Communion - Are You Worthy?

This weekend we celebrated Communion at Remedy Church. It was such a powerful weekend of considering the way that Jesus Christ served the church by going to the cross for our sins. The practice of Communion was instituted by Jesus Christ, Himself, as a means of remembering His love for us and the cost that He paid to demonstrate that love and accomplish our redemption. He commanded that we do it often, so we, at Remedy plan to do so; at least once a month. (And even more as we feel God leading us in that direction from time to time)

The problem with communion though, rather the problem with people taking communion, is that many times we come to communion feeling so unworthy. I don't know about you, but my sin is ever before me. I am so aware of the many ways that I fall short of perfection on a daily basis, however, that awareness is increased at any given communion service. Rightfully so! Paul the Apostle, in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30, gives a firm warning about taking communion in an unworthy manner. He says that in the Corinthian church some were struck with illnesses and even died for taking communion in an unworthy manner. Communion is a very serious thing, and I almost always take it with fear and trembling recognizing my sin and feeling unworthy.

The Question becomes, then; who is worthy? If all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God then who can truly come and celebrate Communion in a manner that is worthy? Well, first I think it is important to recognize the immediate context of the passage. Paul was addressing, in chapter 11, some very specific abuses of communion in the Corinthian church. Paul addresses the divisions and factions that were going on within this particular church body and the way that their self focus and lack of unity had corrupted this sacred sacrament of communion. So when Paul calls for self examination, he's not only referring to general sin, but specifically the sin of self focus and division which led to a perversion of the sacrament itself. It is no small thing to take the sacred and make it a means to serve the sinful desires of your flesh. This is what Paul had in mind.

So does understanding that negate our responsibility to examine ourselves before communion today? Absolutely not! Although the immediate context of this passage refers to the specific sin of the Corinthian church, the call for self examination and repentance remains for us to apply today. The fact that we may not be filling up on the Communion crackers and getting drunk on the wine doesn't necessarily mean our hearts are prepared to partake in communion in a worthy manner. We must examine and identify the sin in our lives. We must grieve over that sin and plead with God for forgiveness. We must look at the elements of Communion, consider what they represent (the suffering and crucifixion of Christ on our behalf) and recognize that it was that very sin that put Jesus on the cross. We must repent. We must see Christ as more satisfying than our sin. We must desire an unhindered relationship with Jesus more than we desire the gratification of our flesh. We must not only plead with God for forgiveness, but also that He might grant us repentance.

The problem is that once we are confronted with our sin in that respect, and recognize that it was OUR OWN SIN that put Jesus on the cross, and we are begging for forgiveness and repentance, the last feeling in our minds is "worthiness". That is where the gospel comes in! That is when we must remember again what the elements represent; the death of Christ IN OUR PLACE and FOR OUR SINS in order to PURCHASE OUR FORGIVENESS and RIGHTEOUSNESS (AKA worthiness!). Communion is for believers. Believers believe the gospel. And if we believe the gospel, then we believe that Christ paid the price and atoned for ALL of our sins; even the ones we committed today. If we are believers then we believe that Jesus, who had never sinned, became sin on our behalf, so that we might be made the righteousness of God. Our worthiness is not in ourselves; it is in Christ. Through faith in Him, His righteousness (worthiness) is ours. That is the gospel! Though we examine ourselves, our focus must not stay on ourselves. Our focus must always shift to Jesus and what He accomplished for us in Christ; our salvation, our right standing with God, our righteousness, our worthiness.

So, are you worthy? In and of yourself you are just like me; absolutely unworthy! You're sin is against God, and God alone; it has made you an enemy of God. In and of yourself you are worthy of only judgement. But, if by God's grace, through faith you have believed the gospel and trusted Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, then you are 100% worthy to approach God and partake in communion! There should be no doubt in your mind about your worthiness! To doubt your worthiness is to doubt the effectiveness of Christ to fully cleanse and forgive you; it is to doubt the gospel! Believe in the completed work of the cross! Always examine yourself; mourn and grieve over your sin; confess and repent; and then stop looking at yourself and look to Jesus - the author and PERFECTER of your faith! You are worthy in Him!

If you have yet to trust Jesus, don't wait any longer! Confess your sin to Him today! He's listening! Ask Him to forgive you of your sins because you believe that Jesus died for them! If you've done this I would love to encourage you and pray for you! Leave a comment and I'll get in touch with you!

Grace and peace...

~Issac