We are still in 1 Corinthians 11, with the focus being on verses 17-34. I won't reproduce them here for the sake of space. Just open another browser window and google the text. It will pop right up and you can then switch back and forth as needed.
Let me take a moment for a "programming note". After we finish this chapter, I will be taking a brief hiatus from 1 Corinthians. I had wanted to finish the book. However, I am feeling the pressure to prepare for my upcoming Peru mission trip, and I will be exploring topics here related to that trip over the next few days. I'll be doing some Bible teaching in the Cusco area, and I'd appreciate your prayers for the trip, overall.
What is a "sacrament"? Wikipedia1 defines it as "a Christian rite recognized as of particular importance or significance".
Ok, so here was the situation in Corinth. The believers would routinely have the evening meal together. We see this mentioned in Acts 2:42 and 46.
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 46 And day by day,attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people.
It appears that, as part of the evening fellowship meal, they would celebrate the Lord's Supper together. So far, so good. Not a bad plan, right?
But, unfortunately, the divisions and spiritual immaturity of the believers were causing problems at these occasions. People were behaving in a cliquish manner, separating themselves according to who followed whom, was baptized by whom, who brought the best food to the table, etc. This behavior caused shame to the visitors and to the believers who had less to bring. It also led to some getting drunk and embarrassing themselves. Then, when it came time to have the Lord's Supper, people were already in a carnal state. They were not approaching the Lord's Table with the reverence it deserved.
So, there were two main problems here, both stemming from carnality and selfishness. The first was that these believers were at a family reunion, but not acting like family. The second was that they were not celebrating the Lord's Supper the way Jesus intended. There was no self-examination preceding the eating of the bread and wine elements.
This is hard for us to relate to because we don't live communally, as did the Corinthian believers, nor do we usually partake of the Lord's Supper after we have eaten a meal together. However, I am sure that, if we did, we'd be tempted to act as these young believers did.
The element of self-examination before taking the elements of the Lord's Supper, though, IS relevant to us. The Roman Catholics believe in a doctrine called "transubstantiation", which means that the elements of bread and "wine" (or grape juice, in some Christian denominations) literally become the body and blood of Christ. I don't believe this to be true, but I do believe that there is something mystical and supernatural about the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. Jesus commanded His followers (us) to do it (Luke 22:19), as a way to commemorate His sacrifice and to remember it.
What should we do before participating in the Lord's Supper sacrament?
1. We should look inward.
We should honestly examine our hearts and confess our dependency on God. We should confess and vow to make right any unconfessed sin in our lives.
Paul says in verse 31 that we are to "judge ourselves" by the standard of holiness that God has established. By that standard, none of us is, in and of ourselves apart from Christ, worthy to step up to the Lord's table.
2. We should be remember and be thankful.
Christ's sacrifice is the only remedy for our fallen state. His finished work of redemption on our behalf was unfathomably costly to Him and to Father. We can never be thankful enough. When we participate appropriately in this ceremony, we are providing to ourselves and to the world a visible sign of an inward grace. His grace was lavished on us at the moment of our accepting His finished work for us. We carry that grace with us always now. We are proclaiming the Lord's death until He returns (vs. 26).
Oddly, Paul says that approaching the sacrament of the Lord's Supper inappropriately will bring judgment from God on us. In verse 31, he says that we can either judge ourselves, as described above, or we will be judged by God for our cavalier attitudes. Paul explicitly said that the Corinthians were experiencing sickness and that some had even died ("sleep") because of their lack of reverence for the Lord's Supper. That is a mystical thing, but I'm not going to question it. Better to just do as commanded.
I want to close by pointing out that the Bible does not command how often we should participate in this sacrament. Some Christians do it every day. Others do it once a week. Others do it once every 3 months, and so on. "How often" is not the point. "How reverently" IS the point.
Father God, thank you for Your Son, whose body was broken for me, whose blood was spilled for me. I am grateful that Your Son, Jesus, gave us, His church, this way to remember His unbelievable sacrifice for us. In Jesus' name, amen.
Source:
1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrament
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