Examine Yourself Before Partaking Series

3. The Judgment for Partaking the Lord’s Supper in an Unworthy Manner (11:29-32).

4. The Correct Approach to Partaking the Lord’s Supper in a Worthy Manner (11:33-34).

I. The Danger of Partaking the Lord’s Supper in an Unworthy Manner (11:27)

First, notice the danger of partaking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner.

Paul said in verse 27: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.”

The key word in this verse is the word “unworthy.” What does the word mean in this context?

Commentator Gordon D. Fee says, “Unfortunately, this adverb [‘unworthy’ in the ESV] was translated “unworthily” in the KJV. Since that particular English adverb seems more applicable to the person doing the eating than to the manner in which it is being done, this word became a dire threat for generations of English-speaking Christians.”

In other words, there are two general interpretations regarding the word “unworthy.”

One interpretation of “unworthy” has generally been viewed as partaking while having unconfessed sin. This interpretation understands “unworthy” as describing the participant. Fee notes that “this is especially true in the more pietistic sectors of the Protestant tradition. People are ‘unworthy’ if they have any sin in their lives, or have committed sins during the past week. This in turn resulted in reading v. 28 personally and introspectively, so that the purpose of one’s self-examination was to become worthy of the Table, lest one come under judgment. The tragedy of such an interpretation for countless thousands, both in terms of a foreboding of the Table and guilt for perhaps having partaken unworthily, is incalculable.”

To be sure, it is important for Christians to prepare for worship and for participation in the Lord’s Supper. However, Paul’s focus in this verse is much narrower.

Another interpretation of “unworthy” has to do with the manner in which one participates in the Lord’s Supper. Here is an instance in which the context is so helpful. Keep in mind that the apostle Paul was correcting the abuse of the Lord’s Supper. And exactly what was the abuse? The rich Christians were not waiting for the poor Christians, and they ate and drank themselves into a gluttonous, drunken revelry. And so commentator Richard Pratt hit the nail on the head when he said, “The unworthiness [Paul] had in mind was participating in the Lord’s Supper in a way that failed to exhibit the unity of the church in Christ.” That this was Paul’s meaning can be seen quite clearly in his exhortation in verses 33-34, which we shall get to in a moment. To prevent unworthy eating and subsequent judgment, Paul did not advise the Corinthians to confess their sin, or even to recognize Christ’s presence in the elements, but to wait for one another and to eat at home prior to coming together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.