Twin City church of Christ Blog
“May 1, 2024 - Self-Examination”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsSelf-Examination
Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:27-34
Paul is concerned about how the Corinthians have turned the Lord’s Supper into a regular meal, robbing it of its powerful spiritual and communal meaning. These are not casual matters. “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord”(1 Cor 11:27). Because Jesus has invested these symbols with meaning (v. 24, 25), we cannot take them lightly or else we bring the guilt of Jesus’ death upon ourselves. “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself”(1 Cor 11:28-29). Even though the Lord’s Supper is a communal act, we each have an individual role (“let a person examine himself”). Only I can examine my own motives as I partake. Paul urges us to “(discern) the body,” which I take to be a reference to the local church which is united in remembrance. We cannot remember Jesus’ death and simultaneously ignore the divisions we are causing in the body.
But when we fail to examine ourselves, disaster ensues. He states that this “is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (probably referring to spiritual weakness and death) and that “if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged”(1 Cor 11:30, 31). The Lord’s Supper is a time in which we check ourselves and look out for one another. Without this regular examination, our spiritual state can go south quickly. We get stale, sin accumulates and hardens, and distance grows between us and our brothers.
“Let a person examine himself.” God wants us to look within. Do I really remember Jesus? Am I really thinking about my brothers? Are we partaking as one unified, faithful group? How am I doing spiritually? Do spiritual acts make me feel like a hypocrite? This process is essential to ongoing Christian growth.
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One Thing to Think About: How regularly do I examine myself? Why is this process unpleasant?
One Thing to Pray For: The ability to “discern the body” as I partake of this special meal
