1 Cor 11:
The Lord's Supper
17In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your
meetings do more harm than good. 18In the first place, I hear that
when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some
extent I believe it. 19No doubt there have to be differences among
you to show which of you have God's approval. 20When you come
together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21for as you eat,
each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry,
another gets drunk. 22Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or
do you despise the
23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The
Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he
had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for
you; do this in remembrance of me." 25In the same way, after
supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood;
do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26For
whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death
until he comes.
27Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in
an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the
Lord. 28A man ought to examine
himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29For
anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing
the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30That
is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen
asleep. 31But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under
judgment. 32When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined
so that we will not be condemned with the world.
33So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each
other. 34If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when
you meet together it may not result in judgment.
And when I come I will give further directions.
Here are other translations of the verse I’d like to focus on.
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co 11:29 (RSV) For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
What are we in danger of failing to estimate? Estimation has to do with measuring. What are we supposed to measure? The previous verse tells us;
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
1Co
This phrase is also used in other places:
2 Corinthians 13
5Examine yourselves to see
whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that
Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?
Ga 6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
So the purpose of this examination is to discern the body of Christ—specifically to see if He is really in you or not.
Is this command to discern the body completely individualistic? Notice how Paul was correcting their habit of failing to discern the body of Christ collective: the Church.
19No doubt there have to
be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20When
you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21for as you
eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains
hungry, another gets drunk. 22Don't you have homes to eat and drink
in? Or do you despise the
33So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. 34If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.
“Those who have nothing” are also part of the body of Christ—and those who had food were not sharing with those who went hungry. This was a wicked derivation from the apostolic tradition of Church life.
Acts 2
43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous
signs were done by the apostles. 44All
the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling
their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Acts 6
The Choosing of the Seven
1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the
Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily
distribution of food. 2So the Twelve gathered all the disciples
together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry
of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3Brothers, choose
seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We
will turn this responsibility over to them 4and will give our
attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."
5This proposal pleased the whole group.
The Corinthians failed to properly discern the body of Christ collectively. They did not see to it that their possessions were shared according to need. They also did not have everything in common. If someone really belongs to Christ, then your stuff is theirs and their stuff is yours, according to need: It all belongs to Christ right? Now that is a scary thought when you look at the lack of Christian stewardship today. However, obedience to God’s stewardship commands is a characteristic of a true believer. For a scriptural explanation of that statement, please read my document entitled, “New Age Prosperity Gospel”.
However, in the case of false brother, collective ownership is warned against:
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and
wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light
have with darkness?
(Whole Chapter: In
context: )
Collective ownership sounds crazy (if a brother could be lazy), but we are rescued from stupidity by collectively following God’s laws. Discerning the body on this issue is quite clear. Chipping in is part of being a true brother in the Lord:
If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his
immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
(Whole Chapter: In
context: )
It is clear that we are to treat believers and unbelievers differently. Therefore we must properly discern the body, and make a right judgement. We are far more obligated to our brothers and sisters in the Lord, than to someone who fails the test (2 Corinthians 13:5).
1 Timothy 5:3
3Give proper recognition
to those widows who are really in need. 4But if a widow has children
or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into
practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and
grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5The widow who is really
in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to
pray and to ask God for help. 6But the widow who lives for pleasure
is dead even while she lives. 7Give the people these instructions,
too, so that no one may be open to blame. 8If anyone does not
provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has
denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty,
has been faithful to her husband,[1]
10and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up
children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in
trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
11As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when
their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12Thus
they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge.
13Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about
from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and
busybodies, saying things they ought not to. 14So I counsel younger
widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy
no opportunity for slander. 15Some have in fact already turned away
to follow Satan.
16If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she
should help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the
church can help those widows who are really in need.
Also, we should probably not strike believers blind:
Acts 13:6
6They traveled through the
whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and
false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7who was an attendant of the
proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas
and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8But Elymas the
sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the
proconsul from the faith. 9Then Saul, who was also called Paul,
filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10"You
are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full
of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right
ways of the Lord? 11Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are
going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the
sun."
12Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about,
seeking someone to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had
happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
There are at least 8 reasons why it is important to discern the body of Christ. The first one is mentioned in the passage above. We are warned in 1 Cor 11:30 that failing to properly discern the body of Christ lead to weakness, sickness, and death. This seems severe, but if you disobey all 8 of the items below, don’t you think you would bring curses on yourself?
We also must be able to discern the body in order to obey God’s following commands:
Is it impossible to know if someone else is a brother or not? I hope it is possible. Otherwise, there is no way for me obey the 7 commands above. Dan Corner points out what we can know about other people’s spiritual state at http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/assure.htm.
In one paragraph on http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/assure2.htm,
Dan writes against the concept of lifestyle
sinning, a concept that I happen to believe in. However, there is no point in me
re-writing this fine article that answers the above question well: How can I discern the body of Christ in
me and others? How can I know
whether someone is a brother or not?
I am pasting this portion of http://www.evangelicaloutreach.org/assure.htm below since the rest of the article would be redundant for those who are already familiar with the scriptural responses to OSAS arguments concerning salvation assurance.
We can know who knows God and who doesn't:
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him (2:3-5, NIV).
