I can possibly be before I take communion because even though it is not literal, we take His blood and body into our own body. If I find that there is something there that I need to deal with, I deal with it right there as simple as "Dear Lord I am so sorry for this or I apologize for that please forgive me."
I hope this makes sense. I'm not a fancy person and dont use big words, but I hope you can understand why I personally examine myself and that is the thinking of the people around me also.
Good luck on your quest to find an answer.
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The Lord's Supper is a means of grace in which God attaches his forgiveness of sins to a visible element: the bread and the wine. Luther talks of living as sinners/saints simulatneously. We are forgiven but we still wrestle with our old sinful nature which causes us to stumble. Confession is the way to examine ourself and see where we have fallen short, confess it with a contrite heart, and receive God's forgiveness at the Lord's table. it is not meant to shift the focus onto us or what we do but to see that it is only because of what Christ did that we have hope in the promise of forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. We live under grace (Ephesians 2:8-) and we confess according to 1 John 1:8-9 as to worthily receive the gift which the Lord himself has provided. It is also a slippery slope to apply human reason and understanding to God's gifts. Christ says this is my body, this is my blood. Receive it in faith and let it do or be whatever it is by his design not our understanding.