i have been away for a while. i feel bad. i have not stopped thinking and reading about things, but for some reason i haven't been writing them down on the internet. anyway, lately i have been trying to better understand the instructions behind communion. in certain circles, it might be better known as "the lord's supper," "the breaking of bread," the "eucharist," "divine liturgy," or "mass," among other titles. i have been reading passages in matthew (chpt 26), 1 corinthians (chpts 10-11), and jude (v. 12) all to find answers to a question or two. naturally, i have discovered more questions than answers along the way. i will list them below.
1. what scripture do we have that tells us communion is an identification or association with other believers? i believe 1 cor 10:17-18 might give a possible answer to that: "for we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. observe israel after the flesh: are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?" are there any other scripture references that are more concrete in this assertion?
2. but if those verses do, in fact, support the notion that we are identifying with other people , should christians place more emphasis on identifying with other believers than they would on remembering christ? in other words, should we withdraw from any particular instance of remembering our savior if we don't have full confidence in someone within the same four walls?
3. what about people remembering the lord outside of our particular church? people across town? people in another denomination? people in a different time zone that may have already taken communion before us?!
4. what is the responsibility of a group of believers (connected at any level: locally-to-world-wide) to make sure that all those who are identifying with the group through the simple practice of communion (again, locally-to-world-wide) are not also partaking of the "table of demons" (1 cor 10:21)?
5. if we should be vigilant against those with whom we should not be associated in communion, where do we draw the line? 1 corinthians 10 mentions idolatry and fellowship with demons -- how do we interpret those things? in some churches i know that billy graham and francis schaeffer would be prohibited from taking communion for some reason(s) i do not know. is this smart or is this just stupid?
6. ultimately, is it enough that i take communion because i am a christian who remembers what jesus has done for me? or do i have to worry about associating with the guy next to me?
i'd like more scripture references that may give credence to any of the views mentioned in here, so if you have any please note them in your comment.
abuch out.
3 comments:
hey, does this work?
Hey Andy,
Those are some great comments and insight. Let me offer a few thoughts on the subject.
First, any thought of the breaking of bread identifying you with a particular group of believers is missing from the context of 1 Cor. 10. The point of the altars is not the altar itself but the god of whom the altar is dedicated to. Some have placed the focus on the altar but the Scripture is concerned with who is behind the altar, namely God or Satan. If you worship at an altar that offers to God, you are associated with the God. The altar by itself is nothing but a piece of wood or stone.
Second, in 1 Cor. 10, we are taught that the communion is the expression of fellowship with all true believers, not just those within your four walls, or association of churches. It's a celebration of that spiritual union. It is not supposed to become a symbol of an ecclesiastical border. That would allow us to draw the kinds of circles in the sand that the first Plymouth Brethren fought so hard against in the established churches (and later succumbed to anyways).
That has real practical implications when it comes to reception since the Bible has no examples of anyone being received to the Lord's Supper. It only has one example of believers who were excluded from full participation at the love feast where it was usually celebrated.
To follow up my thoughts, if you eat the Lord's Supper, you are expressing true spiritual fellowship with all believers. So even beyond your local question, how do you know if the church down the street isn't doing their job to maintain purity at the Table?
You can't, it's an impossible task. Even churches that practice a guarded table have been terribly surprised when a fully functioning, preaching, teaching brother admits to an affair that not even his wife knows. The fact is, God has not given us any mechanism whereby to judge the heart of the person next to us. That's why we examine ourselves - that much we can do and exhort others to do the same.
What comforts me is that the Lord says that He can judge those who partake unworthily and that He knows those who are His. The real issue for most assemblies, is that when someone walks in unannounced without having met with the brothers, he does not know where to stand or what he should do. That leads to confusion.
Your question in point 5 is a good one and it was the central issue that divided the first group of Plymouth Brethren. Essentially, the question came down to whether fellowship was based on light (your understanding and practices) or life (in Christ). The exclusives based it on light and so became quite a rigid system of practices and beliefs. Straying from that was considered straying from the truth. The open brethren declared it was based upon life.
ADarby took the position of fellowship based on light. So he came up with this teaching of Separation Unto Unity. What he meant is that as believers separate from defiled church systems that accept unbelievers, they will find themselves on common ground, outside the established church. He may have thought that it was that motivation that created the movement in the first place since those anti-establishment sentiments were strong. This he based on Heb. 13 where Moses went outside the camp to offer sacrifices.
The problem with that kind of thinking is that is causes us to continually look at others with suspicion, seeking any evil lurking within so that you could separate from it and remain pure. So much for not trying to separate the tares from the wheat.
Your point 6 is right on - let's remember the Lord because we have common life in Christ. And if there is something that appears to interrupt that fellowship, well, let's deal with it when we it crops up. Otherwise, we'll waste too much time doing something we can't really be effective at and miss out on the mandate that God has called us to.
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