With Understanding

The third paragraph of the bulletin text on the Lord's Supper reads: "The Bible also teaches that we are to take part in the Lord's Supper with understanding, not superstitiously (1 Corinthians 11:29). And we are to do it honestly, searching our hearts to see if we have freely confessed known sin and are seeking true fellowship with God (v. 28). If you have been clinging to sin, you must confess and forsake it."

The table is to be "fenced" not only from unbelievers, but from Christians who abuse the Supper with sinful attitudes. The Corinthians sinned by using the Supper to actually humiliate their poorer brothers and sisters. The Supper became a means to distinguish between the rich and the poor. We abuse the Supper if we partake while harboring resentment against others or through proud spirits. We abuse the Supper if we treat it with indifference, not discerning the body of Christ.

The last sentence about clinging to sin, speaks of a heart attitude that refuses to deal with sin. We all sin, and there is never a time that we are free of sin. But it is one thing to struggle with sin and another to consciously embrace it. The Lord's Supper is for sinners; it is a reminder to us sinners that Christ has paid the price for our sins and that he even now intercedes for us. It is Christ's invitation to us sinners to feed upon him, to take heart that he is still here for us. It is God's message to us that the sacrifice of Christ alone is what has made atonement for our sins. We don't come to the table when we have rid ourselves of sin; we come in order to gain blessing and strength and faith to carry on in our efforts to walk in the ways pleasing to God.