Blessed Hope Bible-Presbyterian Church
500 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 678106
The Lord gives a sobering picture of judgment for abusing the Lord’s Supper when God’s people fail to examine their lives and repent of their sins. May this be a wake-up call for self-examination and confession and restoration and renewal for God’s people. Amen.
William MacDonald observed rightly, “As we come to the Lord’s Supper, we should do so in a judged condition. Sin should be confessed and forsaken; restitution should be made; apologies should be offered to those we have offended. In general ,we should make sure that we are in a proper state of soul.”
William MacDonald observed well, “Having discussed the origin and purpose of the Lord’s Supper, the apostle now turns to the consequences of participating in it wrongly. Whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. We are all unworthy to partake of this solemn Supper. In that sense, we are unworthy of any of the Lord’s mercy or kindness to us. But that is not the subject here.”
The instruction for self-examination preceding the partaking of the Lord’s Supper is clearly taught here in Scripture. It is a solemn feast as we remember Christ’s body broken and blood shed for the remission of our sins. While we have been saved to the uttermost by the finished work of Christ on the cross which we commemorate at the holy feast, in our daily life and living, we may have transgressed the holy commandments of God. We need to confess our sins and ask for the Lord’s forgiveness.
The observance of the Lord’s Supper is as a witness of the Lord’s death, that He indeed died for our sins according to Scriptures, by His broken body and shed blood, we received the remission of sins through repentance and faith toward Jesus Christ.
William MacDonald observed well, “The Lord’s Supper was instituted immediately after the Passover Feast. That is why it says that the Lord Jesus took the cup after supper. In connection with the cup, He said that it was the new covenant (testament) in His blood. This refers to the covenant that God promised to the nation of Israel in Jeremiah 31:31–34.”
What is the Lord’s Supper? According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to Christ’s appointment, his death is shewed forth; and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace.
The Apostle Paul rehearsed the doctrine of the Lord’s Supper for the Corinthian Church so that it may strengthen their spiritual life when it is observed with understanding. He has counselled them to refrain from their wanton feasting in the church of God that brings dishonour to God’s Name. He recounted the solemn occasion when our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper. It was on the night of the Passover in which Judas Iscariot would betray Him.
Some of the Corinthian Christians were coming together for a time of feasting in the church bringing food and drinking and there was also drunkenness. The food they brought were not shared with others and neglecting the needs of others in the church, thus despising the church of God, these ones selfishly enjoyed their wanton feasting. And in the midst of all the revelry, the Lord’s Supper was served.
The Apostle Paul believes that the divisions in the church came a result of heresies, departures from the fundamentals of the Christian faith. He also observed how there were those who were not the cause of divisions within the body. These are “they which are approved”, those whose behaviour were exemplary during the time of heresy. These were not entangled in the web of heretical departures but were steadfast in their faith, refusing the persuasion of the gainsayers. These proved themselves spiritual mature and true.