1 Corinthians 11:23 - Meaning and Application

To correct these serious wrongs and disorder, the apostle sets the holy institution before them. This should be the rule for fixing every abuse: go back to what Christ appointed. Paul says how he learned this. He was not among the apostles at the first institution, but he had received from the Lord what he now passed on to them (1 Corinthians 11:23). He learned this by a revelation from Christ, and he gave it exactly as he had received it, without changing anything.

Paul then gives a fuller account of the institution than we find elsewhere. The author is our Lord Jesus Christ. Only the King of the church has the right to appoint sacraments, sacred signs set by Christ for his people. The time was the very night he was betrayed, just as he was going into the sufferings this meal remembers.

The institution itself is this. Our Savior took bread, gave thanks, or blessed it, as in (Matthew 26:26), broke it, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). The bread and the cup are the visible signs. The passage keeps calling it bread, even after what the Roman Catholics call consecration, which shows Paul knew nothing of their claim that the bread changes into Christ’s literal body. The cup is clearly part of the institution too, and Matthew says our Lord told them all to drink from it (Matthew 26:27). That stands as a warning against keeping the cup from ordinary believers.

Bread and the cup are both used because this is a holy meal. Scripture does not make one certain drink required in the cup. In the Gospel accounts, wine was used, likely mixed with water as was the Jewish custom, but that does not make the sacrament unlawful where wine cannot be obtained. The scriptures speak of the cup by a figure of speech, meaning what is in it, without naming the drink itself.

The things these signs point to are Christ’s body and blood, his body broken and his blood shed, along with all the blessings that come from his death and sacrifice. This is the new covenant in his blood. His blood seals and confirms the blessings of that covenant, and worthy receivers take it that way in this ordinance. They have the new covenant, and their own right to its blessings, confirmed to them by his blood.

We also see the sacramental actions, the way the elements are to be used. Christ’s actions were to take the bread and cup, give thanks, break the bread, and give both to the disciples. The communicants’ actions were to take the bread and eat it, take the cup and drink it, all in remembrance of Christ. But the outward acts are not the whole of this ordinance, or even the main part. Each act has meaning. Christ gave himself to God as an offering and won, by his death, the forgiveness of sins and all gospel blessings for true believers. In this ordinance, he gives his body and blood, with all the benefits of his death, to his disciples, and he still does so whenever it is rightly administered to true believers.

This is shown here as food for the soul. And just as food, no matter how good it is, does no good unless it is eaten, so believers must take and eat, that is, receive Christ and feed on him by faith. They receive his grace and benefits and make them, by faith, the nourishment of their souls. They are to take him as their Lord and life, give themselves to him, and live on him. “Christ is our life” (Colossians 3:4).

The purpose of this institution is also made clear. It was appointed to keep Christ in our memory, to keep fresh in our minds his dying for us, and also to remember our absent Friend, Christ, who intercedes for us by virtue of his death at God’s right hand. The greatest kindnesses and the best friends are to be remembered here with fitting love and thankfulness. The message of this ordinance is, “When you see this, remember me.”

It was also meant to show forth Christ’s death, to declare and publish it. This was not set up only to remind us of what Christ has done and suffered, but to celebrate his great grace and humble love in redeeming us. We declare that his death is our life and the source of all our comfort and hope. We gladly make that declaration. We show forth his death and set it before God as our accepted sacrifice and ransom. We also hold it before our own faith for comfort and strength, and we confess before the world, through this very service, that we are Christ’s disciples, trusting in him alone for salvation and acceptance with God.

Paul also hints that this ordinance should be frequent. “As often as you eat this bread,” he says. Our bodily meals return often, because we need them for life and health. In the same way, this spiritual food should be taken often too. The early churches celebrated this ordinance every Lord’s Day, and perhaps every day when they met for worship.

It is also meant to last. It is to be kept until the Lord comes, until he comes a second time, without dealing with sin as a sacrifice, for the salvation of those who believe and for the judgment of the world. This is our authority for keeping this feast. Our Lord wanted us to continue the memorial of his death and suffering until he comes in his own glory and the Father’s glory, with his holy angels, and brings the present order to an end by passing final judgment. The Lord’s Supper is not a temporary practice, but a lasting ordinance.

