I remember as a 10 year old boy watching in terror as the communion plate came closer and closer. Why was I afraid? Because there was unresolved sin in my life – I had argued with my sister before church! I knew that those who took communion in an unworthy manner risked condemnation, even death, for the Bible told me so:
1Co 11:26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
1Co 11:27 Therefore, 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.
1Co 11:28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
1Co 11:29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
1Co 11:30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
1Co 11:31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.
1Co 11:32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Thankfully, I was wrong.
This passage above must be one of the most abused and misunderstood passages in the entire Bible. It is regularly used to deny communion to those who need and it is frightening to 10 year olds. As we will see, it is one of the most liberating scriptures in the Bible, yet many believers are condemned by it. Doesn’t this seem a bit odd to you? Afterall, this passage was written by the same apostle who said, “there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” So what’s going on here? Did Paul have a change of heart? Is he now saying that God will condemn us if we partake of communion in an unworthy manner? No he is not.
For if we would judge (diakrino) ourselves, we should not be judged (krino). But when we are judged (krino), we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned (katakrino) with the world. (KJV)
If you click on the Greek words italicized above, you will see that diakrino and krino mean to distinguish and decide, while katakrino means to give judgment against or condemn. In other words, the only time Paul refers to explicitly bad judgment (the condemning, punishing kind) in this passage, is when he is referring to the world and not the Corinthian Christians. Contrary to what you’ve heard, this is not about Christians examining themselves to see whether they’re worthy of communion and Paul never says we damn ourselves by taking it in an unworthy manner.
So what sort of judgments or decisions does Paul want us to make when taking communion? And what does it mean to proclaim the Lord’s death? To answer these questions we need to look at the two mighty deeds Jesus’ accomplished when He went to the cross. These two deeds are represented in communion by the bread and the cup.
The bread
At the Last Supper Jesus handed out the bread, said it was His body, and told the disciples to eat it in remembrance of Him (Lk 22:19). He didn’t say much else because no doubt they could all recall the fuss that happened the last time He said He was the bread of life:
“I am the bread of life… I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world… I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (Jn 6:48,51-54)
As a result of these words many disciples turned away from following Jesus (Jn 6:66). To them, the idea of eating His flesh and drinking His blood was repelling. They did not grasp that Jesus was referring to His impending sacrifice – that He would give up His body in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4-5 so that we might have life. But the lesson wasn’t lost on Peter for he later quoted Isaiah when he wrote, “by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pe 2:24).
What does it mean to eat the flesh of Jesus? It means to behold Jesus and all that He has done for you, both at the whipping post and on the cross. In communion the bread represents His body which was broken so that you might have life and health. This is good news for the sick, but it will have no effect in your life unless you believe it. In the passage above, Paul is basically exhorting us to judge whether sickness or health is from God. Sadly, many believers are confused about these things. They think that God wants them sick so they can learn stuff. They don’t recognize (diakrino) that Jesus gave His body so that we might be healed. By failing to honor His body and blood they take communion in a less than worthy manner. It’s like saying, “Jesus was wounded for nothing,” or “by His wounds I have not been healed.”
Sickness and death are part of the curse of sin (Ge 2:17). Jesus died to set us free from sin and all its effects, but we won’t be free unless we put our faith in His work. The good news profits nothing unless it is mixed with faith in them that hear it (He 4:2). The Corinthians were suffering unnecessarily because they were not recognizing or discerning the Lord’s body. “This is why many among you are weak and sick and some have even died.” It wasn’t that God was judging them for getting drunk at communion. No, they were suffering the effects of sin because they did not properly value what Christ had done on their behalf at Calvary. Because they were not judging themselves in light of the finished work of the cross (forgiven, accepted, blessed, healed), they were still experiencing the punishing effects of sin (rejection, sickness, condemnation). Because they weren’t attributing to Christ the full worth of His sacrifice, they were still suffering – in the language of King James – the effects of damnation.
The cup
At the Last Supper Jesus took the cup and announced a new covenant based on His blood:
“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Mt 26:28)
In fear of eating and drinking in an unworthy manner, many Christians treat communion as a time of somber reflection. But proclaiming the Lord’s death should be an occasion of great joy and celebration! Was there ever a better reason to party than this? Think about it: We who were once defiled by sin have been washed white as snow (Is 1:18). Our guilty consciences have been cleansed and our forgiveness has been eternally secured by the precious blood of Jesus (He 10:22, 1 Pe 1:19). This is the good news in a cup!
