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NASB | 1 Corinthians 11:29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Corinthians 11:29 For anyone who eats and drinks [without solemn reverence and heartfelt gratitude for the sacrifice of Christ], eats and drinks a judgment on himself if he does not recognize the body [of Christ]. |
Bible Question:
This is an issue i have been struggling with for some time now - raised baptist i was taught that the Lord's supper is a symbolic act - a memorial - shown by the words "this do in rememberence of me". Recently i have been introduced to Lutherans that believe it is much more than that. they believe Christ's spirit is present in the bread and wine and thus taking communion imparts on us the blessings of the holy spirit and the forgiveness of sins. they draw heavily from 1 Cor. 11:29 where Paul warns about taking communion unworthily. NASB 1 Cor 11:29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. AMP For anyone who eats and drinks without discriminating and recognizing with due appreciation that [it is Christ's] body, eats and drinks a sentence (a verdict of judgment) upon himself. my Bible says "if he does not discern the body" and the literal greek is "not judging through the body". is this a reference to Christ's true spiritual presence in communion? or is communion simply a symbolic act we participate in to proclaim "the death of the Lord until He arrives"? ive gone around and around on this one with baptist ministers and lutheran pastors. i wont explain further, but my situation is dire and i need some real spiritual guidence here. any help would be appreciated. thanks. tproffitt_79 |
Bible Answer: The passage 11.23-32 (which contains your verse) comes between two other passages about disunity in celebrating the Lord's Supper (11.17-22 and 11.33-34), the last of which seems to me to sum up a complete argument. If you read your verse in this wider context, it might lead you to conclude that the body in 11.29 is the ecclesia as the body of Christ. (Paul has already referred to the body in this sense in 6.15, and will use the metaphor extensively in 12.12 onwards.) The above is how I have always read (and preached) the passage. I, too, come from a tradition that regards the Lord's Supper as a symbolic act, a memorial. Against the spirit-infused interpretation you mention (which presumably identifies the body in v29 with the body in v24) I suggest it is relevant that the body is only eaten and not drunk. Of course, Paul does not always argue neatly, but on the whole I find more coherence in taking the body as the ecclesia. Hope this helps. |