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August 2007

 
 

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August 2007

August 5, 2007

Taking part of the Holy Communion is a priviledge for those who are born again, because they are celebrating an anniversary, they express their love and recognition, they remember their most loved person- Jesus Christ, their Lord and Savior.

Just like the Passover from the Old Testament was the celebration of remembrance of the liberation of the Hebrew slaves from the Egyptian captivity, similarly, Holy Communion is the celebration of remembrance of the liberation of people from sin, through the death of the Savior Jesus Christ. If the excellence of this celebration lies in the fact that the born-again believer has the honor of sitting at the table with God, the difficulty of this event is the incompatibility of God’s holiness and man’s guilt. This incompatibility cannot be resolved by God identifying Himself with our sin, but rather, by our identifying ourselves with His holiness. This is why Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11:27-32, explains the process of sanctification that the child of God must live in. This process of “becoming worthy” (v. 27) is motivated by the sinner’s understanding that he is guilty, reason for which he needs the Savior’s death to have taken place in his stead for his sin. Paul clarifies that this is indeed a spiritual process, not a monthly one, that this is a personal attitude, not a collective one, that personal judgement along with repentance gives the believer the right to partake in Holy Communion, rather than refuse or delay. The apostle explains that we have life in Christ when we partake in Holy Communion, not when we refuse or delay it.

Throughout Christian history, many wrong motives have come about for which certain Christians do not partake in Holy Communion:

-The motive of personal unworthiness- as if there are situations for which man would be worthy before God! Worthiness can be obtained through repentance of sin and through faith in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. If this wonderful grace exists, then why do people refuse it, delaying or refusing to partake in Holy Communion?

Paul says: “A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup” (v. 28).

- The motive of the unworthiness of the pastor who is passing out the Communion, of another person, of the family, of a certain church, etc. The Bible says that the only person for whom a man is responsible for before God is he himself. Examination is absolutely personal and the Communion belongs to the Lord, not to the pastor, to another believer, or to the church. This attitude displays ignorance, malice, hatred, resentment, an unrepentant heart, and it must be acknowledged and resolved in a personal way by the person causing it, not by putting the responsibility on someone else. Paul says “Each one ought to examine himself”, not others; we need to look inside, not inspect others on the outside. What more can someone who has wronged you do than to apologize?

- The motive of personal belief, when almost any motive can become a hurdle in the path of partaking in Holy Communion. The children of God can have personal beliefs, but not taken apart from the principles of the Bible. For example, a man can have the opinion that he should or shouldn’t wear a tie, but he cannot have the opinion that he should or shouldn’t steal, because to wear or not wear a tie is a personal decision, but to steal or not is a Biblical principle, not a personal belief. To partake in Holy Communion is a Biblical principle, a desire of the Savior’s, a divine command. Therefore… “give to the Lord what is the Lord’s”.