We understand that our examination of a person prior to including him in the Lord's Supper will be seen by many as an infringement upon the right of the individual Christian to examine himself before eating the bread and drinking the cup (cf. 1 Cor. 11:28). But we must insist that Paul was not affirming individual rights, nor was he prohibiting the church from examining a person prior to accepting him into their fellowship when he wrote the first letter to the Corinthians. If anything, Paul's letter illustrates how God judges a church that fails to guard its fellowship. Nothing in chapter 11 can legitimately be seen to affirm the idea that a visiting stranger who professes to be a Christian should be given sole discretion in such matters as membership or participation in the Lord's Supper.

What Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians 11:28 was this: Certain members of this church were making a mockery of the Lord's Supper, and in the process, despising the church of God (v. 22). Therefore, he reminded them of the reason for their coming together as well as the judgment they were already receiving due to their irreverence. He commanded the individual members—those who had already been examined and accepted by the church—to do what they were neglecting to do—examine themselves before participating in the fellowship of the Lord's Supper so that they would do so in a manner worthy of the body and blood of Christ.

Knowing that some will still disagree, we would ask this question: Should the immoral man who was to be expelled from the Corinthian church (cf. 1 Cor. 5) have the right to join a local church in another town and/or share with them in the fellowship of the Lord's Supper as long as he examines himself and finds himself qualified by his own standard? Certainly not! The former church was told to expel him due to his unfitness according to Christ's standard. Therefore, unless the neighboring church wishes to find itself in the same situation for which the Corinthians were rebuked by Paul, they must not undiscerningly receive him into their fellowship. The members of a local church cannot know the background of every person who visits them. Therefore, it is not only their right, but their responsibility to examine anyone who desires to join them in membership, participate with them in the Lord's Supper, or in any other way become a recognized part of their fellowship.

2. Since it is the Lord's Supper, why do you feel the need to guard it?

It is important to remember that the ordinance in question belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ. He instituted it (Luke 22:14-20), He taught His followers to perpetually observe it (Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:23), and He put His name on it (1 Cor. 11:19). It is indeed the Lord's Supper.

Some contend that since it is the Lord's Supper, the local church need not protect it; The Lord will protect what is His own. This argument seems convincing at first, but it loses credibility when we think of the other things Christ owns, and yet commands Christians to guard. He owns the church (Matt. 16:18), but we must protect it (e.g. Acts 20:28-31). He owns our bodies, having bought them at a great price (1 Cor. 6:19-20), and yet we are told to guard them from sexual immorality and other sins (1 Cor. 6:18; 1 Thess. 4:3-8). The gospel is His Word (John 8:31), yet we are commanded to keep it from being perverted (1 Tim. 3:15; 6:20; Jude 3; etc.).

The truth is, Christ's ownership of the Lord's Supper, far from proving that we may not protect it, gives us strong incentive to guard it just as carefully as we do His other possessions. And since it is His, it must be practiced and protected according to His standard, not ours.

3. In seeking to protect the Lord's Supper, what are you guarding against?

It may seem that physical persecution was the greatest danger for the early church. But in the New Testament, trials of the physical sort are not seen as the real enemies. In fact, the suffering experienced by so many of the early Christians is spoken of in several places as a cause for rejoicing (Matt. 5:10-12; Acts 5:40-41; Heb. 12:4-11; James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 4:12-16; etc.). In contrast, the New Testament is filled with warnings to guard against false teaching.

Please take the time to read Matthew 7:15, Romans 16:17, Colossians 2:8, 1 Timothy 4:1-2 and 6:20-21, 2 Timothy 2:15-18, Hebrews 13:9, 2 Peter 2:2, 1 John 4:1, 2 John 9-11, and Jude 3-4. The imperative of vigilance in guarding the church is evident in all of these instructions. And there is yet another passionate warning—one of the clearest and most stirring. These were some of Paul's parting words, recorded in Acts 20:28-31, as he pleaded with the Ephesian elders just before he left them for the last time:

(28) Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. (29) I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; (30) and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. (31) Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

In this text, and in the corresponding warnings elsewhere in the New Testament, several things are made clear about false teaching and the vulnerability of the church:

1. False teaching will always be a threat to the church (v. 28; also see Matt. 7:15; 1 Tim. 4:1; 1 John 4:1).
   
   
2. Some false teachers will actively seek to enter the church, already harboring in their hearts the secret and evil purposes of deceit and destruction (v. 29; also see Matt. 7:15; 2 Cor. 11:13-15; 1 John 4:1).
   