I will provide a line-by-line paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 11:26-32 in my next post, but Paul’s message to the Corinthians can be summed up like this: Judge yourself in light of Christ’s perfect sacrifice. Because of His body and blood, you are forgiven and healed. Learn to discriminate what is from God (e.g., healing) and what is part of sin’s curse (e.g., sickness). Understand that anything that is not God’s will in heaven (there is no sickness in heaven) is not His will here on earth. When you learn to distinguish what is from God and what is not you are chastened or disciplined (paideauo, literally, trained up or instructed) of the Lord and escape the adverse effects of sin that the rest of the world suffers.
Communion = good news for the sick and unworthy
Are you battling sickness, condemnation and guilt? Then prepare a communion table in the presence of these your enemies and proclaim the Lord’s death! Don’t look at communion as merely a churchy-ritual; make it a bold declaration of faith! As you take the bread, behold the Lord’s body that was broken so yours could be whole. As you take the cup, discern the Lord’s blood that was shed one time for all your sins (He 10:12). Remind your enemies that they were thoroughly defeated at the cross (Co 2:15). Because Jesus has triumphed we can reign in this life (Rms 5:17). There is no grief or sorrow He did not carry; there is no curse He did not redeem you from (Is 54:4). Judge yourself as God judges you – perfectly righteous, eternally forgiven, and completely whole!
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Related posts:
- Who can take communion?
- Can unbelievers take communion?
- Nothing but the blood of Jesus: 5 reasons to thank Him
Great article on Communion. I was physically healed after understanding that nothing could disqualify me from receiving what Jesus already purchased for me at the Cross. Jesus said “do this in remembrance of Me.” I believe He wanted us to remind ourselves often of what was finished at the Cross so we could believe and enjoy the abundant life He came to give us.
That is so true……all of it. There are pockets of people getting revelation about this and much more. Thank you for putting it so clearly.
I hate to be the one to break this to you, Paul, but your assertions regarding Paul’s use of κρίμα in this passage simply can’t be lexically sustained given the immediate context of the passage. While it is true that κρίμα can be glossed as “decree” in English (a good case in point would be Ro. 5:12), the most common use of κρίμα has the decidedly unfavorable sense of a condemnatory judgement and the subsequent punishment as well. For example κρίμα has this sense in 2 Pt 2:3, Jude 4, Ro 2:2, Js 3:1, and most significantly for this comment, in 1 Cor 11:29, 34.
While the verb at the beginning of v. 31 is διεκρινόμεν, which is being used in the sense of “evaluate”, the verb used at the end v. 31 is ἐκρινόμεθα, and it carries the sense of condemnation and handing over for a judicial punishment.
So, then, 3 out of the 4 times that Paul refers to judgement (including the use of κατακριθῶμεν at the end of v. 32), the word being used, whether in its nominal or verbal form, refers to a condemnatory judgement.
And the substance of this judgement is found in v. 30 – the are weak and sick because they have partaken of the Lord’s Table in an unworthy manner. Perhaps that is why we see so many weak and sick Christians!
Hi RR, I appreciate you weighing in with your knowledge of Greek. Your conclusion, that taking communion can make you sick and weak (and presumably dead – see v.30), is supported by two assumptions which I would like to examine:
(1) You assert that because krima is commonly used in connection with negative or unfavorable judgments, that krima itself must therefore imply a negative judgment. But one does not follow the other and the examples you provide prove this. Krima is only associated with negative or unfavorable judgments when qualified by additional words such as katakrima in Romans 5:16 and apōleia in 2 Pet 2:3. These scriptures support my view that krima itself can be value-neutral.
(2) You assert that because krima is used in other contexts in connection with negative judgments, that it must denote a negative judgment in this context. Although I’ll grant that the meaning of words in one context can be informed by this sort of counting method, you must concede that a surer method of inferring meaning is to look at what the current writer is actually saying here and not what some other writers have said somewhere else at another time to different groups of people. If I told you that cars were great, but you heard Al Gore and others say cars were evil, it would be inaccurate for you to conclude that I thought cars were also evil.
Regarding the verbs at the beginning and end of verse 31, I see no problem. If we judged ourselves properly (ie: in accordance with the value ascribed to us on account of Christ’s death) we would not suffer the condemning and ongoing effects of judgment. Death entered the world through Adam’s sin (Rms 5:12); Jesus died that we might have abundant life (Jn 10:10). The Corinthians, though saved, were still feeling the effects of Adam’s sin because they were under-valuing the death of Jesus. I did make this point in the post but it comes out more clearly in my paraphrase of 1 Cor 11:26-32 (which will probably go up tomorrow or the next day).
