By Dr. Jack Cottrell
QUESTION: Our small group has been discussing communion, and what it means when we partake of the Lord’s Supper each week. We were always taught that you do not partake of communion until you are a baptized believer. Does that come from Scripture or from tradition? Does “partaking in a worthy manner” (1 Cor. 11:27close1 Corinthians 11:27 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. (ESV) close1 Corinthians 11:27close1 Corinthians 11:27 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. (ESV) 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. (ESV) ) mean that you must first be able to understand baptism and its meaning?
ANSWER: I take it that your main question is whether only Christians (baptized believers) are supposed to receive the emblems of the Lord’s Supper. The answer is yes, the Supper is for believers only. There is no specific Biblical statement to that effect, but by implication the Supper has meaning only for Christians. When Jesus instituted the Supper, saying of the cup, “Drink from it, all of you” (Matt. 26:27), he was speaking only to his disciples (apostles). When the church began on the Day of Pentecost, it was only the (approximately) 3,000 baptized believers who devoted themselves to “the breaking of bread” (Acts 2:41-42closeActs 2:41-42 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. The Fellowship of the Believers 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (ESV) closeActs 2:41-42closeActs 2:41-42 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. The Fellowship of the Believers 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (ESV) 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. The Fellowship of the Believers 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (ESV) ). Only those who already partake of the benefits of Christ’s broken body and shed blood can meaningfully partake of the bread and the cup which memorialize them (1 Cor. 10:16close1 Corinthians 10:16 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (ESV) close1 Corinthians 10:16close1 Corinthians 10:16 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (ESV) 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (ESV) ). Only those who are a part of the “one body” should partake together of the “one bread” (1 Cor. 10:17close1 Corinthians 10:17 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (ESV) close1 Corinthians 10:17close1 Corinthians 10:17 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (ESV) 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (ESV) ).
When Jesus instituted the Supper, he said, “Do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19; 1closeLuke 22:19 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:1 The Plot to Kill Jesus 22:1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. (ESV) closeLuke 22:19closeLuke 22:19 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (ESV) 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:1closeLuke 22:1 The Plot to Kill Jesus 22:1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. (ESV) The Plot to Kill Jesus 22:1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. (ESV) Cor. 11:24-25closeERROR: No results were found for your search.closeERROR: No results were found for your search.). This “remembrance” has two applications. First, it means “Do this as a MEMORIAL to Me.” I.e., when we take the LS we are proclaiming the Lord’s death (1 Cor. 11:26close1 Corinthians 11:26 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (ESV) close1 Corinthians 11:26close1 Corinthians 11:26 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (ESV) 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (ESV) ) to the world; we are raising a monument in honor of His atoning work on Calvary. We are declaring to everyone that we believe Jesus died for our sins and that He alone is our hope of eternal life. Only a Christian can meaningfully participate in such a memorial service. For a non-Christian to lift up the cross in such a manner is hypocritical. We cannot sincerely proclaim to others that Christ died for our sins if we have never personally put our “faith in His blood” (Rom. 3:25closeRomans 3:25 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his spanine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (ESV) closeRomans 3:25closeRomans 3:25 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his spanine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (ESV) 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his spanine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (ESV) , NIV) and received its benefits into our own lives.
The second application of “Do this in remembrance of Me” is this: “Do this in order to keep the MEMORY of Jesus’ death for your sins alive in your own mind.” I.e., do this on a regular basis so that you will not forget that Jesus’ sacrifice is the only reason you are saved. Do this to keep your personal “faith in His blood” STRONG. Your faith is what keeps you justified or forgiven; you need regular participation in the LS to keep your faith from dying. Thus it is clear that taking the emblems of the Supper is meaningful only for someone who is a believer, someone who is already saved. Part of the “remembering” that we do in the LS is remembering that we personally were (spiritually) “sprinkled with His blood” (1 Peter 1:2close1 Peter 1:2 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (ESV) close1 Peter 1:2close1 Peter 1:2 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (ESV) 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. (ESV) ) when we were (physically) washed with pure water in our baptism (Heb. 10:22closeHebrews 10:22 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (ESV) closeHebrews 10:22closeHebrews 10:22 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (ESV) 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (ESV) ). Again, this means nothing to an unbeliever or to someone who has never been baptized. The point is not so much understanding what baptism means in and of itself, but understanding what it means to be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ (which happens in baptism).
Those in charge of the communion service should make it clear through oral announcement or through an explanation in the bulletin that the emblems are intended only for members of the body of Christ. I grew up in a Christian Church (in Minorsville, KY). One of the elders who gave the communion meditation on a regular basis would always say prior to the serving of the emblems, “We neither invite nor debar” anyone to partake or from partaking. (This is good Restoration Movement terminology.) The main point of this qualification is to say that you do not have to be a member of this local congregation to join with us in the communion service; all Christians (baptized believers) should feel welcome to participate based on their own understanding of their personal salvation status.
That statement, however, should never be intended to leave the impression that the Supper is for anyone who chooses to partake, whether Christian or not. Under no circumstances should non-Christians be encouraged to partake of the emblems. Most non-Christians understand that this part of the service is not for them, so this is usually not a problem. Gentle reminders may sometimes be needed, though. On the other hand, if a non-Christian does partake, this is not something to be agitated about, since such partaking will not make the non-Christian any more lost than he or she already is.
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