A few years ago, I was privileged to serve communion to someone who had not partaken in decades. Why? She had been scared that if she ate or drank “unworthily,” she would eat or drink “damnation” to herself.
Her fear stemmed from harsh preaching that she had heard on the King James Version of 1 Corinthians 11:29: “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” John Wesley called this “a vile mistranslating” and used the word “judgment” instead of “damnation” in his translation of the New Testament.
Two key questions must be answered: (1) What does it mean to eat and drink “unworthily”? (2) What does it mean to eat and drink “damnation” or “judgment” on ourselves?
“Unworthily”
First, what does it mean to eat and drink “unworthily”? Paul describes unworthy eating and drinking as a failure to discern the body of Christ: “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” Other translations make this even clearer: “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself” (ESV). “For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself” (CSB).
This phrase, “not discerning the Lord’s body,” is difficult to interpret. Three things are called the body of Christ in Scripture:
- The physical body of Jesus of Nazareth.
- The bread of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:24, “This is my body”).
- The church of Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:23, “Christ is the head of the church, his body”).
If we turn back one chapter to 1 Corinthians 10, these three meanings are all closely connected in verses 16 and 17:
16 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? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
In verse 16, Paul explains that the bread of the Lord’s Supper is a participation in the body of Jesus of Nazareth. As many individuals each participate in this same body by eating the same bread, they become one body—the church. The Lord’s Supper, which was shared at least weekly (often daily) in the early church is supposed to be the time when the church’s visible unity as one body in Christ is most clearly seen!
Now, consider how the Corinthians were practicing communion. Paul writes,
17 When you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. … 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
In the early church, the Lord’s Supper was often practiced as part of a larger meal. But unlike the average church potluck where everyone shares what they bring, the wealthy members of the Corinthian church were feasting on the best food, and even getting drunk, while the poorer members went hungry! By doing this, they were despising the church of God—that is, the body of Christ! Paul goes so far as to say that what they were doing didn’t even qualify as the Lord’s Supper! What a mess!
The logic, I think, goes like this: “If you are mistreating the body (the church), then you are unworthy to partake of the body (of Jesus of Nazareth) in the body (the bread of the Lord’s Supper), and God will judge you for doing so.”
In the context of 1 Corinthians 11, to eat “unworthily” is to brazenly partake of the Lord’s Supper after fueling division in the church or despising those who are poor and weak in the body. More broadly speaking, eating “unworthily” could mean eating the Lord’s Supper when you are sinning but have not repented, have not taken any steps to make restitution, and are not coming to the Table to receive forgiveness through the blood of Christ.
Of all the people I have known who were afraid to drink “unworthily,” none fit this description. They were not guilty of self-centered, divisive behavior. They were not at risk of getting drunk on the communion wine, like those crazy Corinthians. And they were not indifferent about their sin. They were just confused, sensitive, and insecure. If only they could have realized that the Lord’s Supper is the perfect place for such people! The bread and wine are beautiful signs of God’s love for us, and seals of assurance that we are forgiven through the body and blood of Jesus.
“Damnation”
The second question that we must answer is, what does it mean to eat and drink “damnation” to ourselves? Suppose that someone does drink “unworthily.” Suppose that someone carelessly eats the communion bread without repenting for sinful behavior towards other members of the body. What will happen? Will they be damned—lost eternally in hell, without any hope of forgiveness?
Let’s read verse 29 in context. After reminding the Corinthians of how Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, and said of the bread, “This is my body” (1 Cor. 11:23–26), Paul writes,
29 Anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment [krima] on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged [krinō] by the Lord, we are disciplined [paideuō] so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
Notice that the “judgment” or “damnation” (in the KJV) that we bring on ourselves in verse 29 is translated from the Greek word krima. The verb form of this word is used again in verse 32: “When we are judged [krinō] by the Lord…” Look carefully: What does it mean to be judged by the Lord in verse 32? What is the purpose of that judgment? The “judgment” that someone brings on himself is not automatic damnation to hell; it is the judgment of the Lord’s discipline (paideia), which has our final salvation as its goal (“that we may not be condemned”)!
