When Should I Not Partake in the Lord’s Supper

When we observe the Lord’s Supper at Faith Fellowship, who is eligible to partake in the meal? Is everyone eligible? All believers? All baptized believers? Only Baptists? Only church members?

Historically, there are three possible answers to this question.

• Open Communion: the position that all believers present when a local church observes the Lord’s Supper may partake.

• Close Communion: the position that maintains that only those who are saved, baptized by immersion, and in fellowship with a church that holds to the same basic doctrine as the observing church may partake.

• Closed Communion: the position that believes that since the Lord’s Supper is connected to church discipline, only members of the local church may partake.

At Faith Fellowship, our practice in taking the Lord’s Supper most resembles Close Communion. The reason for this is because of how we interpret Scripture as well as what we hold to in our doctrinal statement, the Baptist Faith and Message, which states that the Lord’s Supper is to be observed by “members of the church” and that baptism by immersion is a “prerequisite” to partaking in the meal.

Now, does that mean that we are going to slap the bread out of your hand Dikembe Mutombo style if you have not been baptized by immersion or you are not a member in good standing in a local church?

Of course not.

However, in 1 Corinthians 11, the apostle Paul would have us examine ourselves personally to see if there is any reason we should not take the Lord’s Supper.

Who Should Take the Lord’s Supper at Faith Fellowship?

Scripture gives three requirements for receiving the Lord’s Supper appropriately:

1. One must be a believer in Christ (1 Corinthians. 11:29-30).

2. One must have been baptized (we believe baptism by immersion is in view). The reason for this is that baptism is clearly a symbol of beginning the Christian life and entrance into the church, while the Lord’s Supper is clearly a symbol of continuing the Christian life in the environment of the church.

3. One must come in a spirit of self-examination, and must be in good fellowship with others in the church in a way that reflects Jesus’ character. We are not to eat and drink in an unworthy manner being careless and nonchalant about our sin (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

Who Should Not Take the Lord’s Supper at Faith Fellowship?

Contrary to some assumptions, partaking in the Lord’s Supper is not for everyone. It is an ordinance, like baptism, given to the church as a sign of God’s faithfulness to His promises and an assurance of those promises for the one who partakes in the meal.

With this in mind, we should understand that there are two groups of people who should not take the Lord’s Supper: the unsaved and the unrepentant.

The Unsaved

The Lord’s Supper is for those who have professed true faith in the Lord. Besides being called the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20), it is also often referred to as communion. The reason for this is is found in 1 Corinthians 10:16, where the bread and the cup are understood to be a “communion” or “sharing” in and with Jesus.

Communion, or we could say “common union”, is born out of union with Christ. Consequently, only those in union with Christ have fellowship with Christ. They share in His body and His blood and are consequently united to Him (John 6:56). A person who is unsaved has no fellowship with Christ. He or she has no portion in the body of Christ that was broken or the blood of Christ that was shed. That is why there can be no sharing in the elements that signify the person and work of Christ for the church (1 Corinthians 11:24).

The Unrepentant

While partaking in the Lord’s Supper is only for those who are believers in Christ and baptized into the church, it is also only for the Christiaan who is living the examined and repentant life. The ordinance is for believers and yet, the command to believers is clear: “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Corinthians 11:28).

The Christian life is the examined life, the life that takes seriously the call to repentance and the promise of forgiveness. To eat and to drink the Lord’s Supper with an unrepentant attitude is to bring judgement and discipline from God (1 Corinthians 11:32).

Conclusion: Heed the Instruction, Accept the Invitation

This morning, my mother-in-law told me about her experience growing up in an old, country church that took God’s instructions regarding the Lord’s Supper seriously. She spoke of how older women would get up from their pews before the bread and the cup were taken in order to go to a person who they had sinned against and make amends. Men would likewise apologize for speaking harshly or rudely to their wives before the meal was taken. There was a genuine seriousness to preparing for so serious a moment together as a church.

Perhaps we can continue to learn from the courage and practices of these older saints as we endeavor, as a church, to honor the Lord’s Table and obey the instructions that He has given us.

And yet, what we must always remember along with this courage and practice, is the invitation that Jesus gives for us to come to His table. I know this might sound heretical to some, but listen to what I’m saying — may we never be too zealous in our instruction of the Lord’s Supper that we forget that the Lord’s Supper is an invitation. So with their courage and their practice, perhaps we can remember the anthem that was sung as a blessed invitation to all in these old, country churches:

Come, ye sinners, poor and needy
Weak and wounded, sick and sore
Jesus ready, stands to save you
Full of pity, love and power

Come ye thirsty, come and welcome;
Gods free bounty glorify.
True belief and true repentance;
Every grace that brings you nigh.

Our Lord has given us instructions for His table. He has also given a grand and open invitation to His table to all who would come and be filled.