In his first epistle to Corinth, the apostle Paul wanted to correct abuses of the local church gathering. The agape meal culminating with the Lord's Supper particularly needed intervention because their attitude was leading to discipline from the Lord to the point of death (1 Cor 11:30). Why this strong reaction by God with direct consequence on the church? Factions mentioned in chapter one were being manifest in the gathering through their lack of community: some were gluttonous and drunk, while others suffered want. Because of this, Paul explains that there is something more happening that they had not considered:
Resurrection body – The most widely taught interpretation of the above text is that we as believers meeting together are to comprehend and appreciate with due reverence what is being handled in remembrance of Christ. For this to be most effective, the Lord's imminent presence would need to somehow surround the bread and cup. To gain the same level of effectiveness, those who take a symbolic view of the elements need to perform self-evaluation and somehow ascertain my level of spirituality against a self-defined standard. This leaves the believer with a hopeless conclusion: sin still remains, so I am not worthy to partake until I m more sanctified.
Church body – This minority view looks at the passage and says that the body life of the local church is in view. The church in Corinth (or any church) is a manifestation of the body of Christ with him as the head (Eph 1:22-23). Each believer needs to understand this truth in order to cure the ills so prevalently manifest when gathered together. When a believer willfully ignores the proper understanding of how the local assembly should function, he places himself in danger. This approach focuses more on the corporate aspect of the body, and the consequences of our interactions with relation to worship. However, the weakness is not fully resolving the interaction of elements with Christ's body and blood in the intervening verses.
Which View Is Correct?
Thinking on this topic and examining what is before me, I cannot help but wonder if the correct answer is C. All of the above. As Paul lays out the problem and solution, both corporate and personal responsibility are in view—both need repentance and reorientation. Christ has paid the price of sin. There is no need to burden ourselves with its guilt, neither should there be an inclination to wallow in it. Rather live as an appreciative, free people being recipients of an abundant grace.
In addition, the bread and cup are symbols of remembrance. This does not mean just bringing something to mind but joining again the disparate aspects of who Christ is and what he has done for us on the cross
- 1 Corinthians 11: 27-29
- Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
Resurrection body – The most widely taught interpretation of the above text is that we as believers meeting together are to comprehend and appreciate with due reverence what is being handled in remembrance of Christ. For this to be most effective, the Lord's imminent presence would need to somehow surround the bread and cup. To gain the same level of effectiveness, those who take a symbolic view of the elements need to perform self-evaluation and somehow ascertain my level of spirituality against a self-defined standard. This leaves the believer with a hopeless conclusion: sin still remains, so I am not worthy to partake until I m more sanctified.
Church body – This minority view looks at the passage and says that the body life of the local church is in view. The church in Corinth (or any church) is a manifestation of the body of Christ with him as the head (Eph 1:22-23). Each believer needs to understand this truth in order to cure the ills so prevalently manifest when gathered together. When a believer willfully ignores the proper understanding of how the local assembly should function, he places himself in danger. This approach focuses more on the corporate aspect of the body, and the consequences of our interactions with relation to worship. However, the weakness is not fully resolving the interaction of elements with Christ's body and blood in the intervening verses.
Which View Is Correct?
Thinking on this topic and examining what is before me, I cannot help but wonder if the correct answer is C. All of the above. As Paul lays out the problem and solution, both corporate and personal responsibility are in view—both need repentance and reorientation. Christ has paid the price of sin. There is no need to burden ourselves with its guilt, neither should there be an inclination to wallow in it. Rather live as an appreciative, free people being recipients of an abundant grace.
In addition, the bread and cup are symbols of remembrance. This does not mean just bringing something to mind but joining again the disparate aspects of who Christ is and what he has done for us on the cross
- to gain a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession who would proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
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