Communion In A Worthy Manner

In a couple days churches around the world will be remembering Jesus’ death through communion. Frequently this is done on a monthly basis, but there are also many churches that do this on a more or less frequent basis.  Because of this there are many messages preached from pulpits relating to communion on a regular basis.  Like many of you, having grown up in church I have heard many messages on the subject, but I’ve always felt like there was something more to communion than a piece of bread or cracker and a small cup of juice and remembering what they represent.

In I Corinthians 11 the Apostle Paul writes about communion. In verses 23-26, the Apostle Paul related what Jesus said at the last supper He shared with His disciples.  Jesus spoke of the bread symbolizing His body and the cup symbolizing His blood, and that whenever we take of them we are to remember Him.  Is there more to this than just partaking of the elements and remembering Christ in the process?  I think there is and I want to share that with you.

In the above passage Jesus talks of eating His body and drinking His blood, but was there another occasion other than the last supper when Jesus referred to this? In John 6 Jesus talks about eating His flesh and drinking His blood.  This was a message that was too much for most of the people to understand, much less accept, but Jesus said it was imperative if one was to have eternal life.  Is it possible that there is a connection between what Jesus told the people in John 6 and what He told them at the last supper?  I think there is, and if we can understand that we may have a better understanding of what it means to participate in communion in a worthy manner.

Jesus said that we need to eat His flesh and drink His blood, but what does that mean? Surely He didn’t mean that we are to literally do this, especially for those of us living 2000 years after the fact, so what does He mean by it?  We know that by the stripes Jesus bore for us in His body we are healed, and we know that by the shedding of His blood we are forgiven of our sins, but what does this mean to us?  I believe eating His flesh and drinking His blood has more to do with our salvation than many may realize, but it conflicts with the thinking of many in this day.  Many think that because of the beatings Christ endured for our benefit and the shedding of His blood for the remission of our sins, our lives should be easy and without pain and heartache.  But is this correct?

In Galatians 2:20, the Apostle Paul tells us, “I have been crucified with Christ; it no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” We can’t do that unless we heed Jesus’ instructions found in Luke 9:23-26.  In this passage we are told that to follow after Him we must die to ourselves and take up our cross daily.  A lot can be said about this passage of scripture, and many books have been written on the subject, so I won’t take the time to write about it now, but it does reinforce what I’m about to share.  I believe that for us to “eat of His flesh” alludes to us dying to ourselves and being willing and committed to endure whatever persecutions and trials we may encounter for His sake.  No, we may not get beaten and scourged as He did for us, but are we willing to endure whatever comes our way for Him?  When we give our lives over to Him we are making a commitment, whether or not it is acknowledged, that we will submit to Him and His will over everything and everyone else for His sake.  Basically we are saying that we are both willing and committed to suffer in our body for His sake just as He did for us.  That is more than some professing Christians signed up for and are willing to accept, but that is a significant part of salvation, and in doing so we are “eating His flesh”.  Are you willing to suffer persecution and trials in your body for His sake, or would you prefer to opt for the easy road that goes through the “broad gate”?

So, that is what it means to “eat His body”, but what about drinking His blood? How can we do that?  Well, we need to remember that through the shedding of His blood comes the forgiveness of sins, but how does that pertain to us?  In Matthew 6 we are told that we are to forgive, and that He will forgive us as we forgive others.  Jesus also told Peter that we need to have an attitude of forgiveness towards others without keeping score when He told him that we are to forgive not 7×7, but rather 70×7.  We see Jesus’ example of this kind of forgiveness when, while he was hanging on the cross, he forgave the ones that beat, scourged and put Him on the cross.  He didn’t forgive them because they asked for forgiveness, much less with sincerity, or that they even expressed some remorse for what they had done.  He just simply forgave them because they didn’t know what they were doing, and even asked God on their behalf that He forgive them.  Oh, how we so many times withhold forgiveness because someone didn’t ask, or because they didn’t ask with sincerity.  Or, how about the times the one that offended or hurt us didn’t care or realize they had hurt us, and perhaps even felt justified in what they said or did.  When Jesus took the cup and made reference to it being His blood, not only did He refer to it as a new covenant, but the passing of the cup in this manner often times represented a commitment between two individuals.  So, to take the cup and drink His blood is a commitment to Him that we will forgive others with the same attitude and mindset that He had when He shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins.  We are told multiple times that He will forgive us, but if we withhold forgiveness towards another after He’s already forgiven us, then He won’t forgive us.  When we enter into this saving relationship with Him we are not only committing to endure whatever hardship comes our way for His sake, but we are also committing to having the same attitude and mindset of forgiveness towards others as He does.

While Paul addressed many things that disqualified many from taking communion in a worthy manner, I suggest to you that eating the bread or cracker for communion without the willingness and commitment to suffer for His sake, or the drinking of the cup while withholding forgiveness towards another, are grounds by which one could be found not taking communion in a worthy manner. The next time you participate in communion, examine yourself and see if your life and the decisions you make regarding suffering for His sake or forgiving another person line up with the commitment you made to Jesus for salvation.  If your life and the decisions you make misrepresent your commitment to Him in your life, then I strongly encourage you to repent and make the necessary changes speedily.  If you are unwilling to do this, then you should refrain from participating in communion until you make the necessary changes.  You don’t want to cut your life short, or experience any other consequences, for not taking communion in a worthy manner.  Time is short, and Jesus will be returning for a “bride” without spot or wrinkle, so it is imperative you evaluate yourself and be sure you can take communion in a worthy manner.

