QUESTION:
1 Corinthians 11:27 says Wherefore whosoever
shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the
Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and
blood of the Lord. Would you please explain what
eating and drinking unworthily means?
ANSWER:
"Unworthily" is an adverb of manner that modifies the verbs "eat" and "drink." It
describes "how" one eats or drinks and is not a description of "who" eats and
drinks. The word is describing the action of eating and drinking in an "unworthy;'
or "careless" manner. This is exactly what the Corinthians had been doing when they
treated the Lord's Supper as if it were a common meal. Some have misunderstood the
meaning of this verse and have refused to partake of the Lord's Supper thinking that
they are unworthy to do so. I don't suppose that any of us are worthy of the
sacrifice made in our behalf by the Lord. This verse, however is not teaching that
we as individuals must be worthy before we can partake of the supper. This being
true, how then does one eat and drink unworthily? We do so when we fail to give the
supper the respect which it deserves. Verse 28 and 29 says "But let a man examine
himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth
and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning
the Lord's body." We as individuals are to examine ourselves before caring the
Lord's Supper. If we do not discern the body and blood of Christ properly, we eat
and drink damnation to ourselves. The word "discern" means to "distinguish"
or "judge correctly." We fail to discern the body and blood of Christ when we do not
partake of the supper ~with the frame of mind that it is a memorial of the Lord's
body and blood. In a situation like this, the damnation or judgment comes to us
because we failed to properly discern the purpose of the supper. Those who serve at
the table and say "let everyone examine themselves to see whether they are worthy to
partake of the communion," miss the point of the teaching here. The examination is
not to see if we are worthy to partake, but to see if we are partaking of it for the
right purpose i.e. as a memorial to the body and blood of our Lord.