Question 82: May those who by word and deed manifest unbelief and ungodliness be admitted to the Lord's Supper?

 

Question 82: May those who by word and deed manifest unbelief and ungodliness be admitted to the Lord's Supper?

Answer: No. For this is a violation of God's covenant and brings down God's wrath upon the whole congregation. Therefore, according to the teaching of Christ and the apostles, the Christian church is bound to publicly exercise the keys of the kingdom of heaven to exclude them until they repent.

The Bible speaks of partaking of the Lord's Supper: 1 Corinthians 11:26-29, "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself."

Every time we partake of the Eucharist, the saints proclaim the Lord's death and resurrection. Those who are not united with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross remain under the law. This means they are not completely free from sin.

 1 Corinthians 11:23-24 "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.'" The Lord's death and the new covenant are related. The believers breaking bread and eating it together signify being united with the body of Jesus who died on the cross and was resurrected, and pouring out and drinking the cup signifies being redeemed by the shed blood of Jesus and drinking the eternal water of life from heaven.

Redemption signifies the purchase of slavery through blood. Therefore, the result of redemption is that sinners are freed from their sins. Why did Jesus Christ die on the cross? Because the angels who sinned in God's kingdom rebelled against Him, left the kingdom, and were imprisoned here. Therefore, God predestined Christ to save them.

Therefore, Christ died on the cross, and sinners who repent and unite with Christ on the cross are considered dead to God. Sinners, too, die to sin with Christ and, desiring to become like Him, are forgiven by God for their sins of opposing Him. Thus, through the atonement of His blood, they are freed from sin and become free. If believers participate in the Eucharist without understanding this meaning, they will end up eating and drinking sin.

Those who participate in the Eucharist must realize that they have strayed from God and confirm that they have died with Christ. The Eucharist is a ritual that commemorates our union with Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and was resurrected. Therefore, those who participate in the Eucharist must examine themselves to see if they have truly been born again of water and the Spirit and have been freed from sin.

Sin is the greed to become like God. Church members consider disobeying God's command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil a sin, but sin is actually the greed to become like God. Therefore, if a believer continues to live in greed and promotes himself, he cannot be considered sinless. If a believer participates in the Eucharist without breaking free from sin, he is eating and drinking sin. If the church leaders do not clearly state this, the church community becomes a heretic.

The Bible tells us that believers must carefully examine themselves before participating in the Lord's Supper. If believers fail to examine one another, they will face discipline from the Lord. The Bible states that if believers had examined one another, they would not have been disciplined, even though some have already died. Strictly speaking, the Lord's Supper is not intended to punish, but rather to reaffirm God's promises to the reborn. Therefore, those who remain entrenched in the problem of sin are not reborn, and are therefore destined for judgment.

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