Now I have some questions for you. If Paul was telling the truth in Romans 8:1 (“there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ”), how could he now be telling the Corinthian Christians that they are under condemnation? Was Paul confused or deliberately misleading? If Christians are weak and sick because they have partaken of the Lord’s Table in an unworthy manner, as you say, who or what is making them sick? Sickness and death (see v.30) are part of the curse of sin (Ge 2:17, De 28). If we are blessed in Christ (Eph 1:3), and redeemed from the curse of the law (Gal 3:13), how could God now curse those He has blessed? Are God the Father and God the Son on opposite sides? I think not. I don’t ask these questions to wind you up but to get you to step back and look at the implications of what you’re saying. Could it be in your study of words you’ve missed the wood for the trees?
Paul,
Thanks for the challenge to step back and look at the implications of my statements! I wrote an extraordinarily long comment as a reply, but didn’t want the hijack your comment thread with a response that ran over 1,900 words. My response can be found at http://wp.me/pEXRB-m0. I look forward to your comments there!
Thanks again!
RR.
Thanks RR, for your courteous reply. Oh that all those who disagreed with me on these posts were as gracious as you! I have read your extended response and it still seems to me that your view is the same as the traditional one, namely: The Corinthians sickness and premature death (v.30) was the Lord’s judgment executed in the name of discipline so as to spare them eternal condemnation.
Needless to say, I respectfully, but strenuously, disagree.
I don’t think Paul is engaged in wordplays. Paul no more judges the Corinthians for acting foolishly at the communion table than he judges them for their other follies. His purpose, as always, is to remind them (a) who Christ is, (b) what He has done and (c) who they are in Christ. Although the Corinthian’s poor behavior prompted the instructions, Paul does not address their behavior but their identity (2 Cor 5:17). This is his MO in all his letters (eg: Rom 6:11, Gal 6:15 Col 3:3, etc.). He does not tell them to examine their works but themselves. If it were works it could not be grace (Rm 11:6). Because they have not examined themselves they are suffering the effects of judgment along with the rest of the world does. This suffering is stems from sin’s curse (sickness, weakness, premature death). The Corinthians evidently did not know they had been redeemed from such things. They were not ascribing to Christ the full worth of His sacrifice.
There is not one scripture in the new covenant that suggests that God makes even sinners sick, let alone those who recognize Him as Father. God never disciplines His children by making them sick. Jesus, who gives us the only perfect representation of the Father, healed everyone. If God were punishing the Corinthians, or making Christians sick in the name of discipline, they would be a house divided.
Paul,
I appreciate your reply, and your kindness. It’s good for brethren to disagree (even strongly!) – after all, it is how we grow in knowledge. Having read (and then re-read twice) your reply, I noticed something I had missed on my first reading. I suppose that’s what I get for trying to juggle 5 things at once!
It seems that the background to your thought is that you see a connection between the “curse of the law” in Galatians 3:13, and the list of curses in Deuteronomy 28, which lists sickness and disease as a curse. It seems as though that correlation is foundational to your hermeneutical spiral.
Would that be a fair assessment?
He shed his blood for me as I was a sinner, now that I am a saint, he condemns me? This makes totally no sense. I believed it myself, but only because someone said “cars are bad”;) Joseph Prince preached on that and in context to all what Paul has written, God punishing us would be schizophrenic. Now that I am free from false teaching, I celebrate the Lord’s Supper in prayer times – 2-3 times a week. It makes you fall more in love, get established in grace and righteousness and increases confidence before God.
How can that which gives me eternal life bring sickness and death? “Attributing to God the very works of the devil is blasphemy.” – Bill Johnson
I really don’t see how one can read this passage and come to the conclusion that the people were weak and sickly because they didn’t have enough faith to be healed.
In chapter 10:17, we see that we being many are one bread for we are all partakers of that bread.
In I Corinthians 12, just several verses after the passage in question, we read that ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
When the Corinthians were not regarding the body of Christ when they ate the bread, what were they doing? Nowhere does the passage rebuke them for their lack of faith for healing. They weren’t regarding the other members of the body of Christ properly. One man was hungry and another was drunken. Paul tells them to tarry one for another. Maybe the rich ate up the food before the poor could arrive. They didn’t have clocks back then. Nowadays some people have the attitude that it starts at 6 and if you are late, that’s your fault. Back then, some in the church were probably slaves and couldn’t leave the house until they had taken care of certain things. The rich arrive early, ate up the supper, not sharing with the poor. That is not regarding the Lord’s body. The poor people who arrived and had nothing are a part of that body. They were not regarding the Lord’s body (the saints) while partaking of the Lord’s body (the bread.)
