The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 379

Vers. 27-29.-Perils at the Lord's table. A frequent question, "Who should come to the Lord's table?" Many have come who ought not to have come as they were; not a few have been ,leterred from coming who were quite suitable. Many have not pondered sufficiently the duty of observing the Lord's Supper; many have been alarmed by certain expressions contained in this passage. I. GLANCE .c\T THE SCENE. It lies in gay, voluptuous, immoral Corinth. A city magnificent externally; abased and abandoned internally. A meeting of Christians in some private house, light amid darkness, truth surrounded by error, holiness in the centre of corruption. The gathering is for the love-feast and the Supper of the Lord. A love-feast, alas! in which love is largely absent; a i::,upper of the Lord in which the Lord is strangely dishonoured. The light is dimmed, the truth iE alloyed with error, the holiness is defiled by guilt. 'l.'here are divisions (eh. i. 11, 12); there_ are pride, selfishness, irreverence (vers. 21, 22); there is even drunkenness (ver. 21); yea, even further, the hideous head of immorality is raised in the midst of this little Christian society ( eh. v. 1). This Epistle arrives from the founder of the Church-a letter _smiting Corinthian transgression and transgressors hip and thigh. Picture the scene! JI. GLANCE A.T CERTAIN WORDS AND THEl!t MEANINGS. 1. Damnation. This won] has so terrified some that they have never been able to summon sufficient courage to obey the dying command of their Lord. 'l.'hey havo supposed that an unworthy participation in the sacred feast would seal their doom and consign them to perdition without remedy. Dut tho word does not justify such a view. Instead of "damnation," we should read, as in the Revised Version, "judgment." Aud ver. 32 explains what "judgment" means: "When we are judged, wo are chastened of tho Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." J udgment here means "chastisement," and note particularly that this chastisement is sent to prevent us from being condcm11ecl w·ith unbelievers. ,vhat follows upon unworthy participation at tho Lord's table, if we are believers, is not something to destroy us, but somcthi11g tu prevent us f,·om being destroyed. If we will not benefit by the chastisement, if under it wo harden our hcr1rts like Israel of old, then wo shall be cast away. 'l.'ho sin of unworthy participatiOll is great, and the correction will be severe, but neither is what some sensitive natures have dreaded. 2. Unworthily. :Note that the apostle speaks of the 1111 worthiness of the act, not the unworthiness of the person. 'l.'o say, "I am unworthy," is doubtlc~s to speak tho truth, but it is irrelevant. Unworthy persons may participate worthily. Nay, further, only those who feel that they are unworthy aro in a right stato to sit at the table. The self-righteous are never "fit." The supper is for penitent sinntrs ; for such as Paul, "the chief of sinners." But the act may be unworthy, and thr1t from many causes. Anything that hinders us from "discerning the Lord's body" (ver. 20) will cause us to eat and drink unworthily. "\Ve have to recognize the bread and wino as emblems of that body, as set apart to show this forth, aud therefore to  :384 THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [cu. xr. 1-34.