We can know who has been born again:
If you know that he is righteous,
you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him (
We can know the children of God and the children of the devil by one's behavior:
This is how we know who the
children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not
do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his
brother (
We can know we have passed from spiritual death to spiritual life by our love:
We know that we have passed
from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love
remains in death (
We can know other people are not saved by the hatred they have:
Whoever hates his brother is a
murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him
(
We can know we belong to the truth by helping our Christian brothers materially, if they are in need. This shows God's love in us:
If anyone has material possessions
and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be
in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions
and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and
how we set our hearts at rest in his presence (
Please note, according to the Apostle John, we can know another person is unsaved by his behavior with as much assurance as we can know we are presently saved, because we are believing on Jesus! Love and general obedience (or hatred and general disobedience) to God are the checkpoints for such cited by this true grace teacher in his epistle.
Regarding knowing another's
spiritual family, Paul knew Elymas was a child of the devil (Acts
So a “spiritual man” can “estimate” who is and is not his brother. “By their fruit” he can recognize them.
Matt 7:13-23
13 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
(NIV)
Ezekiel 3
Warning to Israel
16 At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: 17
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of
20 "Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness
and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. Since you
did not warn him, he will die for his sin. The righteous things he did will not
be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. 21 But
if you do warn the righteous man not to sin and he does not sin, he will surely
live because he took warning, and you will have saved yourself."
Obviously, true fellowship in the spirit can only occur between believers.
1 John 1
6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness,
we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light,
as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[1]
sin.
8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth
is not in us.
People who will not call their sin what it is are not struggling with sin. They are rationalizing it and denying God’s forgiveness. Verse 8 explains that the truth is not in them.
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter
for sweet and sweet for bitter.
(Whole Chapter: In
context: )
God only promises fellowship among those who walk in the light—calling on the blood of Jesus to forgive them and cleanse them of what the Bible calls sin. This passage tells us to carefully restore a brother who is struggling with a sin.
Galatians 6
1Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should
restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry
each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3If
anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4Each
one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without
comparing himself to somebody else, 5for each one should carry his
own load.
Jude 1
22Be merciful to those who doubt; 23snatch others from
the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear--hating even the
clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
They devoted themselves to the apostles'
teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to
prayer.
(Whole Chapter: In
context: )
What was the fellowship like? Was it movies and pizza? Probably not—according to this document on secular media written by Kristine Firth.
James
4:4
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world
is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world
becomes an enemy of God.
(Whole Chapter: James
4 In context: James
4:3-5)
1
Peter 2:11
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world,
to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
(Whole Chapter: 1
Peter 2 In context: 1
Peter 2:10-12)
1
Corinthians 15:33
Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good
character."
(Whole Chapter: 1
Corinthians 15 In context: 1
Corinthians 15:32-34)
Does that leave you no one to be with?
1 Corinthians 5
9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually
immoral people-- 10not at all meaning the people of this world who
are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would
have to leave this world.
Genesis
41:33
"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him
in charge of the land of Egypt.
(Whole Chapter: Genesis
41 In context: Genesis
41:32-34)
Genesis
41:39
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you,
there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
(Whole Chapter: Genesis
41 In context: Genesis
41:38-40)
2
Samuel 14:17
"And now your servant says, 'May the word of my lord the king bring me
rest, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good
and evil. May the LORD your God be with you.' "
(Whole Chapter: 2
Samuel 14 In context: 2
Samuel 14:16-18)
1
Kings 3:9
So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to
distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great
people of yours?"
(Whole Chapter: 1
Kings 3 In context: 1
Kings 3:8-10)
1
Kings 3:12
I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning
heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever
be.
(Whole Chapter: 1
Kings 3 In context: 1
Kings 3:11-13)
Proverbs
1:5
let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning
get guidance-
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
1 In context: Proverbs
1:4-6)
Proverbs
8:9
To the discerning all of them are right; they are faultless to those who
have knowledge.
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
8 In context: Proverbs
8:8-10)
Proverbs
10:13
Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back
of him who lacks judgment.
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
10 In context: Proverbs
10:12-14)
Proverbs
14:6
The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
14 In context: Proverbs
14:5-7)
Proverbs
14:33
Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning and even among fools she
lets herself be known. [
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
14 In context: Proverbs
14:32-34)
Proverbs
15:14
The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on
folly.
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
15 In context: Proverbs
15:13-15)
Proverbs
16:21
The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote
instruction. [
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
16 In context: Proverbs
16:20-22)
Proverbs
17:24
A discerning man keeps wisdom in view, but a fool's eyes wander to the
ends of the earth.
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
17 In context: Proverbs
17:23-25)
Proverbs
17:28
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he
holds his tongue.
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
17 In context: Proverbs
17:27-29)
Proverbs
18:15
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise
seek it out.
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
18 In context: Proverbs
18:14-16)
Proverbs
19:25
Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke a discerning
man, and he will gain knowledge.
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
19 In context: Proverbs
19:24-26)
Proverbs
28:7
He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons
disgraces his father.
(Whole Chapter: Proverbs
28 In context: Proverbs
28:6-8)
Daniel
2:21
He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom
to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
(Whole Chapter: Daniel
2 In context: Daniel
2:20-22)
Hosea
14:9
Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will
understand them. The ways of the LORD are right; the righteous walk in them,
but the rebellious stumble in them.
(Whole Chapter: Hosea
14 In context: Hosea
14:8-10)