The saints are the bread. The bread is the body. The body is the saints.
Chapter 11 verse 32 shows us that the judgment here was chastisement. I suspect the use of ‘damnation’ in the KJV in verse 29 is a bad translation. Verse 32 shows us that they were being chastised so that they will not be condemned with the world. That doesn’t sound like damnation to me.
We have to be careful to read the Bible for what it says and learn from the Bible, instead of just trying to re-interpret everything it says to make it fit with a pre-conceived theology.
seems paul was not able to answer link’s argumnet??
Dale, my view is clearly articulated in the post. It hasn’t changed. In the first line of his/her comment Link reveals that s/he is attacking something I didn’t say, so there’s no need to engage.
loved the dialog and am so thankful that my child like heart, just believes and receives…his grace, mercy and peace…thank you brothers…but simply put, we only need to receive, rest and relax in Father’s love and HIs peace will show us simple truth… :)
Naturally all of us (Christian & non-Christian) are experiencing the effect of weakness, sickness and dead everyday since Adam ate the forbidden fruit, but GOD by His grace has provided an OFFSET through the partaking of the Holy Communion. So that we will not be condemned with the world (that is to be weak and sick, and fallen asleep).
The consequences of the first act of eating is offset by the this second act of eating the communion.
I’m no scholer just searching for his truth to judge my own heart. While reading 1 Cor 11:27 in the NIV I see a cross reference to Heb 10:29 which caused me to read from verse 19. Could we not condem ourselves and suffer the consequince of sin? Can anyone claim ignorance to the fact that God will cast away those who claim His Name yet knowingly continue to sin?
Hi James,
Don’t you hate it when journalists editorialize when they’re supposed to be reporting the news? Sometimes I think I would prefer the translators to keep their opinions to themselves and just stick to translating. I use the NIV a lot, but their margin notes leave something to be desired. Hebrews 10 comes up a fair bit in the comments I get. My strong conviction is that verses 26-31 are NOT describing Christians who sin. It is describing people who willfully sin, who treat as unholy the blood of the covenant that sanctifies. In other words, it’s describing sinners. Te context of Hebrews 6-10 is old versus new covenant. This passage is describing those who continue to trust in their own religious works even after receiving the knowledge of truth (ie: the gospel of God’s grace revealed in Jesus and His one-time sacrifice for all sins). In verse 28 the writer is saying, “if people who rejected law under the old covenant died without mercy, how much more severely do you think those who reject the free gift of grace under the new covenant will be treated?”
Undarstood. I’m speaking for myself. Would not the Blood of the New Covenant be the same, if not more significant, as the old Covenant and be treated with the same reverance? Still the judgement is there we have the choice to sin or not. We may be forgiven and saved from death however sin has its consequinces in the physical realm
can non-christian that understand what is the holy communion and the purpose of it consume it?
Mr. Rush,
I BELIEVE if you will pray and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior,
it would mean so much more to you. When Jesus willingly sacrificed himself for our
salvation….The price that was paid…..Jesus died for YOU. So when He tells us
“Do this in rememberance of Me” I will do my best not to let Him die in vain.
I WILL PRAY WITH YOU that God will give you a better understanding on this matter.
But again I will say, I BELIEVE if you will pray and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior, it would mean so much more to you.
This blessed me more than you will ever know. In fact it has changed my life. Thank you with all my heart for this post.
Paul, is it possible that the meaning of 1Cor.11:30 in context is related to the earlier verses in Chapter 11 referring to those who are hungry and those who have nothing? And that is why some of the Corinthians were weak and sick and even suffered death. Those who had much had no love or concern for those who had nothing, who were weak, sick, and even dying.
That’s an interesting idea Mark, but Paul says “this is why you are weak and sick.” Paul is speaking of judging ourselves that we might not come under judgment.
