Can a Christian Be Judged For Taking Communion?
Like a lightning bolt, the sins we commit seem to strike with a power and force that sometimes even shocks us. Jesus said in Mark 7: 14-23, “…What comes out of the heart of man, evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
This condition is referred to by theologians as total depravity. This doesn’t mean we are as bad as we could be, but every aspect of our lives has been affected by sin, at the fall of our first parents. When Adam and Eve sinned, every person after them is marked by sinfulness from birth and the scriptures state, “The wages of sin is death.” When sin entered the world, death came to all, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
As believers in Christ, we too have been guilty of thinking and doing these same sins. The good news is at the very moment of your conversion, God washed away every sin in the precious blood of the Lamb. This is the reason that Christ instituted communion. Communion is a sign and seal of God’s perfect forgiveness at the expense of Christ’s death on a cross. The resurrection of Christ is God’s approval and acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice, and communion is the sign that God has forgiven you and will cleanse you of any additional sins that you have committed, once you confess them.
It’s unfortunate today that some pastors make communion so sobering that a person in the pew feels threatened by not examining himself carefully. This verse is often quoted, I Corinthian 11:27, “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then…for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” This is Paul’s warning to non-believers, to not partake of communion, for non-Christians have no part with Christ, this includes those who are Christians in name only, for they live like unbelievers. Any person in these two groups, should not take communion, it is closed to them.
What is Communion for then?
Communion is an act of worship, a joyful celebration of Christ and His saving work towards us who believe. It’s a time of thanksgiving to God for His abundant grace by sending Christ as a propitiation of our sins. This includes a time of repentance of any current unconfessed sins, but a happy realization that every sin, past, present, and future, has been placed on Christ and He frees us from any condemnation. Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Sin, its penalty and its judgment has been eradicated from believers.
When my wife Becki and I take communion, we lean in together and I whisper, “Christ has forgiven us all our sins, let’s thank Him now for saving us, and for giving us the greatest gift of all, Christ Himself!” Then we take communion together.
I hope this gives you a fresh view of communion, for it’s a special Sunday when we share symbolically in the body and blood of Christ Jesus our Lord. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Christus Omni Nova, Christ makes all things new.
John
