Communion – the most terrifying sacrament in the IFB church

Every 2-3 months or so, in the Baptist church that I went to, we had a communion service (or Lord’s Supper). Weeks before the communion service, we were warned sternly by the pastor that we needed to prepare for the service by examining our hearts and making sure that we have asked forgiveness for every single sin we had committed.  We were reminded of this need over and over again before the day even arrived. We were told that we needed to confess unresolved sins and make sure that we were “guiltless” so that we would not be partaking unworthily when the time came.

The pastor would stress again very strongly for about 30 minutes before offering the bread and “wine” (grape juice) the urgent need to have all our sins confessed, so that we could be pure for partaking. The reasoning given for this was 1 Corinthians 11:26-32:

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. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

I was reminded that if I partook and there were unforgiven sins in my life, then I might get sick and even die. Many times  I wanted to skip this service, because, to be quite honest… it was a scary (even terrifying) event for me. I knew that I was not perfect, and that there may be sins in my life that I had forgotten to ask forgiveness for. What if I had forgotten even one? Would I fall over dead?

So many times, after praying intensely and trying to remember all the sins I had committed in the last few months (how can one possibly remember them all?), and begging God to forgive me of the sins I had not thought of…when that plate was passed in front of me, I would often simply reject it out of fear.

Then, I would avoid eye contact with others, knowing that they were watching me and judging me,  wondering what sins I had been committing that week and why I did not partake.

If this sounds familiar to you, please know- you don’t have to fear participating in communion if you are trusting Christ for Salvation.

Here’s the first thing I had to acknowledge in order to stop these feelings of guilt during communion services:

There is no such thing as partaking unworthily!   I AM UNWORTHY…and so is everyone else, even those who happened to remember every sin they need to confess before partaking.

Saying a fearful prayer doesn’t take away my unworthiness! It doesn’t make me any more worthy than I was two minutes before praying.

So then, how do I explain the Bible saying, “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“? See, this is where being prohibited from reading any other translation but the KJV (King James Onlyism) can cause confusion. The Bible never actually says that we have to be “worthy” to partake in communion. It never even implies it. The archaic language, coupled with taking the passage out of it’s intended context is the cause of much confusion.

Here is the verse, in the ESV:

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.

In the NASB:

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

In the ASV:

Wherefore whosoever shall eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

You can compare more versions at Biblehub.com.

Do you see the difference there? The Bible says whoever eats the bread of drinks the cup in an unworthy MANNER will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Not the one who is UNWORTHY to partake. That is a huge difference!

If you are a KJV only believer and think that the other versions I have used cannot be relied on in this instance, here is evidence from blueletterbible.com that the translation I am using is accurate. The word “unworthily” in the King James version is translated from the greek word “ἀναξίως”, which really does mean “in an unworthy manner“.

Okay, so what does it mean to partake in an unworthy manner?

If we look at the context of the passage, it explains itself. Here it is:

The Lord’s Supper

But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse.  For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat.  For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.  What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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 also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.  But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

The Corinthians were being chastised for coming together to partake of the Lords Supper, and instead of reverently remembering Christ’s sacrifice, they were making a mockery of it by eating it to satisfy their physical hunger. They were even getting drunk with the wine! And they were letting others go hungry after they had had their fill. This is what is meant by  partaking in an unworthy (or disrespectful) manner.

I hope that if you have been afraid to partake in communion because of the grossly misused passages in the Bible, that this will help set your fears at ease.

We partake of communion, NOT in an arrogant attempt to be worthy of Christ’s sacrifice…but we partake by humbly acknowledging our unworthiness, and we are thankful and JOYFUL while partaking, praising Christ and remembering his sacrifice on the cross for us, in which we obtained an inheritance in Heaven.  Christ alone is WORTHY!