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2. THOSE WHO MUST BE EXCLUDED FROM THE LORD’S SUPPER.
Since the Lord’s Supper is a
sacrament of and for the Church, it follows that they who are outside of the Church cannot
partake of it. But it is necessary to make still further limitations. Not even every one that has a
place in the Church can be admitted to the table of the Lord. The following exceptions should
be noted:
a. Children, though they were allowed to eat the passover in the days of the Old Testament,
cannot be permitted to partake of the table of the Lord, since they cannot meet the
requirements for worthy participation. Paul insists on the necessity of self-examination
previous to the celebration, when he says: “But let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of
the bread and drink of the cup”, I Cor. 11:28, and children are not able to examine themselves.
Moreover, he points out that, in order to partake of the Supper in a worthy manner, it is
necessary to discern the body, I Cor. 11:29, that is, to distinguish properly between the
elements used in the Lord’s Supper and ordinary bread and wine, by recognizing those
elements as symbols of the body and blood of Christ. And this, too, is beyond the capacity of
children. It is only after they have come to years of discretion, that they can be permitted to
join in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
b. Such unbelievers as may possibly be within the confines of the visible Church have no right to
partake of the table of the Lord. The Church must require of all those who desire to celebrate
the Lord’s Supper a credible profession of faith. Naturally, she cannot look into the heart and
can only base her judgment respecting an applicant for admission on his confession of faith in
Jesus Christ. It is possible that she occasionally admits hypocrites to the privileges of full
communion, but such persons in partaking of the Lord’s Supper will only eat and drink
judgment to themselves. And if their unbelief and ungodliness becomes evident, the Church
will have to exclude them by the proper administration of Church discipline. The holiness of the
Church and of the sacrament must be safeguarded.
c. Even true believers may not partake of the Lord’s Supper under all conditions and in every
frame of mind. The condition of their spiritual life, their conscious relation to God, and their
attitude to their fellow-Christians may be such as to disqualify them to engage in such a
spiritual exercise as the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. This is clearly implied in what Paul
says in I Cor. 11:28-32. There were practices among the Corinthians which really made their
participation in the Lord’s Supper a mockery. When a person is conscious of being estranged
from the Lord or from his brethren, he has no proper place at a table which speaks of
communion. It should be stated explicitly, however, that lack of the assurance of salvation need
not deter anyone from coming to the table of the Lord, since the Lord’s Supper was instituted
for the very purpose of strengthening faith.