Scripture Reading
20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but appeared in these last times for the sake of you
21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a love of the brothers without hypocrisy, fervently love one another from the heart,
23 for you have been born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
24 For,
“All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,
25 But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is the word which was proclaimed to you as good news. (1 Peter 1:20–25, LSB)
Introduction
The Lord’s Supper is an act of remembrance of the Lord’s final meal with His beloved disciples.
In that event, private, quiet, and normal in so many other ways, the Lord Jesus Christ conducted the men into a new and living way,1 a way that is the foundational expression of the New Covenant that God was to make with Israel, but Israel rejected…gladly.
Because Israel refused to repent, the Lord turned His attention to the people, by passing the leaders of Israel, and to the nations.
He did this by gathering Jews and Gentiles apart from the national identification with Israel, into a “new man,” a whole new group called “the church.”
14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups one and broke down the dividing wall of the partition
15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, the Law of commandments2 contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might create the two into one new man, making peace,
16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having in Himself put to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached the good news of peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near;
18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 2:14–18, LSB)
The distinction between the Jew and the Gentile has always been the Law of Moses, the “Law of commandments,” as Paul calls it.
The need for Israel to obey the Law, which required complete confession of sin and repentance, which they did not do, in order to see the promise to Abraham come to them, kept them from ever seeing the promise to Abraham.
However, now, that promise can come since, in Christ, the Law is not fulfilled (i.e. kept obediently by the Jews), but the sinner dies in Christ.
4 So, my brothers, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.
5 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death.
6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were constrained, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. (Romans 7:4–6, LSB)
The Law could never be kept by Israel.
Their dead spiritual condition made it impossible to obey the Law and keep the covenant with YHWH.
Therefore, the curses of the Law were on them.
However, as Jesus Christ died at the hands of men, God also places men in that death with Him so that the Law can no longer hold the man, the Jew.
And, if that is the case for the Jew, the Gentiles are hopeless.
They have no Law, and no part in the covenant(s).
Yet, because of the kindness of YHWH, and His marvelous plan, He has extended the righteousness of the forgiveness of sins, i.e. the New Covenant, to the nations.
This incredible and unique accomplishment by the Lord was done at the hands of His death.
His death made the Jew die to the Law so that he could be made new again and be reconciled.
His death made the Gentile, without covenants, the Law, or hope, die to the flesh, the world, the devil, so that he could be made new again and be reconciled.
This very radical and complex accomplishment by the Lord, and His death on the cross at the hands of men, is the very heart of the New Covenant.
It is His death that did this.
And, it is this multifaceted accomplishment that His death succeeded in securing.
Therefore....
The memorial we keep, by the Lord’s command (Luke 22:19; cp 1 Corinthians 11:23-25), is a memorial of His death.
This death, more than just a sacrifice for us so that we could go to heaven, but was a satisfaction of the Father’s plan, and accomplished the needed death of the elect so that the provisions of the New Covenant could come to both Jews and Gentiles, irregardless of whether the New Covenant was to be made with Israel or not.
The Need For Love In The Church
Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:27, LSB)
It makes sense, then, that eating the bread and drinking the cup in a way that does not resemble the motive and heart of the original bread and cup of Christ’s last meal, one we have examined a lot, makes the Christian guilty of tremendous charge against God.
This is to such a degree that Paul even says that a man or woman who does this is “guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.”
“Guilty”
ἔνοχος ἔσται = he is guilty of a legal charge against some law.
9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. (James 2:9–10, LSB)
This is the idea that the example and instruction of Jesus Christ to remember His death is the responsibility of the disciples.3
Therefore, to do that in a way that does NOT fundamentally resemble His body and blood is to change that act into something else.
Further, and this is what makes us “guilty,” we are fundamentally not saying the correct explanation of the death of Christ.
The guilt is not “guilt” as in breaking the Law of Moses since the Law of Moses did not contain any kind of teaching concerning the body and blood of the Messiah.
Rather, the guilt is the disobedience to the pattern set down by Christ at the Last Supper by:
- Washing the feet
- Giving His body for death
- Giving His blood in death
- Loving the disciples even into the point of death
- Giving His body for death
These are things the Lord set down as a pattern (not the actual acts, since we cannot repeat the sacrificial death) the motive, the heart.
