Tuesday, July 27, 2021

July 27, 2021

Question 97: What is required to be the worthy receiving of the Lord's supper?
Answer: It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord's supper, that they examine themselves of their knowledge to discern the Lord's body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience; lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgement to themselves.

This is a good and biblical answer, however, there is something missing from this answer. The thing missing is church membership. I do not mean membership in the particular local church in which a traveler might take part in the Lord’s Supper, but I mean membership in the church universal. We do not believe in Baptismal regeneration; therefore, this is not of which I am speaking. However, we do believe that Baptism is a church ordinance; therefore, Baptism is a prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and the Lord’s Supper. Faith in Jesus Christ is the prerequisite to Baptism, believers Baptism is the prerequisite to church membership and church membership is the prerequisite to participation in the Lord’s Supper. 

The apostle Paul wrote, 1 Corinthians 11:27-32
Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
The period of time before participating in and ingesting the Lord’s supper is a time to reflect on persistent personal sin, to confess it and forsake it. We should also reflect while taking the the Lord’s Supper that “ Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Cor. 15:3-4) It is the joy of a believer to participate in the ordinance of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.