Wrong to take communion with sin in your life?

[infinityy]

Paul speaks about this, something about taking communion in a unworthy manner. Me and the wife smoke and are not 100% unrepentant in our sins

[-SEEKING-]

Paul speaks about this, something about taking communion in a unworthy manner. Me and the wife smoke and are not 100% unrepentant in our sins

What exactly do you mean by not 100% unrepentant?

[infinityy]

What exactly do you mean by not 100% unrepentant?

By not following Jesus 100% as he would want. When I read the NT, it seems to me Jesus wants us to die to ourselves in every way shape and form. Not to be a fan of Jesus, but a true follower of him. I feel I've missed this mark. I don't know, it's hard to explain my feelings

[-SEEKING-]

Well let me ask you a question. Are you a Christian? Did you give your life to Jesus? Accept his gift of salvation? Take Him as your savior? And lastly, how has that impacted your life?

[webhead]

Paul speaks about this, something about taking communion in a unworthy manner. Me and the wife smoke and are not 100% unrepentant in our sins

Read 1 Cor 11 in it's entirety. Unworthy communion has nothing to do with unrepented sin. If you are born from above through Christ, you are repented of your sins. No such thing as being "prayed up or repented up" as some teach. No man is without sin, and the scriptures are clear on this. But our sins are covered by the blood of Christ if we are saved.

Here is what the Corinthians were doing during communion.

1 Cor 11:18For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it. 19For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
20When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
21For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
22What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? what shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.



The Corinthians were feasting and getting drunk, and calling it communion, and this caused a great division in their church because of the communion heresies.

[-SEEKING-]

That's an excellent point WH. Everything in context.

[tim_from_pa]

Paul speaks about this, something about taking communion in a unworthy manner. Me and the wife smoke and are not 100% unrepentant in our sins

This has nothing to do with taking communion. You can still partake. Read the context about an unworthy manner. How do we partake unworthily? By not discerning the Lord's body. The focus is on the Lord and what He has done, not our sins. As a matter of fact, the very idea of being obcessed with sins and "how we can improve" ironically is the very thing that makes one partake in an unworthy manner.

[Psalms Fan]

I'm not one who believes that any of us will ever be completely sinless this side of eternity. No matter how repentant you may be, if your desire is to take communion you will be taking communion with some amount of sin in your life.

With that said, if there's some sin in your life that you're totally aware of but you're not willing to turn from it, in that case I'd recommend against taking communion. But if you are in the position that you know there's sin in your life, but you're working against the sin and repenting of it, I'd say that that is the ideal christian life and that one ought to take communion.

[markedward]

No, it is not wrong to take the communion when you have sin in your life. Christians would be lying if we said we had no sin. Being a sinner does not mean you cannot partake in the communion.

But, you openly admit that you are in a sinful habit, and you openly admit that you have been unwilling to give up that sinful habit. By definition, you are "living in sin", which, as you admit yourself, means you are unrepentant.

Now that you've openly admitted that you have lived in sin without repentance... what are you going to do about it? Are you going to continue living in sin? [1 John 3.6] Or are you going to repent and call upon Christ to help you do what you can do put it to a stop?

[infinityy]

Well let me ask you a question. Are you a Christian? Did you give your life to Jesus? Accept his gift of salvation? Take Him as your savior? And lastly, how has that impacted your life?

When I think about his love for me I cry, I cry hard thinking about how he forgave me and shown me mercy. To me he is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He is all I think about. I have accepted his free gift of salvation.

[FinalTrump]

By not following Jesus 100% as he would want. When I read the NT, it seems to me Jesus wants us to die to ourselves in every way shape and form. Not to be a fan of Jesus, but a true follower of him. I feel I've missed this mark. I don't know, it's hard to explain my feelings

You are right, and none of us follow 100%. Even the Apostle Paul says he does the things he doesn't want to do and doesn't do the things he want to. We can never be perfect in deed, but we can be perfect in heart.

It is a growing process for all of us. When we reach the "mark of perfect love" and stood, we die. We have finished the course, we have fought the fight, we have overcome and hence forth a crown of live is laid up for us.

We are all struggling with sins and weaknesses. I think I consider smoking a weakness. On the other hand if you were living in sin, and then thought it was OK to partake of the Lord's Memorial, you would be on very dangerous ground, and had better not take it.