Hebrews 12 explains that the disciplinary judgment of the Lord is actually a sign of God’s fatherly love for us: “‘the Lord disciplines [paideuō] the one he loves’ … God is treating you as sons. … he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:6–11).
God’s discipline can take many forms. In Corinth, the “painful rather than pleasant” discipline of the Lord came in the form of sickness: “That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died” (1 Cor. 11:30). This does not mean that sickness is always a consequence of personal sin, and the story of Job teaches us that we should never automatically assume this. But in the case of the Corinthians, God did use sickness to try to bring them to their senses. The sickness was evidently so severe that some who resisted God’s discipline went on to die from it.
Obviously, Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 11:29 is a serious one. But it’s for those who are stubbornly and openly sinning. And it’s not about automatic eternal damnation, but about God’s discipline, which is ultimately for our good, if we are willing to receive it and be “trained by it” (Heb. 12:11). God is not willing that any should perish, and he disciplines his children “so that we may not be condemned along with the world” (1 Cor. 11:32). To cite Wesley again, “ye eat and drink” (not ‘damnation:’ a vile mistranslating of the word, but) judgment, temporal judgment.”
On the King James Version
Today, the word “damnation” almost always refers to damnation in hell. But language changes over time. And when the King James Version was translated in 1611, the first sense of “damnation” was “condemnation” (OED). It could even be used of “public disapproval.” And although “damnation” could mean sentencing to hell, notice that in the King James Version, when this is the intended sense, additional modifiers are normally needed (e.g., “damnation of hell” or “eternal damnation”). Other texts in the KJV that use “damned” or “damnation” that are equally misunderstood include Romans 13:2 (“whosoever therefore resisteth the power … shall receive to themselves damnation”) and Romans 14:23 (“he that doubteth is damned if he eat”).
The KJV was a great translation in its day, and an incalculable blessing to the church. It should be highly regarded as a historical document, and for its superior beauty. But as a translation for modern use, it is inaccurate and misleading. The KJV should not be used for public reading, preaching, and teaching in churches today. Language changes, which is why, as the Protestant Reformers understood, we need new translations to avoid unnecessary barriers to understanding God’s word.
Examine Yourself, Then Come
When you come to the Lord’s Table, you should take a moment to examine yourself. In most Christian traditions, there is an opportunity for confession before coming to the Table. There is also a time of “passing the peace,” which gives Christians an opportunity to reconcile with one another before coming to the Lord’s Table: “if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt. 5:23–24).
God’s disciplinary judgment is something that we should try to avoid. But since God’s discipline means that he is a loving Father who is serious about our holiness, Hebrews 12:12–14 encourages us,
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.
Sadly, many believers have had the last part of Hebrews 12 pounded into them (“strive for holiness without which no one will see the Lord”) before they have ever understood the first part (God is a father who lovingly corrects, not casts out, his children when they stumble on the highway of holiness).
Don’t allow fear to keep you from the Lord’s Table. After all, if you are openly sinning, God will discipline you even if you don’t eat the Lord’s Supper. And rejecting the Lord’s Supper, when Jesus has commanded, “Do this,” is itself disobedience.
John Wesley preached that if you are a believer who has sinned, there’s no better place to come than to the Lord’s Supper, as long as you come in faith. What better place to go than to where Jesus has said, “This is my body, which is for you,” and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (1 Cor. 11:25)? What better place to go than to the place where the atoning death of Jesus is proclaimed to us (1 Cor. 11:26)?
The Lord’s Supper is for struggling saints who need a sign of God’s loving assurance. So hasten to the Lord’s Table! Come with joy! Receive the gift of God in the bread and wine! Join the church in its happy anticipation of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb! And if you are disciplined, remember that it comes from the hand of a loving Father who, like kind earthly fathers, disciplines his children (even the stubborn ones) for their good.
