The trays are coming down your row, and your stomach tightens.
You think about the argument last night. The habit you still haven't beaten. The thing you said that you can't take back. And you remember a verse about eating "in an unworthy manner," so you quietly pass the tray along and hope nobody notices.
It's one of the questions nobody asks out loud: Am I even allowed to take this?
Here's the short answer. If you're trusting Jesus and you come to Him honestly, yes. The table is for you. The verse that keeps you away was never meant to.
What Paul actually said
Here's the passage: "So then, 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. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup" (1 Corinthians 11:27–28).
Read it slowly. Paul doesn't say "whoever is unworthy." He says "in an unworthy manner." He's talking about how we come, not whether we're good enough to come.
And the context makes it clear. In Corinth, the church's Communion meal had turned ugly. Some people ate their fill while others went hungry. Some even got drunk (1 Corinthians 11:20–22). They were treating the Lord's Table like an ordinary dinner and treating each other with contempt. That was the "unworthy manner."
Nobody is worthy. That's the point.
If Communion were only for people who had earned it, the trays would never leave the front of the church. No one is worthy on their own. That's exactly why Jesus went to the cross.
Communion isn't a reward for spiritual people. It's a meal for forgiven people. You come because of what He did, not because of what you've done.
What "examine yourself" really means
Examining yourself isn't about proving you're good enough. It's about coming honestly. Foundations calls this the "look in," one of four looks of Communion. Here's a simple way to practice it while the trays come down the row:
- Ask. Pray, "Lord, is there anything between You and me right now?" Then wait a moment and listen.
- Confess. If something comes to mind, name it to God honestly. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
- Receive. Then believe Him. "The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Take the bread and the cup as someone who has been made clean.
Sin and the Savior can't share the same table. But confession clears the table, and the cross already paid for it.
Who should wait
There are two times it's wise to let the tray pass. The first is if you haven't yet trusted Christ. Communion is for believers, and the best next step is to talk to someone about following Jesus first. The second is if you're holding on to a sin you have no intention of turning from. In that case, Paul's warning is real. Settle it with God, and with anyone you've wronged, then come.
But if you've confessed and you're trusting Jesus, you're not disqualified. You're invited. Even the apostle Paul called himself the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), and he still came to the table.
The table is for you
This week we've looked at both practices Jesus gave His church. If you missed them, read Do You Have to Be Baptized to Be Saved? and What Is Communion? And if guilt keeps following you, Why Do I Still Sin If I'm Saved? will help.
All of it comes from Lesson 3 of Foundations, "Baptism and Communion," our twelve-lesson guide to the questions nobody asks out loud. And when you're ready for your next 30 days, 30 Days to a Foundational Faith walks through these same lessons one day at a time.
The Foundations ebook. Free. Always.
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