COMMUNION

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Communion

Failure to comply

The Lords Supper

The Passover Rules

Passover Festival of Redemption

Conclusion

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself…….
1 Cor 11:29 (KJV)

Is this the foremost thought in your mind as you prepare to partake of the Lord's Supper?

Damnation means: “doomed to punishment”.

As most Christian denominations interpret “unworthy” to mean completely different things, we are placing a dangerous trust in our church leaders’ interpretation. Our future could rely on someone's possibly incorrect interpretation inherited and accepted by us.

" Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning (ie. blasphemy against) the Body and Blood of the Lord". (1 Corinthians 11:27 RSV)

“Eat at home lest you come together to be condemned" (1 Corinthians 11:34 RSV)

What therefore, constitutes a charge of being unworthy?

The Bible says....

for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgement upon himself ‘ (1 Corinthians 11:29 .... RSV)

Therefore not discerning the body puts us in a state of sin by being guilty of blasphemy against the Lord in defiance of the 2nd commandment (see Exodus 20:7).

The body referred to is explained by Paul in detail in the very next chapter .... see 1 Corinthians 12:12 15 .... the body is the group of believers that make up the local church. For the term discerning we need to look at the original Greek word that is being interpreted .... diakrino .... (see Strongs 1252).

Basically diakrino means judged. Some Bibles in fact use the word judged instead of the word discerning in 1 Corinthians 11:31

In English the word judged has a connotation of condemnation ... rather than ... a decision that could go either way! There are at least three other Greek words used in Scripture that can also be translated judged ... none of which necessarily condemns the recipient.

It is useful to re read 1 Corinthians 11:28 32 with the Greek translation taken from the footnotes:

1 Cor 11:28

Let a man test, to allow (1381 ... examine) himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without thoroughly separating (1252 ... discerning) the members of the body, eats and drinks condemnation (2919 .... judgement) upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died."

 

But if we thoroughly separated (1252 .... judged) ourselves truly, we should not be condemned (2919 ... judged). But when we are tried (2919 ... judged) by the Lord, we are chastened so that we may not be condemned along with the world." NB. Using Greek translation

FOOTNOTES TO STRONGS CONCORDANCE

• Judge….2919 Krino…..means to distinguish, to decide by implication, to try, condemn or punish.

• Judge…..1252 .... Diakrino .... means to separate thoroughly, to withdraw from or oppose, decide, discriminate or discern.

• Judge…..350 .... Anakrino .... means to scrutinize, investigate, interrogate, determine, question, discern, examine or judge.

If we "discerned ourselves truly" this must mean... "discerned for ourselves" because we can't "discern ourself" (singular). That would mean to:

• separate our self

• oppose our self

• withdraw from our self

• discriminate against our self
  

This alludes to judging our brother. What else does Scripture say about this subject?

1Cor 5:7-13

Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore celebrate the festival, not with old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

"I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with immoral men; not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy and robbers, or idolaters since then you would need to go out of the world." "But rather I wrote to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, revilers, drunkard, or robber; not even to eat with such a one.” For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. Drive out the wicked person from among you." RSV

How should this passage be interpreted?

This is a challenging and much avoided passage ... a clever comparison of yeast and ungodliness. The old analogy of one bad apple spoiling the barrel!

"Anyone who bears the name brother Jesus made it clear who our brother is..."whoever does
the will of God is my brother." (MARK 3:35)

Therefore we are looking for an impostor from amongst our own ranks.

What we are looking for in judging our brother is sincerity and truth. We are not concerned with daily impropriety ... that is for them to sort out with the Lord.

Sincerity is conceived in the heart for "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." (MATTHEW 12:34)

As for the old leaven..." by their fruits you will know them." (MATTHEW 7:16)

This could be part of the reason why the Catholic Church discriminates (1252 ... judges) by not allowing divorced people to participate in the Communion, or why some like the Lutherans operate a "close" communion. The difference is that most believe it is for the benefit of the outsider, but why would Paul in 1 Cor 11:17-34 be concerned about warning a person already out of the covenant ... surely they are condemned anyway.

Furthermore, we need to be aware of the danger of leaven. We must not rely on a commitment we or our fellow Christians made at our Baptism or Confirmation, and be aware of the devil in Peter's warning ... 1 PETER 5:8.

"And stand fast lest we fall" (1 CORINTHIANS 10:12)

Lest we fall from grace like those in MATTHEW 7:21.

We must "test the spirits" according to 1 JOHN 4:1 and put our brethren back on track as per MATTHEW 18:15.

This could be one reason why churches under persecution and oppression grow with such strength (REVELATION 2:9 11) surely only committed Christians would remain under these circumstances and any fellowship would be behind closed doors. In REVELATION 2 the Churches at Pergamun and Thyatira were obviously very committed Christians but they were eating food sacrificed to idols the very parity Paul used in 1 CORINTHIANS 10: 19 ... pertaining to the Lord's Supper.

WHAT THEN OF THE WELL KNOWN VERSES ... MATTHEW 7:1 & 5

Matt 7:1 & 5

“Judge not that you be not judged ... You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers eye."

Firstly, Jesus was talking to the multitude on the mountain, not to committed Christians or disciples as Paul was in 1 CORINTHIANS (See MATTHEW 7:28 and 1 CORINTHIANS 1:2)

Secondly, the log is spiritual blindness which can be removed by a genuine commitment to God. Through this commitment our eyes can be opened ... then we will see clearly to judge our brother. Jesus did not say that they could not get the log out of their eyes.