So we can only do our best, at least we should be doing our best, that is what we promised when we gave our life to the Lord, and like I said, it is a growing process, it doesn't happen overnight, but we should be making steps of progress every day on all of our short comings, and little by little we should see the light at the end of the tunnel (which doesn't mean we won't slip and fall, but we had better get back up and get back on track).

I think a great book for you to read is "Pilgrim's Progress." You have to find a very old copy with footnotes. I have had 2 different ones with footnotes and without them you miss half of the story or more. John Bunyan the author lived in the 1600s and it is an allegory of the Christian life and all the pitfalls and fears that go with it and how it is eventually overcome.

Go to ebay and find one, you won't be disappointed.

[IsItLove?]

This has nothing to do with taking communion. You can still partake. Read the context about an unworthy manner. How do we partake unworthily? By not discerning the Lord's body. The focus is on the Lord and what He has done, not our sins. As a matter of fact, the very idea of being obcessed with sins and "how we can improve" ironically is the very thing that makes one partake in an unworthy manner.

BIG AMEN TO THAT!

Our communion restored

This past Sunday I was speaking on communion.

It was once called our love feast.
It was all about celebrating Jesus life and death by partaking of His life in loving one another.
Remembering Him together, speaking of all that he has done and is doing in our lives.
People sharing their homes, their food, their lives, their hearts
They had communion with one another, and so also with God.
They would declare God's works to one another, always giving thanks to God from their hearts.
Imagine being in a home full of people and everyone is talking about what God has done, randomly raising their cup in thanks and giving praise to God from the overflow of the hearts. Everyone was singing songs to one another as an encouragement. Because all of this was happening the power of the Spirit of God was showing.

Now consider what 2000 years of religion and tradition has reduced it to.
A squirt of juice and a crumb of bread,
taken in silence and isolated introspection,
while many are in fear, focusing on their sin.

I so long to see our communion restored to its fullness!

[notuptome]

When I think about his love for me I cry, I cry hard thinking about how he forgave me and shown me mercy. To me he is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. He is all I think about. I have accepted his free gift of salvation.

Amen. You have met the primary requirement to come to the Lords table.
The salvation requirement. It is the Lords table and not the churches table. Paul wrote to instruct the church at Corinth a church that was a real mess. They had abused the Lords table eating and drinking like a bunch of modern day party goers. Their heart attitude was way out of line with God and His holiness and purity.

Now we are clearly instructed to examine ourselves before we partake. This is self examination before the Lord not examination of each other in public. Some in the church at Corinth were eating without regard to the Lord and were weak and sickly and some were dead. This is physical death and not spiritual death.

If the Lord is convicting your heart about a specific sin then you need to address that with Him before you eat. If someone else is on you about your smoking then that is a different matter. Smoking is something I think you should stop for the sake of your testimony. In the past smoking was considered medicinal in the treatment of asthma. Some old time preachers smoked. I think C.H. Spurgeon was one such mighty man used of God who indulged. Smoking stinks and while it won't send you to hell it does make you smell like you visited there. Would your witness before the lost that you love and desire to see saved be more effective if you quit? The Lord can give you victory over smoking and peace about the matter.

I cannot in good conscience suggest that one ever take the Lords table lightly. We are remembering how His body was broken for us and His blood was shed for us on Calvary. High and holy thoughts indeed. Jesus has cleansed us from our sin. Jesus washed the disciples feet that they might be clean every bit to wit. Ask of Him a clean heart with which to eat and He will give it to you. Eat or don't eat because you are persuaded of the Lord and not of men. We did not merit salvation but He saved us and only in His righteousness are we made worthy to commune with Him at His table. He loved us when we were sinners how much more now that we are His. I think He wants us to come to His table because we are not worthy just redeemed and rejoicing to say so.

There is great joy and peace when we draw close to our Lord and have fellowship with Him. Peace and joy the world cannot know.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

[tim_from_pa]

Now consider what 2000 years of religion and tradition has reduced it to.
A squirt of juice and a crumb of bread,
taken in silence and isolated introspection,
while many are in fear, focusing on their sin.

I so long to see our communion restored to its fullness!

That's because a squirt of juice and crumb of bread has been the main diet of spiritual teaching unfortunately.

[Firefighter]

That's because a squirt of juice and crumb of bread has been the main diet of spiritual teaching unfortunately.

I am often amazed at the bits of truth I often see here on this board. This was one of them.