Who can take communion?
Question 09007
The question of who may take communion touches directly on how we understand the nature of the Lord’s Supper and the community for which it was given. Different Christian traditions draw the lines in different places, from the very restrictive to the entirely open. What does the New Testament itself say about who belongs at the table?
Believers in Christ
The Lord’s Supper was given to believers. Jesus instituted it with His disciples, those who had followed Him and believed in Him. Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 11 are addressed to the church at Corinth, a community of professing believers. The Supper presupposes faith in Christ because it commemorates His death and proclaims it until He comes. A person who has not trusted Christ has nothing to remember and nothing to proclaim. The bread represents the body given for them; the cup represents the blood shed for them. These statements have no personal meaning apart from saving faith.
This does not mean that the church must interrogate every person who approaches the table. It does mean that the Supper is explained clearly enough that unbelievers understand it is not for them, and that the invitation is extended to those who have trusted Christ as their Saviour. A visitor who is not a believer should not be made to feel unwelcome in the service, but neither should they be encouraged to participate in an act whose meaning they do not share.
Self-Examination, Not External Gatekeeping
Paul’s instruction in 1 Corinthians 11:28 places the responsibility for participation squarely on the individual: “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” The examination is personal and internal. Paul does not instruct the elders to assess each participant’s spiritual condition before serving the elements. He instructs the participant to assess themselves. This is an important distinction. The church’s responsibility is to teach the meaning of the Supper clearly and to warn against unworthy participation. The individual’s responsibility is to respond to that teaching with honest self-examination.
What does worthy participation look like? It is not sinless perfection. If it were, the table would be permanently empty. It is coming with a genuine heart, acknowledging one’s dependence on the grace of Christ, dealing honestly with known sin, and being in right relationship with fellow believers as far as it depends on you. The person who comes broken, repentant, and grateful is coming worthily. The person who comes carelessly, treating the Supper as a meaningless ritual, or harbouring unresolved bitterness while going through the motions, is not.
What About Baptism?
Some traditions require baptism before a person may take communion. The logic is that baptism is the initiatory ordinance and communion is the ongoing ordinance, and the order should be observed. There is something to be said for this in terms of the normal sequence of Christian obedience: a person believes, is baptised, and then participates in the ongoing life of the church, including the Lord’s Supper. The New Testament does not, however, explicitly state that unbaptised believers are excluded from the table. The requirement Paul articulates is self-examination, not prior baptism. A believer who has not yet been baptised but who comes to the table in genuine faith and with an examined heart is not violating a biblical command. They may, however, be gently encouraged to follow through with baptism as a step of obedience they have not yet taken.
So, now what?
If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the table is for you. Come with a clean conscience, or at least with a conscience that is being honestly examined. Do not stay away out of false guilt or a sense that you need to earn your place. The table is for sinners saved by grace, not for the self-righteous. And if you are not a believer, the Lord’s Supper is an invitation to consider what it represents: the body and blood of Jesus given for sinners. The table points to the cross, and the cross is where God’s love and justice meet. Trust in Christ, and the table becomes yours.
“Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” 1 Corinthians 11:28 (ESV)