The Meal That Heals

The Meal That Heals

W. E. Vines, in his expository dictionary of New Testament Greek words, notes that the word unworthily means “treating it as a common meal, the bread and cup as common things, not apprehending their solemn symbolic import.” The very meal that should have brought healing, unity, and restoration to the individual had instead brought judgment to those who did not discern it properly. A person should never partake in the Communion service in an unsaved condition or as a careless religious ritual. Before receiving Communion, we as believers should examine ourselves inwardly to determine it we have sinned against God or against our fellow man. We are to search and repent to God and man for any hidden sin or act of disobedience. In this manner, we keep our spirit and soul pure. There is a threefold purpose for this self-examination: 1. to make sure we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) 2. to make sure there is no hidden sin in our heart (Hebrews 12:1) 3. to make sure we are in proper relationship with the family of God (1 John 3:23-24) If a person partakes of the sacred supper in a sinful condition, both the spiritual results and the healing effect of the meal are made void. The divine purpose is hindered and, in the case of Judas, the meal intended to heal brought death. Partaking Unworthily At the Last Supper, Christ revealed that the broken bread was His body and the cup with the fruit of the vine represented His blood. “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body And he took the cup, and gave thanks and gave it to them saying, Drink ye all of it. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28

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