WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE IN THE LORD'S SUPPER IN A LOCAL CHURCH? Selected Scriptures

I want to ask and answer three questions concerning the Lord’s Supper: I) What is the Lord’s Supper—that is to ask what is going on not just physically but spiritually? II) Who should be barred from participation in the Lord’s Supper with this local church? III) Who should be admitted to participation in the Lord’s Supper with this local church?

These are questions that we, your pastors, have been studying and discussing for years. We desire to be faithful to the Scriptures and not to violate our consciences that we have labored to bind to the Scriptures. We long to observe the Lord’s Supper in the proper ways that God has laid out in the Bible, and that is even why we have in times past changed the way we observed this sacred ordinance of Christ. We long to always reform to the Word of God for the sovereign and beautiful glory of God. For clarity sake, I think I should say that myself (Brett), Brandon, Corey, and Nate are all in complete agreement and conviction concerning these things. Now to the questions and answers. 

QUESTION ONE. What is the Lord’s Supper—that is to ask, what is going on not just physically but spiritually?

“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16-17). According to this passage, the Lord’s Supper is an act of communion with both Christ and the saints, through the cup and the bread, which represent Christ’s blood and body. Though many members, the one body, which is a particular church, partakes of the one bread together at the table. Therefore the Lord’s Supper is not simply a “me and Jesus” but, rather, a “we and Jesus” communion. Saints are communing with one another as well as with Christ. The Lord’s Supper is the most intimate thing we do as a local church. At the Table we are communion with Christ and one another, and we are signifying that we are one body in covenant together with one another and with Christ.

QUESTION TWO. Who should be barred from participation in the Lord’s Supper with a local church?

ANSWER I. Those who are unbelievers must surely be barred from the Lord’s Table.

“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?” (2 Cor. 6:14-15). This is what led to Jonathan Edwards being dismissed from Northampton. His grandfather believed the Lord’s Supper was for unbelievers, and that God would use it to convert them. Edwards, because of passages like the one above, wholeheartedly disagreed. He taught that the Supper was only for believers—it is not a converting ordinance, but, rather, a sanctifying ordinance of Christ. The church dismissed him from his position as pastor for his standing firm on what he believed the Scriptures taught on the matter. 

ANSWER II. Those who bear the name Christian but live wickedly must surely be barred from the Lord’s Table, until they repent. 

“But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one” (1 Cor. 5:11). This is one of the reasons John Calvin was fired from his pastoral position in Geneva. He would not give the elements to those who professed to be believers but who were openly wicked, even lying on the table, covering the elements rather than letting them profane the Lord’s Supper. 

ANSWER III. Those who have been excommunicated from a local church must surely be barred from the Lord’s Table, that is, until they repent and reconcile.

“Let him who has done this be removed from among you” (1 Cor. 5:2b). “God judges those outside. ‘Purge the evil person from among you’” (1 Cor. 5:13). This is the same thing Christ is talking about in Matthew 18:15-20: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” 

Those who are unrepentant must be “considered a Gentile and tax collector” as the whole assembly exercises excommunication on such a one. This is what it means to “loose” someone in verse 18. Loosing, in this context, is the whole church removing their affirmation of the person’s profession of faith and considering them to be an unbeliever through excommunication. Therefore, without a doubt we can say, “Those who have been loosed through excommunication are not to participate in the Lord’s Supper until they repent and are restored to fellowship.” This is a reason we, even the pastors of Ekklesia Muskogee, have had to refuse to give the bread and the cup to some who have come to the Table.

QUESTION THREE. Who should be admitted to participation in the Lord’s Supper with a local church? ANSWER: Concerning this question there are basically three positions: 1) Open Communion, which means anyone who professors to be a believer may participate, 2) Close Communion, which means any baptized believer and member of a like-minded church may participate, and 3) Closed or Covenant Communion, which means only the members of that particular church may participate.

The majority of the signers of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith beloved in Closed Communion, while some believed in Close and even some in Open. The majority believed Congregationalism necessitated this position since each individual church is autonomous and has the duty to approve of or excommunicate their own members and officers. Concerning this question in general, Thomas Boston wrote, “Admission to the Lord's table is a matter of the greatest weight and concern, to be managed and gone about with all solemn seriousness and caution. Whoso considers that, being one bread, we declare ourselves thereby one body of Christ, must needs see this, and that there is great need to take heed to our feet in entering on that holy ground.” We fully agree.

Having answered who should be barred from the Lord’s Table, we can rightly answer who should be admitted to the Lord’s Table. In fact, we can answer that question in the same context, and even from the same verse that we just looked at a few moments ago, Matthew 18:18: “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Since to “loose” is excommunication, surely to “bind” is the local church’s confirmation of someone’s profession of faith. Since to “loose” is the examination and removal of the affirmation of someone’s credible profession of faith, along with their subsequent barring from the Lord’s Table, then surely the “binding” is the examination and approval of someone’s profession of faith, along with their subsequent admittance to the Lord’s Table to commune with Christ and the saints in that particular church.

CONCLUSION. Here is the conclusion and conviction that all four of the pastors of Ekklesia Muskogee hold, bearing in mind that we will stand before Christ and give an account for how we have shepherded the members of this church and who we have administered the elements to at the Table: Since those who are barred from the Lord’s Table in an assembly are those who have been excommunicated through church discipline, surely those permitted to the Lord’s Table should be those who have been communicated through church membership. Thomas Boston, again, wrote, “Admission to the Lord's table is an act of church power and government: for, if the church be a body or society by itself, and the Lord's table the special privilege of that body, whereby one is declared and allowed to be of that body, there can be no lawful admission thereto but in the way of church power and government.” We believe the the standard for admittance to the Lord’s Table should be membership, which includes a period of examination and formal approval by the whole body assembled as we welcome someone into our particular communion of saints.

If this is not the standard for admittance, then what should be? Anyone in attendance? Anyone who walks up to the Table, so long as we not aware of gross sin or unrepentant sin or that they are under church discipline? Anyone who is a member of a like-minded church? How do you know if they are or are not in good standing, not under church discipline? And where is that argued for in Scripture? If the Lord’s Supper were we a “me and Jesus” communion then surely these questions would not matter, because the one taking the Supper unworthily is inviting the judgement on God upon himself, and that would suffice. There blood would be on their own heads, so to speak, and they would only sully themselves. However the Lord’s Table is more than that, more than an individual communion with Christ. It is the intimate act of the saints with Christ, and we pastors believe it is befitting for we as a church to first examine and affirm someone’s profession of faith, and receive them into our particular church, before we should commune with them at the Table. The same way we do not permit those who are not members into the intimate participation of our member meetings, unless they are candidates to be examined, we should not invite those who are not members to the intimate act of our communion with one another and with Christ, until we have examined and as a church affirmed their credible profession of faith in Christ. Just as you cannot sleep with me if you are not committed to and approved by me, so you cannot commune at the Lord’s Table with us if you are not committed to and approved by us. 

For the glory of God, the reverence of Christ’s sacrifice, and the good of this church, your pastors cannot in good conscience permit those to the Lord’s Table to commune with all of us, as we commune with Christ, unless they are examined by the church, approved of by the church, and committed to us as a particular church through church membership.