Holy Communion
We believe that the sacrament of Holy Communion is a participation in receiving the body and blood of Christ. Those who commune must be able to examine themselves in the light of God’s holy Law and saving Gospel. They must be able to recognize, understand, and believe the doctrine of the Real Presence in the sacrament. The Bible states, “Therefore, 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. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-32)
We furthermore believe that the sacrament of Holy Communion is an expression of unity among those who commune. We believe and teach that participating in the Lord’s Supper does not itself create unity among believers, but rather expresses a unity that has already been established. Holy Communion is a public display of oneness of faith. In 1 Corinthians 10:16-21 the apostle Paul writes, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf”. To drive home that point, Paul continues by making a comparison with the Israelites who participated with non-believers in the eating of sacrifices that were offered to idols. By their participation, the Israelites were identifying themselves as being one with them. And Paul’s response? “Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar: Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons”. Paul’s warning to the church simply states that no outward expression of unity should be given where unity does not exist.
Because the above two points are scriptural, our church offers and participates in the sacrament with those who:
Following the words of the apostle Paul above, our church together with all other churches that hold to the same beliefs, practice what is known as “member communion”, offering the sacrament to those who have publicly expressed their unity with us by membership in the church.
By following this practice, we are not questioning the personal faith of any individual. The Lord does not allow us to judge each other’s hearts. Only he can and has the right to do that. We simply do not want to presume that our visitors wish to delcare their doctrinal unity with us until they have had an opportunity to study our beliefs and teachings. We believe and rejoice that there are true Christians present in every Christian church and denomination where the true God is worshipped and the Gospel is proclaimed.
This biblical practice is not a human institution. It dates back to the first celebration of Holy Communion by our Lord himself and is based upon his instructions to the church through the apostle Paul. It has always been the practice of the historic Christian church and of confessional Lutherans.
We furthermore believe that the sacrament of Holy Communion is an expression of unity among those who commune. We believe and teach that participating in the Lord’s Supper does not itself create unity among believers, but rather expresses a unity that has already been established. Holy Communion is a public display of oneness of faith. In 1 Corinthians 10:16-21 the apostle Paul writes, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf”. To drive home that point, Paul continues by making a comparison with the Israelites who participated with non-believers in the eating of sacrifices that were offered to idols. By their participation, the Israelites were identifying themselves as being one with them. And Paul’s response? “Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar: Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons”. Paul’s warning to the church simply states that no outward expression of unity should be given where unity does not exist.
Because the above two points are scriptural, our church offers and participates in the sacrament with those who:
- recognize and believe in the Real Presence;
- are able to examine themselves in the light of God’s Law and Gospel;
- are publically united with us in our confession and belief – as explained below.
Following the words of the apostle Paul above, our church together with all other churches that hold to the same beliefs, practice what is known as “member communion”, offering the sacrament to those who have publicly expressed their unity with us by membership in the church.
By following this practice, we are not questioning the personal faith of any individual. The Lord does not allow us to judge each other’s hearts. Only he can and has the right to do that. We simply do not want to presume that our visitors wish to delcare their doctrinal unity with us until they have had an opportunity to study our beliefs and teachings. We believe and rejoice that there are true Christians present in every Christian church and denomination where the true God is worshipped and the Gospel is proclaimed.
This biblical practice is not a human institution. It dates back to the first celebration of Holy Communion by our Lord himself and is based upon his instructions to the church through the apostle Paul. It has always been the practice of the historic Christian church and of confessional Lutherans.