What Is Taking Communion “Unworthily” About?
● 1 Cor. 11:29-30 - “29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”
○ People scare others into not taking communion using the word “unworthily” and the fact that people were weak, sickly, and sleep (dead) in the church
○ Unworthily - does not describe the person
■ If it was describing a person (a noun), it would use an adjective
■ Unworthy is used twice in scripture
● Acts 13:46 - "Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."
○ Paul and Barnabas preaching to the Jews but they didn’t judge them; the Jews judged themselves unworthy
● 1 Cor. 6:2 - "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?"
○ Neither verse is about someone’s sinful state or desire to be sinful; this is talking about discernment, differentiation
■ Unworthily is used twice in scripture
● 1 Cor. 11:27, 29 - “27 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. … 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.”
○ It does NOT say or mean whosoever is unworthy when they eat the bread or drink the cup, but it’s whosoever eateth or drinketh unworthily
● Unworthily is an ADVERB in English & in these 2 verses in Greek
○ Adverbs describes verbs, how you DO something
○ It’s not about who’s eating and drinking, but HOW they’re eating and drinking
○ That’s why the end of v. 29 points out, “not discerning the Lord’s body”
WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM IN CORINTH WITH COMMUNION?
○ 1 Cor. 11:20-22 - “20 When ye come together therefore into one place, [this] is not to eat the Lord's supper. 21 For in eating every one taketh before [other] his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22 What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise [you] not.”
■ They weren’t coming to eat the Lord's supper - they were coming to eat their own supper
● They came to communion hungry, ready to eat their own dinner, and rushing in line to eat first
■ Jesus did NOT tell them to fast before communion and break their fast with the Lord’s supper
● That is not the way he did it in the gospels either
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU EAT AND DRINK UNWORTHILY?
○ When you eat and drink unworthily, treating it like it’s a common meal, you’re guilty of the body and the blood (v. 27)
○ When you eat and drink unworthily, you bring damnation to yourself by not discerning the Lord’s body (v. 29)
■ damnation (v. 29) & condemnation (v. 34) - from the same Greek word
WHAT WAS CORINTH’S SOLUTION TO NOT EAT UNWORTHILY?
○ How do we eat so we’re discerning the Lord’s body & NOT eating unworthily?
○ 1 Cor. 11:32-34 - “32 But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. 34 And if anyman hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.”
■ v. 33 starts with “Wherefore” - giving the answer
■ #1: TARRY ONE FOR ANOTHER – Don’t be the first in line
■ #2: EAT AT HOME – If you’re hungry, eat before you come ○ Unworthily describes the eating (how to eat), not the person
■ Fasting and confession do not make someone worthy of what He did
○ Paul did not refuse communion to one person in Corinth or encourage them not to take it; he did not suggest that as an option
■ The key was doing it in REMEMBRANCE of Him (1 Cor. 11:24-26) Jesus’ Communion Supper: Did They Eat First? Who Took It? ● Luke 22:1, 3, 7-8 - "1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover. ... 3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot ... 7 Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. 8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. " ○ Before communion, they are going to eat the passover (v. 8)
■ This is the same thing Paul said to do - before communion they had a meal
■ They had a lamb and that was one of the things the 13 people (Jesus plus 12 disciples) ate
○ Satan entered Judas before communion (v. 3)
● Luke 22:14-18 (PASSOVER) - “14 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: 16 For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 17 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide [it] among yourselves: … ”
○ The twelve apostles including Judas sat with Jesus (v. 14) to eat the passover (v. 15)
○ The cup in v. 17 is NOT the communion cup - it’s part of the passover meal
○ They ate (v. 15-16) & drank (v. 17-18) ● Luke 22:19-20 (COMMUNION): “19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake [it], and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup [is] the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.”
○ In v. 19-20 we have the communion supper “after supper” (v. 20)
○ Eat before you partake in communion so when you come together it’s not looked at like a meal, but it’s done in remembrance of Him
■ That’s how you eat it right rather than unworthily
■ Eat at home so your mind doesn’t go to having a meal, but stays with what it’s supposed to be (the Lord’s supper)
● Luke 22:21 - “But, behold, the hand of him that betrayeth me [is] with me on the table.
○ Luke wrote things in order (Luke 1:3)
○ Judas had the passover supper, drank from the cup, then had communion with Jesus
● Luke 22:31-32 - “31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”
○ Peter did not have it all together but Jesus still gave him communion
○ Jesus made sure he did not do it unworthily by reminding them that it was His body & His blood, telling them to do it remembrance of Him
○ Satan desired to have Peter (v. 31)
■ Desired in the Greek was a legal term - meant the devil had something on Peter, thought he could “prosecute” him, but Jesus prayed for him
○ Jesus knew Peter still had some jacked up things in him and was not yet converted, but Jesus still wanted him to take communion
■ Jesus knew what was in man (John 2:25) including Peter
■ What was in Peter? This same event and time is recorded in John 13-14, which tells us Jesus knew Peter was going to deny him 3 times (John 13:37-38)
■ Peter was messed up on the inside and about to mess up but communion was not about him being worthy, but about him taking it worthily
Take, Eat: Not An Option
● Paul did not refuse communion to one person in Corinth or encourage them not to take it; he did not suggest that as an option
○ The key to doing it worthily doing it in REMEMBRANCE of Him – Eat and drink it with that in mind.
○ 1 Cor. 11:23-26 - “23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the [same] night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake [it], and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also [he took] the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.”
● Take (1 Cor. 11:24) - Jesus told his disciples to Take, eat
○ This was not an option for the 12 disciples at the table
■ They were not told to leave and get themselves together
■ Even Satan, who had entered Judas, was allowed to take it
○ Take is from lambanō (S:G2983)
■ Strong’s: a prolonged form of a primary verb, which is use only as an alternate in certain tenses; to take (in very many applications, literally and figuratively (properly objective or active, to get hold of; whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove))
■ 3 different words for take in the New Testament, but this one used relative to communion means to take the object of this bread and this cup, actively get hold of it
● If this was optional, the Bible could have used the word (S:G1209) that is about offering something to someone, the one that is NOT a command
● The Bible also does not use the word that suggests seizing it, like snatching it out of someone’s hand (S:G138)
■ If God got everyone who was not living right when taking communion, many people would be dead
When you take communion, it is what you’ll need, what your faith must be in
○ With Peter, Satan already had something on him so he couldn’t rely on his worthiness as a person
○ I eat it remembering it represents His body and His blood, and this is the only way after I mess up, I’ll be saved
○ Make sure you eat before you come in and do it in remembrance of HIm