Don’t come claiming to cherish the forgiveness of God when you won’t forgive someone else. Don’t come when you harbor resentment or unforgiveness in your heart. He says in verse 33, “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another.” (Read all of the chapter and you’ll see just how far the Corinthians were from this “welcoming” spirit.) Don’t come to the table when in your heart you are separated from others by some kind of pride or classism or racism.
Third, a spirit of division, which is the context of Paul’s writing. You can’t shout, “Worship him!” and “Crucify him!” at the same time and not expect God’s anger. In taking the bread and the cup, this person says, “Thank God for Jesus and his death, it is my life and my hope.” But in their life, this person openly crucifies him. Second, a spirit of defiance, where someone is openly and intentionally living in a way that displeases Christ. The irony is that those who are self-righteous approach the table unworthily because they fail to see how unworthy they are to partake of the table. Those who do so unworthily have a spirit of self-righteousness, defiance, or division.įirst, a spirit of self-righteousness, in which someone denies their dependence on Christ’s mercy. Paul’s focus is not on our status as worthy or unworthy, but on our posture in how we approach the table. I mean, that’s exactly why we take the bread and the cup! (In fact, if we did feel worthy, that would be a sure sign that we aren’t approaching communion appropriately.) None of us are worthy to take the bread and the cup.
Here’s what he can’t mean: Paul can’t mean that we should only take communion when we feel worthy of Christ’s presence. So a lot rides on that one word, “unworthily.” What exactly does Paul mean by it?
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