The Lord's Supper comes with a warning!
1 Corinthians 11:26-32 (NIV)
26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
27 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. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 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.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 35: The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper (Part 2)
This banquet is a spiritual table
at which Christ communicates himself to us
with all his benefits.
At that table he makes us enjoy himself
as much as the merits of his suffering and death,
as he nourishes, strengthens, and comforts
our poor, desolate souls
by the eating of his flesh,
and relieves and renews them
by the drinking of his blood.
Moreover,
though the sacraments and thing signified are joined together,
not all receive both of them.
The wicked person certainly takes the sacrament,
to his condemnation,
but does not receive the truth of the sacrament,
just as Judas and Simon the Sorcerer both indeed
received the sacrament,
but not Christ,
who was signified by it.
He is communicated only to believers.
Finally,
with humility and reverence
we receive the holy sacrament
in the gathering of God’s people,
as we engage together,
with thanksgiving,
in a holy remembrance
of the death of Christ our Savior,
and as we thus confess
our faith and Christian religion.
Therefore no one should come to this table
without examining himself carefully,
lest “by eating this bread
and drinking this cup
he eat and drink to his own judgment.”
In short,
by the use of this holy sacrament
we are moved to a fervent love
of God and our neighbors.
Therefore we reject
as desecrations of the sacraments
all the muddled ideas and damnable inventions
that men have added and mixed in with them.
And we say that we should be content with the procedure
that Christ and the apostles have taught us
and speak of these things
as they have spoken of them.
Summary
We get lots of solicitations here at the church from companies dedicated to helping ministries thrive, and one of the most common bits of advice regarding church facilities is that they be welcoming in every way - bright lighting, clean restrooms, well stocked nurseries, etc. Certainly that's good advice, but it's clear that Paul didn't work for one of these companies when he wrote this letter to the Corinthians.
If Paul had his way, churches would have giant warning signs both indoors and out reminding parishioners to discern the body of Christ before participating at the Lord's Table. Failure to do so might result in weakness, sickness, and even a risk of falling asleep (and not just dozing off during the sermon, but a more long term nap you don't wake up from here on earth).
Paul's intention here isn't to scare ordinary Christians away from the Table (sadly, some Christians understand it this way), but rather to underscore the importance of discerning the body prior to joining yourself to it. The word Paul uses in v29 and 31 literally means to judge through, as if you picked up an object and carefully looked it over from every angle.
You're commanded to discern the body. This has a twofold meaning. First, you must fully understand who you're being joined to as you eat the bread and wine: the very body of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose body was broken and blood poured out for our sins. Secondly, you need to understand who you're being joined with: the body of Christ also refers to all those who comprise His Church. This is why disputes must be resolved prior to joining with your brothers and sisters at the Lord's Table
Dig Deeper
Our Confession reminds us here that not all who take the sacrament receives the truth of the sacrament. Although the sacraments and thing signified are joined together, that is, the bread and wine really are, in a spiritual sense, the body and blood of Christ, they're not magic pills that suddenly make a person a Christian.
Out Confession cites two examples from the New Testament of men who ate the bread and wine, but didn't receive the spiritual benefit attached to those elements. Judas participated in the Last Supper before excusing himself to betray Jesus, and in Acts, a man named Simon the Sorcerer tried to add Christianity to his bag of superstitious tricks. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw (Acts 8:13). Yet even though he most certainly would have joined other Christians at the table, it quickly becomes apparent that his profession wasn't sincere.
In the case of both of these men, they ate and drank the physical elements, but Christ was not communicated to them in the way that He is to believers.
So heed this warning. Come to the table in fear - for one of our primary objectives in life is to fear God in all things (Ecclesiastes 12:13). But as you discern the body, you will gain the comfort that comes from truly knowing Christ and belonging to His people, the Church.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who disciplines us so that we will not be finally condemned with the world;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that God helps you truly discern the body the next time you come to His Table;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 2 Thessalonians 2
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