The Manner of Partaking The Lord's Supper The Manner of Partaking

The Manner of Partaking There is no inherent spiritual value in the mere partaking of the elements of the Lord’s Supper as such. There is no magical quality in them to bless the Christian spiritually.

The Manner of Partaking The idea that all the Christian needs to do is attend services Sunday morning or Sunday night, take the bread and fruit of the vine into his stomach, and all will be well with his soul is not only unscriptural but anti-scriptural.

The Manner of Partaking Unless the Christian’s manner of partaking is correct, the fact of his partaking is sheer mockery—an insult to the Lord Jesus Christ. And so the Christian is duly warned,

1 Corinthians 11:27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

The Manner of Partaking One’s manner of partaking, though, will largely be determined by the attitudes and activities that characterize his entire manner of life. An incorrect life cannot produce a correct manner of partaking.

The Manner of Partaking The person who hates and mistreats his fellowmen, who is impenitent with reference to his sins, or who manifests a lack of reverence toward God in his daily conduct can hardly approach the Lord’s Table in an acceptable manner.

The Manner of Partaking How can anyone possibly remember in the right manner the Lord’s sacrifice for the sins of the world, and at the same time harbor resentment, hatred and impenitence in his heart?

The Manner of Partaking Indeed, the Lord refuses to accept any phase of our worship unless our manner of life is essentially correct.

Matthew 5:23-24 "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

The Manner of Partaking In the context of 1 Cor. 11:27, we observe that the members of the church in Corinth were eating the elements of the Lord's Supper as an ordinary meal to satisfy the physical appetite.

1 Corinthians 11:20-22 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.

The Manner of Partaking In the context of 1 Cor. 11:27, we observe that the members of the church in Corinth were eating the elements of the Lord's Supper as an ordinary meal to satisfy the physical appetite. Thus, they were eating “in truth” but not “in spirit.”

John 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

The Manner of Partaking Just as their disrespectful manner of eating contributed to their degraded spiritual condition, so their degraded spiritual condition contributed to their disrespectful manner of eating. An ugly party spirit was prevalent among them.

1 Corinthians 1:12-13 Now I say this, that each of you says, "I am of Paul," or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

1 Corinthians 3:4 For when one says, "I am of Paul," and another, "I am of Apollos," are you not carnal?

The Manner of Partaking Just as their disrespectful manner of eating contributed to their degraded spiritual condition, so their degraded spiritual condition contributed to their disrespectful manner of eating. An ugly party spirit was prevalent among them. Fornication was both practiced and tolerated.

1 Corinthians 5:1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles--that a man has his father's wife!

The Manner of Partaking Just as their disrespectful manner of eating contributed to their degraded spiritual condition, so their degraded spiritual condition contributed to their disrespectful manner of eating. An ugly party spirit was prevalent among them. Fornication was both practiced and tolerated. Brethren were going to law against brethren.

1 Corinthians 6:1-3 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?

1 Corinthians 6:4-6 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!

1 Corinthians 6:7-8 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!

The Manner of Partaking It was impossible for them to have a correct manner of partaking when their manner of life was so wrong.

The Manner of Partaking We must not conclude, however, that the Lord demands perfection of life - absolute sinlessness - as the necessary qualification for proper participation in the communion meal, for then no one would be qualified.

Romans 3:23 ….for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The Manner of Partaking It is constantly giving diligence to serve the Lord and to be holy in life that qualifies the child of God to commune at the Lord’s Table, and prepares him to partake in the right manner.

Being Adequately Prepared, How Should One Partake?

Discerningly Paul, in 1 Cor. 11:29, speaks of the person who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner as not discerning the body; that is, such a person does not see in the elements of the Lord's Supper what they represent.

Discerningly But the person who partakes in the right manner will focus his entire mind on the cross of Calvary.

Discerningly By faith he will stand beneath the cross, looking up into the agonized face of Jesus with the head marked by the crown of thorns, seeing the nails that were driven into His hands and feet, and seeing the blood that flowed from the precious body given for the world.

Discerningly His heart will overflow with reverence as he beholds in the elements of the Lord's Supper the wonderful gift of God's love in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son.

Trustingly As the Christian concentrates on that which is represented by the Lord's Supper, partaking in the right manner, he believes that Christ is spiritually present with him in this act of communion. "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." (Matt. 26:29).

Trustingly He will trust in the Lord to bless him so that his partaking will uplift him spiritually and incite him to greater service in the divine kingdom, so that he will truly commune, have fellowship, with the body and blood of his Savior, and so that he will truly partake in remembrance of Him.

Humbly As he considers his weakness and tendency to err in contrast to the greatness of God's love and mercy in sending His Son to this world to bless mankind, the Christian will partake of the Lord's Supper with a deep sense of humility and unworthiness. And he will understand the significance of the Lord's utterance in Luke 17:10.

Luke 17:10 "So likewise, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, 'we are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do'."

Penitently With his deep sense of humility in partaking of the Lord's Supper in the right manner, the Christian will feel such strong remorse, shame and sorrow for the sins he has recently committed that he will repent, change his mind concerning them, confessing them to God, and highly resolving to quit them and to do better with the help of divine grace.

Penitently Such penitence will be a powerful motivating force for him to renew his entire commitment to Christ as he remembers in the blessed meal the commitment of Christ on his behalf in dying for his sins.

Gratefully Having given thanks for the bread and the fruit of the vine, the Christian who partakes of these emblems in the right manner will seriously meditate on the salvation he has received through Christ's death.

Gratefully Recognizing that, because of his sins he deserves eternal death but, because of the wondrous grace of God through the sin-offering of Christ, his past sins have been forgiven and he has been granted citizen-ship in the divine kingdom,

Gratefully the entire act of his partaking of the Lord's supper will be a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to God for the great blessings he has received through His only begotten Son, such praise and thanksgiving that can only flow from a heart that is truly loving and grateful.

And…

Prayerfully As the faithful, loving Christian desires to partake of the Lord's supper in a worthy manner, to truly remember the death of Christ and to commune with Him, he will partake with a prayer in his heart to God that his attitude will indeed be discerning, trusting, humble, penitent, and grateful, so that he will reverently and sincerely worship God in this blessed meal.

Are You Partaking in a Worthy Manner? How About You? Are You Partaking in a Worthy Manner?