“Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” I Cor 11:27-29 (KJV)
There is a serious admonition to examine ourselves prior to taking the bread and the wine of the Lord’s supper. Where do we start in our examination? We start with the Bible. From the foundation of the world, God knew mankind would need a Savior (Rev 13:8): “Every inclination of [man’s] heart is evil from childhood” (Gen 8:21); The heart is deceitful (Jer 17:9); “There is no one who does good” (Psalm 14:1, 53:3); “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). Then Paul sums it all up: “O wretched man that I am!” That’s where our self-examination leads us; not merely the realization that we have done bad things or made wrong choices, but that we are wretched. The human condition is wretched. But Paul continues, “who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Thankfully, he gives us the answer: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:24-25) The realization must come in our self-examination that we need the Savior as our own personal Savior.
When we first come to see our need for the Savior, we see bits and pieces of our wretchedness. As we continue to seek God and draw closer to Him in covenant relationship, His light illuminates our impurities and imperfections. We face ever increasingly the stark reality of our very unrighteousness contrasted with His righteousness, graciousness, majesty, and love. What incredible love God has for us (I John 4:10)! Jesus came in the flesh (John 1:14), willingly divested Himself of His Godhead (Phil 2:7, Heb 2:9, 14, 17), to be our Savior. He paid the price for our sins (II Cor 5:21); He was tortured for our sakes (Isaiah 53:2-12). Hebrews 10:10 says, “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Furthermore, His suffering provided for us a High Priest who understands all of our weaknesses and temptations (Heb 4:15), and one who ever lives to make intercession before the Father on our behalf (Heb 7:25). Jesus Christ is the propitiation which not only pays the debt, but also restores our relationship with the Father (Romans 3:25).
Jesus is our peace (Eph 2:14); He is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption (I Cor 1:30); He is our Rock (I Cor 10:4); He is our light (John 1:5, 8-9); He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6); He is our salvation (Luke 1:69). He is our King (Rev 17:14, 19:16)! He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Rev 21:6)! He is all in all to us - He is our everything!
And this Great God of the entire universe has come to dwell in you and me! “For we are the temple of the living God” (I Cor 3:16, 6:19, II Cor 6:16-17). Then when we realize that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh again, in our flesh (I John 4:2), we begin to understand the importance of separating ourselves from uncleanness (II Cor 6:17, Deut 23:12-14, Lev 15:31). As Paul admonishes, “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (II Cor 7:1).
Our examination should bring a sense of unworthiness, deep gratitude, and humility before God our Father. But that’s okay! James 4:10 tells us, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Therefore, we strive to bring every thought into subjection to Jesus Christ (II Cor 10:5), to put to death whatever belongs to the earthly nature (Col 3:5), to win the war that constantly battles in our minds (Romans 7:14-23). How do we do all of that? We don’t! “Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25)! Thus our self-examination leads to recognizing more deeply who the Lord Jesus Christ is to each of us personally, and thus, perhaps, to discerning more clearly the body of Christ in preparation for participation in the Lord’s Supper. Just some thoughts. Selah! (Think about it.)
There is a serious admonition to examine ourselves prior to taking the bread and the wine of the Lord’s supper. Where do we start in our examination? We start with the Bible. From the foundation of the world, God knew mankind would need a Savior (Rev 13:8): “Every inclination of [man’s] heart is evil from childhood” (Gen 8:21); The heart is deceitful (Jer 17:9); “There is no one who does good” (Psalm 14:1, 53:3); “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). Then Paul sums it all up: “O wretched man that I am!” That’s where our self-examination leads us; not merely the realization that we have done bad things or made wrong choices, but that we are wretched. The human condition is wretched. But Paul continues, “who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Thankfully, he gives us the answer: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:24-25) The realization must come in our self-examination that we need the Savior as our own personal Savior.
When we first come to see our need for the Savior, we see bits and pieces of our wretchedness. As we continue to seek God and draw closer to Him in covenant relationship, His light illuminates our impurities and imperfections. We face ever increasingly the stark reality of our very unrighteousness contrasted with His righteousness, graciousness, majesty, and love. What incredible love God has for us (I John 4:10)! Jesus came in the flesh (John 1:14), willingly divested Himself of His Godhead (Phil 2:7, Heb 2:9, 14, 17), to be our Savior. He paid the price for our sins (II Cor 5:21); He was tortured for our sakes (Isaiah 53:2-12). Hebrews 10:10 says, “we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Furthermore, His suffering provided for us a High Priest who understands all of our weaknesses and temptations (Heb 4:15), and one who ever lives to make intercession before the Father on our behalf (Heb 7:25). Jesus Christ is the propitiation which not only pays the debt, but also restores our relationship with the Father (Romans 3:25).
Jesus is our peace (Eph 2:14); He is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption (I Cor 1:30); He is our Rock (I Cor 10:4); He is our light (John 1:5, 8-9); He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6); He is our salvation (Luke 1:69). He is our King (Rev 17:14, 19:16)! He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Rev 21:6)! He is all in all to us - He is our everything!
And this Great God of the entire universe has come to dwell in you and me! “For we are the temple of the living God” (I Cor 3:16, 6:19, II Cor 6:16-17). Then when we realize that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh again, in our flesh (I John 4:2), we begin to understand the importance of separating ourselves from uncleanness (II Cor 6:17, Deut 23:12-14, Lev 15:31). As Paul admonishes, “Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (II Cor 7:1).
Our examination should bring a sense of unworthiness, deep gratitude, and humility before God our Father. But that’s okay! James 4:10 tells us, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Therefore, we strive to bring every thought into subjection to Jesus Christ (II Cor 10:5), to put to death whatever belongs to the earthly nature (Col 3:5), to win the war that constantly battles in our minds (Romans 7:14-23). How do we do all of that? We don’t! “Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25)! Thus our self-examination leads to recognizing more deeply who the Lord Jesus Christ is to each of us personally, and thus, perhaps, to discerning more clearly the body of Christ in preparation for participation in the Lord’s Supper. Just some thoughts. Selah! (Think about it.)
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