 

John Johansson

Committed to Not Commit

I was saddened the other day as I thought of all the people I’ve known over the years who chose to live with someone instead of getting married, even those who did in fact marry each other at a later time.  I couldn’t help but think how God feels when people make such a decision, and even worse when they profess to be Christians and seek to find a way to justify it as being acceptable in Gods sight.  While there may have always been some who have done this in the past, it seems as though it is becoming rampant in America and the world we now live in as never before.  What is this world coming to?

One of the reasons some choose to live with someone before getting married is to see if they can even live together before making an official commitment to each other.  They view it as a “try before you buy” transaction with the option to walk away if they find it doesn’t suit them.  Another reason some give for this is that they don’t need a paper to show their committed to each other, and that outside of a piece of paper their relationships are no different.  Some say they do it because it is more cost effective than it is to be married, and others are just flat out against getting married.  Finally, and possibly the most ludicrous reason of all, comes from professing Christians who try to say that God views living together with someone the same as being married.

There are a number of reasons why people embrace the above mindsets to justify a life style of living with someone without marrying them.  It could be that they’ve had bad experiences in previous marriages and don’t want to go through that again.  It could be that they’ve seen bad marriages and feel the best way to avoid the pitfalls of marriage is to not get married, or at least try living together first for a period of time before making such a commitment.  For some, it could be that money speaks louder to them than a committed relationship, or perhaps they just don’t want to feel ‘weighted down’ by a commitment that they view as restrictive or as a form of bondage.

What it comes down to is that these individuals are just “committed to not commit”.  Have you ever heard someone, perhaps yourself, adamantly say that there is no such thing as absolutes?  Well, they are saying that they are absolute in thinking that there are no absolutes, so in essence they are discounting their own statements.  The same is true when people are determined to avoid making a marriage commitment by just living with someone.  They are basically saying that they are committed to not commit themselves to another in a marriage relationship.

When it comes to professing Christians that take the position there is no difference in Gods eyes between living with someone and being married, they are grasping for a way to rationalize such behavior as okay.  These individuals seem to think that if they are living with and having ongoing sexual relations with someone then God views that as marriage, but is that true?  If that were true then at what point does fornication become adultery?  By definition, the primary difference between fornication and adultery is whether or not it involves at least one individual that is married.  If at least one individual is married then it is considered adultery, otherwise this same behavior is considered fornication.  I should add at this point that even if a couple is separated but still legally married, sexual relations with someone other than their spouse is considered as adultery.  I talked with a professing Christian several years ago who was living with someone and trying to convince me that it was the same as being married in Gods eyes.  They seemed to think a piece of paper was a mere technicality that really held no real significance.  As I pondered this I came to a conclusion that in one way a piece of paper is not the key, though at the same time it is.  In our American culture one of the steps required for two people to become married includes this piece of paper we call a “Marriage License”, but this is not required in other cultures.  While it may be true this piece of paper is not required in other cultures, my understanding is that each culture still has a process, if I can call it such, by which two people become officially “joined” together that friends and family observe and recognize as binding.  So, while on one hand it isn’t the piece of paper that makes the difference in Gods eyes, it is the culturally recognized, accepted, and legal means through which people are known as married to each other, and therefore it is what God looks at.  So, to say that God views the two lifestyles as the same is merely a twisting of things to help themselves feel justified in their behavior, basically deceiving themselves into believing one of many lies the enemy of our souls is selling to any who will buy them.

When we talk of being “committed to not commit” in regards to these relationships, I find it interesting that this is often true in regards to many people’s relationship with Jesus.  Just as many want the benefits of marriage without the marriage commitment, and they will find every excuse they can to justify it, the same is true regarding our relationships with Jesus.  Many want the benefits of being a follower of Jesus, but they don’t want to make the commitment Jesus requires of all who follow after Him.  They will find some reason, some excuse, as to why they won’t commit to following Jesus on His terms, but oh how they want all the benefits and blessings of such a relationship.  Just as some don’t want to commit to another in marriage because they want to keep parts of their life to themselves, many do the same with Jesus when they ‘compartmentalize’ what parts of their life they will or will not give and surrender to Him.  Just as a person choosing to live with someone without marrying them is actually demonstrating a lack of commitment to them, even so a person who chooses to follow Jesus without the commitment and terms He requires is telling Him they are not really committed to Him.

So, there are two simple questions to ask ourselves.  The first question to be asked is for those who are living with someone they are not married to, “Are you truly committed to them for the rest of your life?”  If you are truly committed to that person for life, then you need to stop living with and having sexual relations with the other individual until after you’re married to them, whether or not they want to get married to you.  If you’re not truly committed to that person, or they are not committed to you, you still need to stop living and having sexual relations with them.  That is the right thing to do in the sight of God.  The second question to ask is, “Are you truly committed to following Jesus with your life no matter what?”  If so, then you need to be committed to Jesus wholly and completely no matter what.  To live any other way is to only be a fan of Jesus and not a true follower.  If this is you, then you need to renew your commitment to Him, and to begin making the necessary changes in your life that reflect that commitment.  It’s not a one-time decision you make, but it’s a daily decision to make, and for some a moment by moment decision.  Will you make that decision to commit, or are you “committed to not commit”?

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