Who Can Take Communion?

Ever heard this said at church?

And now as we turn to the communion table, I would like to invite all those who love Jesus and call him Lord to join with us in partaking of the elements. If you’re visiting with us today and you don’t know Jesus, feel free to spend this time in quiet reflection. Communion is something that Christians do to remember Jesus’ death.

You may have heard it, but I have said it, and how I wish I could take those words back!

Could I not see the staggering ungraciousness of my comments? Was I blind to the unholy line I was drawing between Us (welcome to take communion) and Them (not welcome)? Jesus died for all, but not all were being invited to remember his death.

How did I get so mixed up?

Like many pastors I was confused about the meaning of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11:26-32. I understood that the Corinthians had been making fools of themselves by gorging and getting drunk at communion. I thought that Paul wrote to warn them of the dire consequences of acting irreverently:

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

I hindered people from partakng because I was worried they would take communion in an unworthy manner. I now understand that Paul wasn’t condemning the Corinthians for their poor behavior. How could Paul preach condemnation to the Corinthians in one letter while preaching no condemnation to the Romans in another?

Who is worthy to partake of the Lord’s Supper?

Somehow Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 11 have been twisted into a worthiness test for communion. “Examine yourself before you eat the bread and drink of the cup.” Okay, but how do we do that? How do I know if I’m worthy enough?

Some churches mandate minimum standards of worthiness. They say you must be a believer or a baptized believer or a welcomed member of the church or what-have-you.

Perhaps what we need is some kind of Christian caste system. India’s caste system is pretty good at separating the rabble from the rest. Maybe we can learn from them.

At the bottom would be unbelievers or the unchurched because someone who rejects Jesus is obviously not worthy. That’s basically what I was saying in my church. By telling visitors that they were “free” not to partake of communion I was sending the message, “This is not for you – you’re not good enough for Jesus.”

God forgive me, but I was judging them unworthy of the body and blood.

Of course I didn’t think of it in such terms. I thought I was honoring Jesus and protecting sinners from judgment.

Slowly it began to dawn on me that there was something odd about denying communion to sinners. After all, didn’t Jesus die for sinners?

Religion draws lines between us and them, but grace tears down dividing walls. Nowhere in the Bible will you find any suggestion that we should exclude people from communion. (Didn’t Jesus serve the bread and wine to Judas?!) This is a death-dealing tradition of man.

When I said communion was for us but not for them, I was acting religiously and in a manner opposed to the Spirit of grace. Happily, I repented. I changed my tune and began saying, “all are welcome at the Lord’s Table.” I then watched amazed as the Holy Spirit revealed the love and grace of God to those who didn’t know him.

Who can partake of communion?

Communion is when we remember Jesus’ death on the cross. So who communion it for? Obviously it’s for all those he died for, meaning everyone. If the Gospel is for everyone, so is communion, because communion is the Gospel in a cup.

Who can take communion? Only those that Jesus died for, which means anyone and everyone can partake. So can unbelievers take communion? Well, did Jesus die for unbeliever?

That said, I want to single out two groups who can especially benefit from communion:

It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Mark 2:17)

1. The sick

Sickness and death are part of sin’s curse (Gen 2:17). In Deuteronomy 28:15-68 there is a long list of curses that result from disobedience to God’s commands. These include “severe and lingering illnesses” along with “every kind of sickness not recorded in the Book of Law” (v.59-60).

There is no sickness that is not part of the curse. Even modern-day sicknesses (e.g., anorexia, HIV, DVT) are covered.

During his time on earth Jesus healed every sick person who came to him (Matt 12:15, Mark 6:56). Not one person went away unhealed. Jesus did this to demonstrate his complete power over sin and all its effects.

Before you eat and drink, examine yourself to see if there are things in your life – sickness, disease, afflictions (Is 53:4, AMP) – that Jesus carried in his body and paid for in his blood. If you are sick, proclaim his death and triumphant victory over your life.

Identify your illness as a defeated enemy and lift up the Name of him who is above every sickness. He was wounded that you might be healed, and cursed that you might be blessed (Gal 3:13, 1 Pet 2:24). Take your Jesus’ Medicine and be well.

2. Sinners

In the old covenant, sinners and unclean people were kept far away lest they contaminate the righteous. If there had been communion back then, they would not have received it.

But Jesus was a friend of sinners. He went into their houses and broke bread with them. He met with thieves, adulterers and murderers and “contaminated” them with his righteousness. Sinners were radically changed by his grace.

By saying communion is only for the worthy we have turned a new covenant blessing into an old covenant curse and denied grace to those who need it most.

Jesus is still the sinner’s Friend! He died for us while we were sinners and he reconciled us to God while we were his enemies (Rom 5:8,10).

Those who hesitate over communion do so because they are distracted by their imperfections. They draw back like Old Testament lepers because they believe that they are unclean. But you have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus (1 Pet 1:19). If God loves you enough to die for you, then in his eyes you must be really something special!

Communion is not a time for self-examination but Jesus-examination. The only thing that will empower you to overcome sin is the grace of God and it’s not stored in your navel.

Look to Jesus. His blood bought your forgiveness and his death triumphed over all your sin. See yourself crucified with him (Gal 2:20). He is our perfect high priest, a Lamb without blemish or defect. Don’t draw back but come boldly to the throne of grace.

The next time someone says “communion is only for the worthy,” don’t be distracted by your sin, but say this: “Yes, communion is for the worthy, and Jesus makes me worthy.”

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