Among Lutherans—nay, among Christians—the very
cornerstone of confessional unity is the Sacrament of the Altar. We in the
Missouri Synod believe and teach that our doctrine and practice is guided by
God’s Word, and when we consider Communion, one question punctuates our
understanding of “confessional unity”:
Who is invited to the Lord’s Supper?
Perhaps the answer can be found in a
different question: Who is not
invited to the Lord’s Supper?
I read a paper by a Lutheran pastor which makes
the point that “Jesus nowhere commands the church to invite everyone to this
Supper. The gospel, the good news, we are to preach in all the world. And regarding
baptism Jesus says, ‘Baptize all nations.’ Never, however, does he say: ‘Give
my body and blood to everyone.’ It was instituted in the close fellowship of
the twelve. It is not for everyone. The Lord has to tell us under what
circumstances or to whom this sacrament is a blessing.” And so He did, through
the Apostle Paul, whose exhortation in 1 Corinthians is the law of the
Communion rail, so to speak:
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the
Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the
Lord. 28 Let a
person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats
and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. (1
Corinthians 11:27-30 ESV)
But how does confessional unity fit into
Paul’s exhortation about (un)worthiness? The church in Corinth was not Roman
Catholic, nor Lutheran, nor any other denomination or sect. Paul’s letter was
addressed to “the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in
Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place
call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” (v. 1
ESB), the Christian Church.
Luther wrote that “those who are cold and
careless, who use Christian freedom as a cover for their disinterest with
respect to God; the impudent and wild, who discount their sins and grace” ought
not to approach the altar. Such persons place their soul in peril by drinking
the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner.
Faith creates the desire to amend one’s
sinful life. The repentant sinner who approaches the Lord’s Table in genuine
faith does so, then, in accordance with 1 Corinthians 11:27-29. Paul did not
intend for the overseers of the church in Corinth to determine who was invited
to Communion, but that right administration of the Sacrament requires
oversight.
1 Corinthians 11 does not forbid anyone
from the Lord’s Table. Communion is to be administered and received in
conformity with our Confessions and God’s Word. By diligently ensuring that
those who desire to approach the altar have been sufficiently instructed (with
regard to Baptism, repentance, faith, self-examination, and confessional unity),
our church—and our congregation—finds the answer to a question no longer needed
to be asked: Who is invited to the Lord’s Supper?
That’s it for now. Look for “Confessional
Unity: Part 4” next month. Until then, may the Lord bless you and keep you!
Pastor
E.B.
