It can be challenging for Christians to understand the difference between the commands [Heb. Mitzvah] mandated by God compared to the doctrines or teachings adopted by a religious organization. God’s commands are very specific laws about the principles that govern God’s Kingdom in a way that pleases him. God has an expectation about these laws. Doctrines are more generalized and some may be open to interpretation.
In the Old Testament Torah, God gave the Israelites Ten Commandments—moral Laws—of love ( Exodus 20:3-17). These laws involve absolute expectations, social and personal directives, and patterns for leading one’s family. The Israelites struggled to understand and obediently honor these Ten. Yet, later the religious leaders of Israel made things much harder for the people by adding to the Ten Commandments for a total of 613 rules—[Heb. Mishnah Oral law/tradition] —a kind of doctrine for guiding daily life. For example, the Sabbath (Mitzvah #4) was a day of rest to be kept holy, so later the Mishnah sought to define the work that could or could not be done on the Sabbath. The Mishnah was meant to help people better know God, but it complicated a relationship to the point of despair.
In the New Testament, Jesus consolidated the Father’s commands for the people as follows, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mat 22:37-39). We must remember the commands of God have been written on the hearts of believers. When we break God’s commands of love, even if we do not want to acknowledge the Truth, we know it.
In our passage today, the Apostle Paul is addressing the church in Corinth. Love is lacking and Paul rebukes the people for coming to the table to remember and partake of Christ’s love when they are obviously not loving God wholeheartedly or one another as much as they love themselves. The people are gathering for what is called a “love feast” and although they bring food they are far from sharing love.
So Paul gives instructions as to how the Lord’s Supper should be observed as a whole by the congregation: 1) thoughtfully as Christ sacrificially died for our sins; 2) worthily out of reverence and respect; 3) prayerfully to confess our sins and poor attitudes; 4) orderly and in a unified manner. Before coming to the table of the Lord, we are to seek to resolve our differences with others; this removes the barriers that affect our communion with God.
1 Corinthians 11:27-33 NLT Order at the Lord’s Supper
17 But in the following instructions, I cannot praise you. For it sounds as if more harm than good is done when you meet together. 18 First, I hear that there are divisions among you when you meet as a church, and to some extent I believe it. 19 But, of course, there must be divisions among you so that you who have God’s approval will be recognized!
20 When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. 21 For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. 22 What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!
27 So anyone who eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily is guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking the cup. 29 For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
31 But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. 32 Yet when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world.
33 So, my dear brothers and sisters, when you gather for the Lord’s Supper, wait for each other.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for sacrificing your life to bring us the New Covenant of Grace. We know your beautiful commandments, because we have them written on our hearts by the Spirit. As our Savior, you fulfilled these Laws on our behalf; we could not have obediently fulfilled them ourselves. Therefore, help us to examine our hearts for unconfessed sin. As well, please help us to look at our spiritual family through the eyes of your love and seek to come to your table not as a ritual, but sincerely honoring the true One—Bread of Life—who heals all of our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.