12 So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?
13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
14 “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.4
16 “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. (John 13:12–17, LSB)
13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. (John 13:1, LSB)
The example of Jesus Christ towards His disciples, an example He instructed the disciples to follow, was the example of serving the saints to the point of self-disregard.
This is exactly what Paul is identifying in his rebuke of the Corinthians.
He is bringing to their attention that they are in sin because of the selfishness and haughtiness that has filled their assembly, and especially the Lord’s Supper/Table.
What is an “unworthy manner”?
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
15 I speak as to prudent people. You judge what I say.
16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Corinthians 10:14–17, LSB)
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? •Are we stronger than He? ]
23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.
24 Let no one seek his own good, but that of the other person. (1 Corinthians 10:21–24, LSB)
Paul deal with this earlier in the book.
The problems of the corruption of the assembly of the church was on his mind, and the echo of all the corruption is reverberating throughout the rebuke.
17 But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18 For, in the first place, •when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you, and in part I believe it.
19 For there must also be factions among you, so that •those who are approved may become evident among you.
20 Therefore when you meet together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper,
21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first, and one •is hungry and another is drunk.
22 For •do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you. (1 Corinthians 11:17–22, LSB)
Do you remember what Paul reprimanded the Corinthians about earlier in the chapter?
“I do not praise you…What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you!”
= inclusio
Paul cannot praise, congratulate, the Corinthians for their behavior during the worship assembly, particularly the Lord’s Supper meal.
20 Therefore when you meet together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper,
21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first, and one •is hungry and another is drunk.
The Corinthians were mechanically meeting, but were exercising the self-same mechanics without the same motive.
Paul’s conclusion?
“Therefore when you meet together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper…”
Paul is separating the mechanics from the motive.
How sad!!
There are factions, divisions, and these are not the example and pattern of the Lord’s Supper.
17 But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.
18 For, in the first place, •when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you, and in part I believe it.
19 For there must also be factions among you, so that •those who are approved may become evident among you.
20 Therefore when you meet together in the same place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, (1 Corinthians 11:17–20, LSB)
”…you come together not for the better, but for the worse…”
“…for the better…”
It would be “for the better” if they met as a church for the right reasons.
This is a reference to coming together the way meant it to be.
“…for the worse…”
It is “for the worse” because they met as a church for the wrong reasons.
This is a reference to coming together the way it was not meant to be.
“for in your eating each one takes his own supper first, and one is hungry and another is drunk. (1 Corinthians 11:21, LSB)
And, Paul’s commentary on their behavior is:
“For do you not have houses in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you. (1 Corinthians 11:22, LSB)
Therefore, the “unworthy manner” of which Paul is writing to the Corinthians must include all the sinful behavior of the Corinthians.
However, it particularly refers to the audacious, selfish, self-important, and unloving behavior of the influential, and worldly.
Other Warnings
29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. (1 Corinthians 11:29–30, LSB)
32 But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:32, LSB)
V.29 = warning to not eat and drink resulting in judgment.
V.30 = those who have eaten and drunk unworthily have been punished by the Lord.
V.32 = when Christ punishes us, we are then given opportunity to not be ultimately punished by the Lord the way He punishes the world.
32 κρινόμενοι δὲc ὑπὸ [τοῦ] κυρίουd παιδευόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ σὺν τῷ κόσμῳ κατακριθῶμεν. (1 Corinthians 11:32, UBS5)
How can the believer be condemned along with the world?
Why would Paul even say this?
It is not commendable to be punished by the Lord in this life.
It is no badge of honor to be handed over to the Lord for punishment.
In fact, Paul tells the believers how to avoid such chastening, even though this kind of chastening is a proof of sonship.
5And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;
6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He flogs every son whom He receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our benefit, so that we may share His holiness.
11 And all discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful, but to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Hebrews 12:5–11, LSB)
Paul’s Correction
28 But a man must test himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (1 Corinthians 11:28, LSB)
The call from Paul is for repentance from this sin by means of examining themselves before it is too late.
Paul warns the Corinthians that the remedy is self-verification.
