Are You Taking Communion Too Lightly? | 1 Corinthians 11:23-34

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Our shout-out today goes to Toby Main from Oldmar, FL. Thanks for your partnership in Project23. We cannot do this without donors like you.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 11:23-34.

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 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. 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. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another—if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come. — 1 Corinthians 11:23–34

Paul now brings the entire issue of worship and the Lord’s Supper to its most sobering conclusion.

He begins by grounding the Table in the words of Jesus himself.

This meal was not created by the church. It was received from Christ.

And it was given, Paul reminds us, “on the night when he was betrayed.”

The Table is not casual because it was born in suffering, sacrifice, and surrender. Jesus did not offer bread and cup in comfort, but in betrayal. Not as a suggestion—but as a command to remember.

“This is my body, which is for you.”

Those words confront every selfish impulse. The Table is not about appetite or preference. It is about atonement. It calls the church to remember the cost of grace.

And every time the church eats and drinks, Paul says, we proclaim something.

We proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

But Paul does not stop there.

Because remembrance without reverence is dangerous.

Whoever eats and drinks “in an unworthy manner” is not merely being careless—they are failing to discern what this meal declares. The issue is not personal perfection, but spiritual awareness. To eat without discerning the body is to ignore both Christ’s sacrifice and the unity of his people.

That is why Paul calls for self-examination.

“Let a person examine himself.”

This is not meant to keep believers away from the Table, but to bring them to it rightly—humbled, repentant, and aware of what Christ has done.

Paul’s warning is severe because the Table is formative. To treat it lightly is to invite discipline, not condemnation, so that the church may be restored rather than destroyed.

And Paul closes with a practical word.

“Wait for one another.”

The Table is meant to form a people who slow down, consider one another, and approach worship with love and restraint. This teaching forces us to look at the table and worship in four ways:

It looks backward—to the cross.

It looks inward—to repentance and faith.

It looks outward—to unity in the body.

It looks forward—to the return of Christ.

Scripture even reminds us that one day, when Christ returns, we will eat and drink this meal anew with him in his kingdom. The first meal we share in heaven will not be unfamiliar. It will be the fulfillment of what we have been proclaiming all along.

DO THIS:

Before taking communion, slow down. Examine your heart with honesty. Confess sin, consider the body of Christ around you, and consciously remember the cost of your forgiveness. Come to the Table with reverence—not routine.

ASK THIS:

1. Do I approach the Lord’s Table with weight and wonder—or with familiarity and haste?
2. What does it look like for me to truly discern both Christ’s sacrifice and Christ’s body?
3. How should the promise of sharing this meal with Jesus in his kingdom shape the way I live and worship now?

PRAY THIS:

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving your body and blood for me. Guard my heart from familiarity that dulls reverence. Teach me to come to your Table with humility, repentance, and faith as I remember your death and await your return. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

“The Wonderful Cross”