"That is why many of you are weak and ill and some have died" (1 CORIN 11:30)

How many times have you heard "I will never understand why God allows some things" Sometimes people are disparaged after claiming a healing ... and not receiving it. Perhaps one could blame a lack of faith. But could the believer have partaken of the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner?

"You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons ... shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy, are we stronger than He." (1 CORIN. 10:21 22)

 

"Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord." (1 CORIN. 11:27)

What form of condemnation we face is not important but one thing is certain ... we will not be able to blame our fathers, pastors or teachers. They will face their own fate. We are responsible for our own future. Married males with children face even greater responsibility.

You must read the Bible and ask God for knowledge and wisdom through Jesus our Passover Lamb.

Let's take a closer look at the situation surrounding the institution of:

THE LORD'S SUPPER

"The Teacher says: My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples." (MATTHEW 26:18)

 

"I earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." (LUKE 22:15)

 

"Where is the guest room where I am to eat the Passover with my disciples?" (MARK 14:14)

Jesus presented the first Lord's Supper to His disciples in a private guest room during an annual festival called the Passover ... just before he died.

SO WHAT WAS THE PASSOVER?

The Passover was formerly instituted by the Lord God, through Moses at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. It is an annual remembrance festival holiday ... a time for Jewish people to remember how the Lord God rescued their forefathers from slavery in Egypt ... and redeemed or "deemed them again" his people.

"This is the ordinance of the Passover; no foreigner shall eat of it; but every
slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him.
No sojourner or hired servant may eat of it. In one house shall it be eaten;
you shall not carry forth any of the flesh outside the house; and you shall not
break a bone of it..." (EXODUS 12:43)

All the rules are directly from Scripture...

• Rule 1: All the congregation of Israel must keep the Passover (EXODUS 12:47)

• Rule 2: No stranger is allowed to eat the Passover ... that is no one who was uncircumcised or is
  outside the Covenant (EXODUS 12:43 45)

• Rule 3: In one house shall it be eaten ... you shall not carry any flesh outside the house (12:46)

• Rule 4: Any meat not eaten that night must be burnt before morning inside the house (34:25)

• Rule 5: All leaven must be removed from the house for 7 days (13:6 7)

• Rule 6: They must not break a bone of the Passover Lamb (12:46)

  But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
  John 19:33(NIV)

• Rule 7: The lamb was to be slaughtered at a place appointed by God (DEUT. 16:5 6)

• Rule 8: You shall tell your son on that day (EXODUS 13:8)
  

Oral tradition along with Rabbinical commentaries from the time of the second temple (537BC to 19BC) were edited and compiled into a book called the Mishnah between 100 AD and 210 AD.

From this and other non canonical writings such as the Book of Jubilees (2nd century BC), we find the traditions, customs and "Seder" or order of service for a Passover Feast which has remained basically the same over the past 2500 years.

The only real change occurred after the destruction of the Temple in 70AD because there was no longer a place appointed by God to slay the sacrificial lamb.

PASSOVER FESTIVAL OF REDEMPTION

ORDER OF SERVICE AS AT THE TIME OF JESUS...

THE TRANSFORMATION

Jesus introduced the eating of bread after the supper, previously forbidden by Jewish tradition, with the instruction to eat this in remembrance of my body which is to be broken for you... (1 Cor 11:24)

After the destruction of the temple in 70AD the Jews no longer had a place appointed by God (DEUT. 16:5 6) to slaughter their Passover lambs. The rabbi's in their wisdom altered the Seder to suit their new found situation. They banned the eating of red meat especially lamb. And just before the questions section of the Seder they took a portion of one of the three sheets of unleavened bread, called it the "aphikomen" and set it aside to be eaten after the supper in remembrance of the body of the sacrificial lamb ... the means of redemption. This practice remains today.

The old Passover is transformed into the Lord's Supper for Christians today. At the Exodus, the nation of Israel was born. By Christ's sacrifice, the Church is born ... a people drawn from all nations.

"Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you are really
unleavened. For Christ our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us,
therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven
the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity
and truth." (1 Cor 5:7)

 

" The cup of blessing which we (still) bless, is it not a partnership in the Blood of
Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a partnership in the Body of
Christ?" (1 Cor. 10:16)

 

" I earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for I tell you, I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God." (LUKE 22:15)

 

" In the same way also 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 (1 Cor 11:25)

This cup ... the one after supper ... the third cup ... the cup of blessing, often called the cup of redemption, which represented the blood of the lamb. Do this as often as you drink it ... simply drink this cup of blessing as often as you drink it (ie. once a year). But now drink it in memory of my blood not the blood of the old covenant lamb.

There is more than enough material written to convince people that today’s Easter festival is a mixture between the Jewish Pasha (Passover) and the Babylonian worship of Ishtar. But, as the festival becomes more secular, we must bring it back to the redemption remembrance festival it once was ... not to celebrate the redemption of Israel, but our redemption.

Little more than 20 years after the institution of the Lord's Supper Paul was forced to correct the church over the misappropriation of this very special fellowship. In 1 Cor 1:2 Paul is addressing not only those residents of Corinth but...

"Together with all those in every place, who call on the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. 1:2)

 

Therefore we are expected to keep the Passover, not in remembrance of the exodus from Egypt but...

 

"Do this in remembrance of Me." (1 Cor 11:25)

Jesus changed the focus or meaning of the Passover, but He did not change the rules. Therefore...

• Do it once a year Exodus 13:10
• No foreigner is allowed to eat of it Exodus 12:43
• Do it in the security of your home Exodus 12:46

So we see no need to be aware of the sincerity of commitment of 500 or so people at our local
church ... only one house full, namely family and a few friends.