Taking Communion in an Unworthy Manner

By Paul Ellis
I remember as a 10 year old boy watching in terror as the communion plate came closer and closer. Why was I afraid? Because there was unresolved sin in my life  – I had argued with my sister before church! I knew that those who took
communion in an unworthy manner risked condemnation, even death, for the Bible told me so:

1Co 11:26  For whenever you eat this bread  and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
1Co  11:27  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.
1Co 11:28  A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
1Co 11:29  For anyone who eats and drinks  without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on
himself.
1Co 11:30  That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a  number of you have fallen asleep.
1Co 11:31  But if we judged  ourselves, we would not come under judgment.
1Co 11:32  When we are  judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned
with the world.

 Thankfully, I was wrong.

 This passage above must be one of the most abused and misunderstood passages  in the entire Bible. It is regularly used to deny communion to those who need  and it is frightening to 10 year olds. As we will see, it is one of the most
liberating scriptures in the Bible, yet many believers are condemned by it.  Doesn’t this seem a bit odd to you? Afterall, this passage was written by the  same apostle who said, “there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ  Jesus.” So what’s going on here? Did Paul have a change of heart? Is he now  saying that God will condemn us if we partake of communion in an unworthy  manner? No he is not.
Read full article at: http://escapetoreality.org/2011/04/10/taking-communion-in-an-unworthy-manner/