Paul then warns the Corinthians about the danger of receiving it in an unworthy way, as they were doing. They had turned this holy institution into a time for feasting and party spirit, with motives opposite to its purpose, or with a heart completely unfit for it. They were also keeping up their agreement with sin and death while they were outwardly renewing and confirming their covenant with God. Such conduct brings great guilt.

They will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord (1 Corinthians 11:27). That is, they break this holy ordinance and treat his body and blood with contempt. They act as if they counted the blood of the covenant, by which they were sanctified, as something unholy (Hebrews 10:29). In effect, they profane the sacrament, and in a sense crucify their Savior again.

Instead of being cleansed by his blood, they bring guilt on themselves because of his blood. This is a very serious danger: they eat and drink judgment on themselves (1 Corinthians 11:29). They stir up God’s anger and place themselves under punishment. Such guilt is real and serious, and it makes a person liable to condemnation, spiritual discipline, and eternal misery.

Every sin is, by its nature, worthy of death. So a sin as serious as abusing such a holy ordinance must surely be so as well. The Corinthians profaned it in the worst way, with open disrespect and carelessness. But fearful believers should not let these words keep them away from the Lord’s table, as if coming unprepared automatically brought the sentence of damnation. Every sin, like all others, still leaves room for forgiveness through repentance. The Holy Spirit did not give this warning to keep sincere Christians from their duty, though the devil often twists it to rob good believers of their comfort.

The Corinthians came to the Lord’s table as if it were an ordinary meal. They did not discern the Lord’s body, that is, they did not make any difference between this sacred food and common food. They treated both as equal, and in fact they behaved with more shame at this holy feast than they would have at a normal one. This was very sinful and very displeasing to God, and it brought his judgments on them: for this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. Some were punished with illness, and some with death.

A careless and disrespectful receiving of the Lord’s Supper may bring temporal punishments. Yet the words also suggest that even those who were punished were still in God’s favor, at least many of them were. They were disciplined by the Lord so that they would not be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32). Divine discipline is a sign of divine love: whom the Lord loves he disciplines (Hebrews 12:6). This is especially true when his purpose is merciful, to keep a person from final condemnation.

In the middle of judgment, God remembers mercy. He often punishes those whom he dearly loves. It is kindness to use discipline to keep a child from ruin. He may visit such sin with stripes, yet still make those stripes proof of his love. Those who deeply offended God in this matter were still loved by him, at least many of them were, because he punished them like a father to keep them from perishing forever.

It is better to suffer trouble in this world than misery forever. God corrects his people now to keep them from eternal pain later.

He then points out the duty of those who would come to the Lord’s table. In general, let a person examine himself (1 Corinthians 11:28). Let him test himself and prove himself. Let him think about the holy purpose of this ordinance, its nature, and its use, and then compare that with his own reasons for coming and the state of his heart. When he has satisfied his conscience before God, then let him come. Such self-examination is necessary for a right attendance at this holy ordinance.

Those who, because of weak understanding, cannot examine themselves are not fit to eat this bread and drink this cup. Neither are those who, after honest testing, have clear reason to accuse themselves of hard-heartedness, unbelief, and being cut off from the life of God. Those who would be welcome at this marriage feast must have the wedding garment on, meaning grace in their lives and grace active in their hearts.

He also gives the duty of those who had not yet been punished for their misuse of the ordinance: if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged (1 Corinthians 11:31). If we would search ourselves closely, condemn what is wrong, and correct it, we would avoid God’s judgments. The safest way to avoid our heavenly Father’s just severity is to be strict with ourselves and our own conduct. We must not judge others, lest we be judged (Matthew 7:1), but we must judge ourselves to keep from being judged and condemned by God. We may be strict about ourselves, but we should be fair and charitable toward others.

He closes with a warning against the disorder they had shown (1 Corinthians 11:33, 34). They were to satisfy hunger and enjoy ordinary meals at home, not turn the holy supper into a common feast. Much less were they to eat all the food before others, especially those who could bring none, took part. Otherwise they would come together for condemnation. Even our holy duties can become a cause of judgment if we misuse them.

Christians may keep Sabbaths, hear sermons, and attend the sacraments, and yet only make their guilt greater and bring on a heavier judgment. It is a sad but serious truth. Let everyone take care not to come together for God’s worship and at the same time provoke him and bring down judgment on themselves. Holy things must be used in a holy way, or they are profaned. If anything else was still wrong in this matter, he says, he would set it right when he came to them.