   
3. Some will already be members of the church, accepted as Christians and even believing themselves to be Christians. These will, at some point in the future, "rise up, speaking perverse things" (v. 30; also cf. 1 Tim. 1:18-20; 2 Peter 2:1-2; 1 John 2:18-19; Jude 3-4).
   
   
4. The Bible consistently instructs all Christians to guard against false teaching (v. 28; also see Rom. 16:17; Col. 2:8; Heb. 13:9; etc.).
   
   
5. While the charge to guard against false teaching is given to every Christian, the lion's share of warning and responsibility for protecting the church is given to elders (cf. Acts 20:17-18,28; also see 1 Tim. 4:16; 5:17; Titus 1:9; Heb. 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-3).
   
   

Even when false teaching is carefully guarded against, danger still threatens on another front—the influence of sinful behavior within the church. Sadly, misguided notions of Christian love often allow this enemy to become deeply entrenched and therefore, difficult to remove. But in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul allows for no misunderstanding, stating in seven different ways that an immoral person who professes to be a Christian must be judged unfit for Christian fellowship and expelled:

Paul's rebuke of the Corinthians and the application of his instructions to every church are clear: Christians are "not to associate with any so-called brother [i.e. any professing Christian] if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one." (v. 11). The corrupting influence of even one such person will contaminate the church just as certainly as a little leaven will permeate a lump of dough (v.6).

Jesus assures us that He will build His church and that the church universal will never fail (Matt. 16:18). But the Bible is just as clear in saying that apart from the watchfulness of church members and the guardianship of elders, a local church may indeed fail (cf. Acts 20:28-31). It is not as though God depends upon men. But in His wisdom He has chosen to accomplish His purposes through them. Those who love the church must never become idle or careless, naively assuming that Christ will guard and purify Christian fellowship apart from their active watchfulness and care.

4. How do the dangers for the church justify protecting the Lord's Supper?

Though the Lord's Supper is a symbol of Christian fellowship, it is also an act of fellowship. It is, without question, one of our highest expressions of communion with each other and with Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 10:16-17). The purpose of protecting the membership of a local church from harmful influences is to keep Christian fellowship pure and undefiled.

In a healthy, biblically sound church, there is a great sense of obligation to be loving toward outsiders while at the same time guarding the church against infiltration by false professors (some of whom bring their false doctrines and immoral practices with them). These churches, therefore, while being appropriately warm and receptive toward guests, take reasonable precautions before including them as members. Requirements such as membership classes, interviews with church leaders, and/or affirmation by other trusted Christians, enable them to verify that a prospective member's life and doctrine can reasonably be called "Christian."

Since we recognize our responsibility to guard the body of Christ through a membership process, we must recognize the same responsibility concerning the fellowship of that body. To be a member of a local church is not merely to have your name on a church roll. It is to be "in fellowship" with the other members. In this sense, membership and fellowship are one and the same. We cannot rightfully claim to be seeking purity in our membership if we then unreservedly allow just anyone to participate with us in such a meaningful practice of our fellowship. And since we are commanded to protect the membership of the church from the two enemies of false teaching and sinful behavior, we must enable ourselves to guard the fellowship of the Lord's Supper from the same two enemies.

5. Won't your practice be seen as unfriendly or unloving? Won't visitors be offended if they are not permitted to participate with you?

In this discussion, it needs to be affirmed that one important quality of a local church is hospitality. Guests, even those who do not profess to be Christians, should be treated kindly and made to feel welcome when they visit. Christians who are cold and unfriendly do nothing positive in terms of inter-church relationships or evangelism, and they are not obeying Christ. The gatherings of the local church are where, of all places, the love of Christ should be warmly evident.

It is possible, however, to take hospitality to an unbiblical extreme. However warm and friendly churches must be, they fall into error when their hospitality becomes more like undiscerning inclusiveness. If a local church fails to maintain the proper distinction between the body of Christ and the world, if they forget that true Christian fellowship is only for authentic Christians, then their desire to show love and affection to those outside the church can actually become un-Christian. The Corinthian church was an example of this. It was their "loving" acceptance of an immoral man into all aspects of Christian fellowship that led to Paul's rebuke. And his words to that church are the instructions for every local church to follow today (cf. 1 Cor. 5).

We would be grieved if someone were offended because of unkind words, uncaring members, or a cold reception at our meetings. We hope this sort of offense never occurs. But we also hope guests will not be offended because of our convictions regarding the Lord's Supper. Some groups are strongly convinced that the individual should have sole discretion in this matter. We do not take offense at their conviction, even if we disagree. We would hope that our convictions would be given the same respect.