Oh hallelujah !!! Praise God!!!! It is so wonderful so see this!!!!! Yes it is true what u are saying!!! I’ve been preaching this for a number of years now and sharing where ever I see it necessary….. Amen!!!!! Col. 1v20-22….(Ampl)… We need to see and understand THE CROSS in truth now!!!!!!! Its taking the Church too long ……. That is why some of u are sick and even dying!!!!!! Not taking the work of The Cross….. Bless you!! And continue teaching the Truth in Light. Blessings Angeline
Amen & Amen to this liberating blog posting! May many more people have a revelation of the finished work of Jesus on the cross! Praise Him for his lavish goodness!
So someone who takes communion knowing they are in sin and purposely taking communion, then later on repent and seek God and turn from their sin, they can be saved right? I mean at one point in every christians walk have taken communion in an unworthy manner. Right??
Anyone can be saved – that’s the nature of grace.
as a Catholic we have confession..our souls are purified by Christ…communion is taken with joy
WOW! IN COMES THE LIGHT PAP!
It is self explanatary more kudos to your elbow God bless you all keep it up they Lord is you strenght thanks.
How many people do any of you know that have become sick or have died because they took communion “unworthly”. The whole idea is absurd!
Well my goodness……….I have been going in circles with my pastor concerning this very thing. He in so many words has told me I’m wrong. I will not claim to be an educated person with big words and several meanings behind each one. I do claim to be a grateful believer that was saved by the Blood of a risen Jesus Christ! Amen! I have been exposed to several different teachings on the Holy Communion. I was taught my entire life that Communion was a time of silence and morning over the sin that was in your life. I was taught that before you take communion you had to run around the community and fix issue with every person who had something against you. I was taught if you took communion in sin, or in aught with a brother you were eating and drinking damnation onto yourself. (meaning even if you were saved you still had sin that God could see and we all know the truth about that!) God sees Jesus when he looks at us if He is in us! AMEN! I have been taught condemnation almost 47 years and I praise God that he has lifted the blinders from my eyes concerning those out of context teachings…
Hi Lisa Rae, thanks for commenting and sharing your story. If you wouldn’t mind, could you please keep future comments short (<250 words)? Then I wouldn't have to trim them to get them past E2R’s censors. Thanks!
oh dear, yes sorry didn’t know there was a limit on words.
Boy oh Boy.. that’s the problem with fallen away Catholics (now called Evangelical Christians)… they bend the word so that it suits them. I pray for you and that you come home to the true church. One God, One Faith , One Church .. the Universal (Catholica) church that Christ himself established!
What makes you think I am a fallen-away Catholic? Or an Evangelical? Labeling those with a different perspective may help you fortify yourself inside the prison of your own doctrine, but it’s hardly a good look for a follower of Jesus.
Excuse me while I vomit.
Thank you from my heart this Easter weekend. I can’t go into details, but I want you to know that your words of grace were just what I needed to hear, and needed to be reminded of at this time, and your words have made a real difference. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this explanation on this bible passage!
Once I spent my life doing nothing for anyone though I believed in Christ in my heart. I started to research the enemy and proclaim Christ. I became afraid. A little later I ate and drank in remembrance of Christ. Panic of trapped separation overtook me and I had to fast for 3 1/2 days to break free. I went back to the same ways and the same panic came back with wine. Fasting didn’t help. I examined myself further and I realized there were many things I could repent of and change. So I did. The hopeless feeling of damnation still surfaced; thoughts of doubt led to acts of sloth which led to hopeless desperation. I became determined to not doubt and stay active. Now, when I act out of faith I am free. When I doubt sloth takes me all the way down to the pit. I have tasted a “bitter cup” of truth and now have no means of life except through constant faith which creates works. Faith in fasting worked, doubt in fasting did not. Faith the ‘seed’ grows and creates works the ‘fruit’ which then grows another seed… ‘Faith without works is dead’ Why do we insist on dividing this relationship? No one asks, “Do you live because you have a brain or because you have a body?” They are parts of the same whole. Let us not be double-minded about communion either, nor let us divide our body the church.
This makes it really clear about what taking communion means. I first heard this a few years ago when a visiting pastor preached on it and invited us to take communion and recieve healing. This was so liberating that I was filled with joy and began to laugh as I took communion. Our pastor immediately rebuked me and told me to be sober and examine myself…clearly the visiting pastor’s message didn’t penetrate. But I never forgot that message of hope and rescue and I have never viewed communion the same again. Now we take it as a family and there’s much joy in it.
If you are having trouble deciphering meanings of scripture simply go to the first century writers and their interpretation of the Eucharist. then go to second century and so on. This is my Body and this is my Blood is literal. no ifs ands or buts about it. believing Jesus was speaking metaphorically is a joke.