“examine” = “certify” “ prove” “verify what you are made of/that you are valuable”
“δόκιμος as an adj. both of person and object thus denotes a. “tested in battle,” “reliable,” “trustworthy,” b. “a man who is tested, significant, recognised, esteemed, worthy” (e.g., πολίτου δοκίμου ἡ ἀρετὴ εἶναι τὸ δύνασθαι καὶ ἄρχειν καὶ ἄρχεσθαι καλῶς, Aristot. Pol., III, 4, p. 1277a, 26f.; Λυκούργου, τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν δοκίμου ἀνδρός, Hdt. I, 65: καλέσας δώδεκα τοὺς δοκιμωτάτους, Jos. Vit., 55), or “an object which is tested, genuine or valuable” (τούτους δοκίμοις ἵπποις καὶ ὅπλοις παρεσκευασμένους, Xenoph. Oec., 4, 7); it is particularly used of metals, as consistently in the LXX, Gn. 23:16; 1 Ch. 28:18; 29:4; 2 Ch. 9:17;”5
Paul instructs the believers to examine themselves.
What does it mean to “examine yourself”?
It means to think about your motive and conduct and compare that with the objective facts of Scripture’s record of Jesus Christ (ie what He did).
This assumes objective evidence of these conditions.
29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly.
30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. (1 Corinthians 11:29–30, LSB)
32But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:32, LSB)
Conclusion
Example:
The Seven Churches of Asia Minor
- The Church At Ephesus
4 ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
5 ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first. But if not, I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place, unless you repent. (Revelation 2:4–5, LSB)- The Church At Smyrna
9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:9–10, LSB) - The Church At Pergamum
14 ‘But I have a few things against you, that you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.
15 ‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
16 ‘Therefore repent. But if not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. (Revelation 2:14–16, LSB) - The Church At Thyatira
20‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and deceives My slaves so that they commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.
21 ‘And I gave her time to repent, and she does not wish to repent of her sexual immorality.
22 ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
23 ‘And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. (Revelation 2:20–23, LSB) - The Church At Sardis
3:1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:
This is what He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
2 ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God.
3 ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
4 ‘But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
5 ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (Revelation 3:1–5, LSB) - The Church At Philadelphia
8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have given before you an open door which no one can shut•, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
9 ‘Behold, I am giving up those of the synagogue of Satan, those who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them •come and bow down before your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
10 ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
11 ‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:8–11, LSB) - The Church At Laodicea
15‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 ‘So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
17 ‘Because you say•, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked.
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be manifested; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19 ‘Those whom •I love, I reprove and discipline. Therefore be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:15–19, LSB)
- The Church At Smyrna
- 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19–22, LSB) ↩ - The Law of Commandments is not between God and Israel, but between Israel and Gentiles. ↩
- 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes.
27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:26–27, LSB)
When a church misunderstands and misrepresents the sufficiency, extent, and efficacy of the death of Christ, and then resembles those misrepresentations in the Lord’s Supper memorial, then that Table is misrepresenting the death of Christ, and those doing it are guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
It is that serious. ↩ - The Lord cannot be saying, “Imitate the foot washing.” But, why not? We imitate the bread and the cup. Why not the foot washing? It seems that the Lord did not want us to imitate the foot washing, 1) because that was not the point of the meal, as the sacrifice of His body and blood was, 2) although the foot washing would be no more mechanical than the bread and cup, that act, although motivated by love, is not efficacious, 3) it is the motive which the Lord seems to be emphasizing. How do I know these things? Because, commemorating the act which was predetermined before the foundation of the World, and which provides atonement, and which is the core of the work of Christ, is the point. Everything revolves around that. Besides, there is no other instruction in the NT that the foot washing, 1) accompanied the Lord’s Supper (Paul did not mention it), 2) that it was part of the church’s assembly (except 1 Timothy 5:10, which refers to the normal act of service and hospitality of women in the home towards their guests). ↩
- Walter Grundmann, “Δόκιμος, Ἀδόκιμος, Δοκιμή, Δοκίμιον, Δοκιμάζω, Ἀποδοκιμάζω, Δοκιμασία,” in Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 255. ↩
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