The Scripture teaches us that the sacrament of communion is a holy ordinance instituted by Christ himself. The bread and the wine signify the body and blood of Christ. As a sign and seal of the new covenant, the Lord’s Supper not only signifies but seals the benefits of the covenant, especially the forgiveness of sins. In addition, those who partake in true faith derive spiritual nourishment as, by faith, they spiritually feed upon Christ’s body and blood. That is why it is called “communion,” because by means of the supper we have communion with the risen and exalted Christ.
The Belgic Confession explains the nature of our spiritual communion with Christ in this sacrament in the following way: “Just as truly as we take and hold the sacraments in our hands and eat and drink it in our mouths, by which our life is then sustained, so truly we receive into our souls, for our spiritual life, the true body and true blood of Christ, our only Savior. We receive these by faith, which is the hand and mouth of our souls” (BC 35).
This profound mystery is beyond our capacity to fully comprehend, but the reality of the church’s fellowship with Christ is based upon his promise to be present in our midst when the sacrament is celebrated.
In view of these realities, it is evident that we must take care to eat and drink in a proper manner. This means that you as an individual have a responsibility to examine yourself (1 Cor 11:27-28) to ensure that you believe in Jesus Christ as your only Savior and Lord and are repentant for your sins. Although the Lord’s Table is not reserved for those without sin, those who impenitently continue in sin ought not to come. However, if you are struggling with besetting sin, and you genuinely grieve over your sin and are endeavoring, in reliance upon God’s grace, to walk in obedience, you are encouraged to receive the spiritual nourishment that is offered in this sacrament.
The Heidelberg Catechism explains this in Q&A 81: “Who should come to the Lord’s table? A. Those who are displeased with themselves because of their sins, but who nevertheless trust that their sins are pardoned and that their remaining weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ, and who also desire more and more to strengthen their faith and to lead a better life. Hypocrites and those who are unrepentant, however, eat and drink judgment on themselves.”
Not only must you examine yourself in order to approach the Lord’s Table, Christ has given the keys of the Kingdom to the elders to watch over the administration of this sacrament. The elders encourage all professing members in good standing to partake. Visitors who are not members of this church may also partake, but we request that they speak with an elder beforehand and sign a card stating that they
- have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;
- have publicly professed faith in Christ alone for salvation in agreement with the articles of the Christian faith as outlined in the Apostles’ Creed; and
- are presently members in good standing of a protestant congregation that bears the marks of a true church, that is, a church that preaches the gospel, administers the sacraments as ordained by Christ, and exercises church discipline.
