Paul proceeded to urge the Corinthians to change their observance of the Lord's Supper and explained what they should do to correct their conduct.
The Lord's Supper is more than a personal, introspective remembering, Paul went on to explain. It has implications for the church because in His death Jesus Christ laid the foundation for a new community of believers who bear His name. Thus the Lord's Supper should lead us to reflect on our relationship to one another as Christians as well as to recall Calvary.
11:27 An unworthy manner is any manner that does not reflect proper appreciation for the significance of the body and blood of Christ (e.g., v. 21). This does not mean that every participant must grasp the fullness of this significance. Nevertheless everyone should conduct himself or herself appropriately in view of his or her individual depth of understanding. Even a child is capable of doing this. The Corinthians had lost the point of the memorial, which involves proclaiming salvation through Christ's death portrayed in ritual. The gospel goes out when we observe the Lord's Supper in a worthy manner.
Being guilty of Christ's body and blood means being guilty of treating them in an unworthy manner, of profaning them. It does not mean that such a person is in some special sense responsible for the death of Christ.
11:28 The reason for examining oneself is to determine that we are partaking in a worthy manner rather than in an unworthy manner. In the context this would involve behaving in a loving and unselfish way toward our fellow Christians as well as being appreciative of the significance of the Lord's body and blood. We need to examine ourselves so the Lord will not have to examine and judge us for failing to participate worthily (v. 31).
Having conducted this brief self-examination the believer should then proceed to participate. An unusually sensitive Christian might hesitate to participate after thoughtful reflection feeling overwhelmed by his or her personal unworthiness. However no one is ever worthy to partake. If someone thinks he is, he is not. We are only worthy because Christ has made us worthy. We need to partake feeling unworthy to do so. This attitude is part of what it means to partake in a worthy manner.
This simple reflection and participation lie at the very root of motivation for living a life that glorifies God. The church has invented many ways to motivate Christians to put Jesus Christ first in their lives. These include altar calls, "revival"services, campfire dedication services, and many others all of which have values. Unfortunately we have also neglected what the Lord Jesus instructed us to do that will motivate His people to live for Him better than anything else. If this observance has lost its punch, it is because those who lead it have failed to give it the preparation, attention, and priority it deserves in church life. The frequent observance of the Lord's Supper in a way that takes us back to the Cross is one of the most powerful and effective motivators for living the Christian life. If you think a frequent observance of the Lord's Supper ends to become tiresome, remember that your spouse never tires of your frequent expressions of love for him or her.
11:29 Eating and drinking in an unworthy manner results in divine judgment. Judgment is inevitable at the Lord's Table. We judge ourselves (Gr. diakrino) before we partake and then participate in a worthy manner, or God will judge (krino) us. The "body"has a double sense: the body of Christ given on the cross, and the mystical body of Christ, the church.
"The unworthy' or inappropriate' participation in the Lord's Supper that entails eating and drinking judgment against the participants comes in not discerning (diakrinon) the body' (11:29). How members of the community view one another, whether they are sensitive to the poor and latecomers or whether the prevailing social customs dictate their behavior, becomes the decisive issue. Does the congregation recognize itself as the distinctive body of Christ?"264
11:30 In Corinth, God was judging with sickness and death. The reasons were the unjudged sin of selfish living (v. 21) and thoughtless participation in the communion service.
11:31 If God's people do not judge their own sins themselves, God will judge them. This judgment may involve physical illness or even, in extreme cases, premature physical death (cf. Acts 5; 1 John 5:16).
11:32 We should regard God's punishment of Christians as discipline (Gr. paideia, lit. child training; cf. Heb. 12:5-11). The condemnation God intends this discipline to spare us from experiencing is not eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord that the unsaved world will suffer (Rom. 8:1). It is premature death and the Lord's disapproval at the judgment seat of Christ (cf. 3:15; 5:5).265
Practical application now follows theological explanation.
11:33 Rather than disregarding the members of the congregation who had little or no food to bring to the love feasts, those who had plenty should share what they had. They should also wait to eat until all had been served.
Many churches these days have pot luck suppers periodically that provide a modern counterpart to the first century love feast. A few Christians have felt that we should practice the love feast whenever we observe the Lord's Supper today. Most have concluded that the love feast was just the setting in which the Lord's Supper took place in the early church. Jesus did not specifically command His disciples to observe the love feast as He urged them to eat the Lord's Supper. Therefore most Christians believe the love feast is not an ordinance of the church and we do not need to perpetuate it as the early church practiced it.
11:34 If some of the Corinthian Christians were too hungry to wait to eat, they should eat something before they came to the service. Otherwise their unloving selfishness might result in the Lord's judgment. It is very important to the Lord that we put the needs of others before our own needs (cf. Phil. 2:3; et al.).
Evidently there were other details of how the Corinthians were behaving when they congregated that Paul did not want to comment on in this letter. Perhaps they were of local importance only. He planned to address these issues when he visited Corinth again (cf. 4:18-21; 16:2-3, 5-7).
The selfish attitude that marked the Corinthian church comes through strongly in this section of the epistle. It manifested itself in a particularly ugly display at the Lord's Table. Paul dealt with it severely for the sake of the reputation of the Savior and for the welfare of the saints.
