Unity in the Meal: Biblical Theology in Practice

Paul does not place the responsibility on pastors to ascertain whose heart is in the proper place to partake of the Supper. It becomes the role and responsibility of ministers to articulate these teachings and call congregations to periods of self-examination and repentance. In churches today, there may be no instruction on the importance of taking the Supper with the right spirit, in which case believers unknowingly bring judgment on themselves. Further, there may also be persons in the midst of congregations who think they are saved when in fact they are not. If pastors routinely pause prior to the administration of the Supper to call the assembly to self-assessment and explain Scriptural warnings against taking the Eucharist improperly, then churches may feel more assured of the purity of the Lord’s Table, not just concerning non-believers but also from Christians who harbor resentment against one another or live in sin.
As much as a believer has the right to celebrate the Eucharist where it is administered, so too does God have a right for His children to be there. Christ commands the Church to take the Supper in remembrance of His sacrifice and gift. To refrain is to reject that gift. The Lord’s Supper clearly possesses significant communal benefits as it binds people from all walks of life and circumstance together in Jesus Christ. While churches may fear tainting the Table by allowing improper participants, one sees from Paul’s writings to the Corinthians that the Table serves as a context for self-examination. Rather than, as pastors, simply close the Supper to any stranger, the sacrament should be taught and explained. If Southern Baptists are as committed to teaching the Lord’s Supper as they are to protecting it, then they will find that congregations and believers will observe the Supper with a reverence and humility called for by Paul. Rather than setting up barriers around the Table, pastors should humbly invite the Spirit to convict and work throughout the Church, trusting that those who are improper participants will sense the Lord’s prevention and seek out the church for aid in repentance and believer’s baptism.