For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself –

I Corinthians 11:29

If the Lord’s supper should be a serious and solemn occasion because it is the sign of the new covenant, what might be a violation of the covenant? Someone has asked me to share a few thoughts on this subject. What does it mean to eat the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner? We will look at a few examples from Scripture, there are probably a lot more that could be mentioned.

1 – Hebrews 6:4-8 warns us about those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and also became a partaker of the Holy Spirit. If they fall away it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. If people gladly make a profession of faith and then fall away and turn back to worldly living, they should not partake of the Lord’s supper. But many people who have appeared religious like to keep their public respect and for a show (pretense) continue on in false religious behavior.

2 – Another group we should consider is mentioned in Matthew 18:15-20, it speaks of people in the local church who have sinned against another person or offended them in some way. Matthew 18:15 says, “go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.” Other directions are given if the brother does not repent. The point here is that if you come to the communion table but are living in anger and hostility toward another brother, you should settle it before you partake of the elements.

3 – Another group I would try to discourage is the children and young adults. I have watched as children are bored out of their mind in church and will not even sing a song of praise and worship to their Creator. But the parents make sure they get the elements and partake of them. If the parents understood the Scriptures, they would not do so. If parents are truly looking out for the welfare of their children, they would advise them to wait until they are around 20 years of age.

4 – Another group of people who should refrain from taking the Lord’s supper are those who appear to be genuine spirit-filled people at church gatherings, but serve the devil in their daily lives. Some churchgoers engage in a lifestyle in what they think is a secret. Paul says in I Corinthians 5:5, “deliver such a one to satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We could go on to other groups of people who would be violating the covenant and under the judgment of God. But let’s simply state who should be involved in the communion experience. It should be someone who has been born again by the Spirit of God, who has confessed his sin and repented of them. He has turned from his sin, made a public profession of faith and been baptized; and is now bearing fruit for the glory of God. Are you a part of that group?

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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children’s book.