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| NIV Translation | Paul’s Paraphrase |
| 1Co 11:26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. | For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death and triumphant victory over sin and all its effects 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. | Therefore, if you eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord without appreciating what Jesus accomplished, it’s like saying ‘Jesus died for nothing.’ You are not honoring the Lord’s body and blood. |
| 1Co 11:28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. | So before you take communion, take a look at yourself. Are you sick? Are you battling guilt and condemnation? Are you giving place to things that Jesus carried in His body and paid for with His blood? |
| 1Co 11:29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. | Because if you eat and drink without understanding all that the Lord did in His body, you’re not going to be free. It’s like saying, “I’m still under judgment.” For instance, if you don’t believe that by His wounds you were healed, then you’re not going to be healed. |
| 1Co 11:30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. | This is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have died prematurely. |
| 1Co 11:31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. | But if we judged ourselves in light of the finished work of the cross (forgiven, accepted, healed), then we would not suffer the punishing effects of sin (condemnation, rejection, sickness). |
| 1Co 11:32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. | When we renew our minds and learn to discern what is from the Lord and what is not, we are trained up and no longer suffer sin’s effects. Unlike those who reject the grace of God revealed in Jesus, we can live free from sickness and condemnation. |
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In my last post I looked at what it means to take communion in an unworthy manner. Contrary to what you may have heard, this has nothing to do with examining yourself to see whether you are worthy or not. (Jesus died for unworthy people!) To take communion in a worthy manner is to honor the body and blood of Jesus that was sacrificed for your salvation. A proper definition of salvation includes forgiveness, healing, deliverance, indeed, everything that is part of the abundant life that Jesus promised (Jn 10:10). Because of Jesus’ costly sacrifice, you have full rights to every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3), along with healing (1 Pe 2:24), forgiveness (Eph 1:7), a guilt-free conscience (He 10:22), and unrestricted access to the throne of grace (He 4:16).
You will never take communion in a worthy manner until you appreciate and value His worthiness. If you are in the habit of asking Him for things that He has already provided (e.g., healing, forgiveness, provision), then you are not attributing to Christ the full worth of His sacrifice.
A big part of the communion-confusion stems from a misreading of Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians. As I have not found a good translation of 1 Corinthians 11:26-32, I have provided my own paraphrase above. (I looked at the meaning of the original Greek behind some of the words in my earlier post.) Take care when you quote me for I am not a Greek-speaker. I am sure I have missed some things. But I daresay my rough paraphrase may be closer to Paul’s original meaning than many of the English translations we have today. Paul never wrote to condemn Christians. He wrote to free them from sin and all its effects. If you are not being set free when you read his writings, something is wrong.
Incidentally, if you do find a good translation of 1 Cor 11:26-32 – and by that I mean a translation that releases life and freedom clearly, in plain English, and without ambiguity – let me know and I will paste the link here.
Finally, I will paste here Joseph Prince’s rearrangement of 1 Cor 11:29-30. Sometimes it helps to read things back-to-front to arrive at the intended meaning. This is one of the best reasons for remembering the Lord’s death through communion:
“For he who eats and drinks in a worthy manner eats and drinks God’s favorable judgment to himself, discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are strong and healthy among you, and many live who would otherwise be dead.”
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Related posts:
- Not by sight
- A better way to pray
- Taking communion in an unworthy manner
