398. What la the Examination Necessary to Eating and Drinking Worthily at Communion?

A personal self-examination of the heart. If a man is conscious of hatred toward any one, of malice, of sinful purposes, of sinful connections which he ought to sever, but has not severed, or of cherishing any feeling inconsistent with his relation to Christ, he should not partake of the communion. This does not imply that only perfect persons should do so. If a man is honestly and earnestly striving after holiness and doing all that lies in him to live consistently; and sincerely deplores every failure and means to strive to avoid them in the future; if he loves Christ and is trusting in him for salvation, he is right in partaking of the communion although he may be conscious of having fallen into sin. (I Cor. 11:26,28.)