npetreley said:
You should see this question on a Baptist forum until it is answered correctly. Your interpretation is a very popular one, but it is not only faulty, it reeks of self-righteousness.
Read it again and again in context. It says "whoever eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner". This has nothing to do with examining yourself to see if you have unconfessed sin, or if you are at peace with your brothers. The purpose of examining yourself is to see if you are treating the Lord's supper with respect.
The Corinthians were not treating the Lord's supper with respect or discerning the Lord's body in it or the meaning of it. They were arriving drunk, eating ahead of one another, etc. They were not being nice to one another, but that wasn't their chief offense. Their chief offense was their disregard for the meaning of the Lord's supper.
Paul instructed them to examine themselves to see if they were partaking in a worthy manner, or worthily. The issue is how they were behaving right then and there, not any sin in their lives otherwise.
This, worthy manner or worthily, describes an action - it is an adverb. Doing something in a worthy manner (treating it with respect and reverence) is not the same thing as being worthy, which is an adjective. We can't examine ourselves and discover that we're worthy because we're not. I am not worthy. You are not worthy. We do not deserve worth-ship (worship). Nobody sings we are worthy, O Lord. We sing YOU are worthy, O Lord.
Like I said, I understand the importance of examining ourselves and for asking for forgiveness of sin. I'm not saying this isn't important. But it is not what this passage is talking about.
.
You missed the key verse;
1Co 11:29 For anyone who eats and drinks without
discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.
30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
31
For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
The examination is to critique or discern (Judge) not yoour brother but ones self. They also had a habbit os saying Brother so and so ought not be taking communion, he is guilty of this or that sin. Paul is saying don't judge him, judge yourself.
I do agree about the Church in Corinth and what they did to the Lord Supper. To add, the "Haves" would bring fine wine and good bread and not share it with the "Have Nots" who sometimes had to go without communion. he addresses those things in previous verses;
1 Corinthians 11:17-22 (KJV)
17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
20 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper.
21 For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken.
22 What? 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.
And then again at the end;
1 Corinthians 11:33-34 (KJV)
33 Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another.
34 And if any man hunger, let him eat at home; that ye come not together unto condemnation. And the rest will I set in order when I come.
He clearly changes topics in the middle.
