This is a chapter from J.C. Ryle's classic book Practical Religion.
GOING TO THE TABLE
"Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup." 1 Corinthians 11:28
Perhaps no part of the Christian religion is as misunderstood as the Lord's Supper. Some professing Christians neglect it while others go to the opposite extreme of exalting it to a position it was never meant to occupy. My hope is that the fog, mystery, and obscurity with which it is surrounded in some minds may be cleared away by plain Bible truth. Let's ask and answer 4 practical questions.
1. Why did our Lord institute the Lord's Supper? He ordained it for the continual remembrance of His sacrificial death and the benefits we receive from it. The bread is meant to remind us of Christ's body given on the cross for our sins. The wine reminds us of Christ's blood shed on the cross for our sins. We have 4 separate accounts of the first appointment of the Lord's Supper: by Matthew (Matthew 26:26-28), Mark (Mark 14:22-25), Luke (Luke 22:19-20), and Paul (1 Corinthians 11:23-31). Only two of them give the reason our Lord gave for instituting this practice: "Do this in remembrance of Me," with Paul adding this inspired comment, "As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He returns" (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:25-26). 
Is it not reasonable that our Lord would appoint a regular way of keeping His death in remembrance? Of all the facts in His earthly ministry, none are equal in importance to His death. It was the great atonement to which every sacrifice of animals from the fall of man continually pointed, and the grand end for which Messiah came into the world. Christ would have lived, taught, prophesied, and done miracles in vain if He had not crowned all by dying for our sins as our substitute. His death brings life. His death was the payment of our debt to God. It is the very thing poor, weak, sinful humanity needs to be reminded of continually.
Does the New Testament teach that the Lord's Supper was ordained to be a sacrifice in and of itself perpetually, and that in it Christ's actual body and blood are present under the forms of bread and wine? No. When the Lord Jesus said to His disciples, "This is My body and this is My blood," He clearly meant, "This bread in My hand is a symbol of My body, and this wine is an emblem of My blood." The disciples were accustomed to hearing Him use such language. For example, "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one" (Matthew 13:38). The clear teaching of the New Testament is that "we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Before His death on the cross, every priest was "ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which could never take away sins." But the Lord Jesus Christ, "after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God" (Hebrews 10:10-12). Jesus Himself taught that His Supper is a remembrance, not an offering, reminding us to be thankful for His perfect sacrifice for sin, which never needs to be repeated but should often be proclaimed.
2. Who is meant to participate in the Lord's Supper? Not just anyone. Paul is the one New Testament writer who gives us details on this matter: "Whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep [are dead]. If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged" (1 Corinthians 11:27-31). The Lord's Supper is only for those who understand and believe in what the bread and wine represent, having personally benefited from Christ's death on the cross by their saving faith in Him.
That faith demonstrates itself not by a perfect life, but a worthy life. Those living in open sin and determined not to stop must not come to the Lord's Table. To do so is to insult Christ and pour contempt on His Gospel. It is nonsense to profess to remember Christ's death while clinging to the accursed thing that made it needful for Christ to die! In addition, self-righteous people who think they are to be saved by their own works have no business coming to the Lord's Table. They may be outwardly moral, but at the Table we publicly profess that all our hope is in what Christ accomplished on the cross since we have no goodness, righteousness, and worthiness of our own.
The plain truth is that the Lord's Supper or Communion is not meant for dead souls, but for living ones. The careless, ignorant, willfully wicked, and self righteous are no more worthy to come for Communion than dead people are to be guests at a king's feast! A worthy communicant, or one who is biblically qualified to celebrate Communion, is characterized by repentance, faith, and love. Does that person truly repent of sin and hate it? Does he put his trust in Jesus Christ as his only hope of salvation? Does she demonstrate love for others in her life as a rule? Let such people draw near with confidence and feel assured that the great Master of the banquet is pleased.
Such a person's repentance may be very imperfect. Never mind; is it real? Does she truly repent at all? His faith in Christ may be weak. Never mind; is it real? The first 12 communicants, when Christ Himself gave the bread and wine, were weak indeed: weak in knowledge, faith, courage, patience, and love. But 11 of them had something about them that outweighed all defects: they were real, genuine, sincere, and true. Show me a man who really feels his sins, really leans on Christ, and really struggles to be holy and I will bid him welcome in my Master's name.
3. What benefits may be expected by those who rightly participate in the Lord's Supper? Let us settle it firmly in our minds that the Lord's Supper was not given to be a means of justification or conversion. It was never mean to give grace where there is no grace already or to provide pardon when pardon is not already enjoyed. It cannot possibly make up for a lack of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is an ordinance for the penitent, not for the impenitent; for the believing, not the unbelieving; for the converted, not the unconverted. The person who eats the bread and drinks the wine in a right spirit will find him or herself drawn into closer communion with Christ, knowing Him more and understanding Him better.
A. Right reception of the Lord's Supper has a humbling effect on the soul. The sight of the bread and wine representing Christ's body and blood reminds us how wicked sin truly is since nothing less that the death of God's own Son could make satisfaction for us and redeem us from its guilt.
B. Right reception of the Lord's Supper has a cheering effect on the soul. The bread and wine remind us how full, perfect, and complete is our salvation. They remind us of the enormous price paid for our redemption, pressing on us the mighty truth that our living faith in Christ leaves us with nothing to fear since sufficient payment has been made for our spiritual debt. The "precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:19) answers every charge that can be brought against us. "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" (Romans 8:33-39).
C. Right reception of the Lord's Supper has a sanctifying effect on the soul. The bread and wine remind us how great our debt of gratitude is to our Lord, and how thoroughly we are bound to live for Him who died for our sins. They seem to say to us, "Remember what Christ has done for you and ask yourself whether there is anything too great to do for Him."
D. Right reception of the Lord's Supper has a restraining effect on the soul. Participating in the Lord's Supper reminds us of what a serious thing it is to be a Christian and our obligation to lead a consistent life. Bought with such a price as that bread and wine call to remembrance, ought we not to glorify Christ in body and spirit, which rightfully belong to Him? Those who go regularly and intelligently to the Lord's Table will find it increasingly hard to yield to sin and conform to the world.
4. Why do many professing Christians not come to the Lord's Supper? Our Lord Jesus Christ's instructions to His disciples are clear, plain, and unmistakable. He says to all, "Eat and drink. Do this in remembrance of Me." Did He leave it to our discretion whether we obey His instructions or not? Certainly not! The idea is absurd and never dreamed of in apostolic times. Paul obviously took it for granted that every Christian participated in the Lord's Supper. Why is it not that way now?
A. Many are careless and thoughtless about the first principles of Christianity. They are the dead weight of true churches and the scandal of Christianity. What such people need is light, knowledge, grace, a renewed conscience, and a changed heart. In their present state they have no part or lot in Christ, and are therefore unfit for heaven, let alone the Lord's Supper.
B. Many know they are living in the habitual practice of some sin or habitual neglect of some Christian duty. Their conscience tells them that so long as they live in this state and do not break off from their sins, they are unfit to come to the Lord's Table. They are right, but need to carry their thinking further. If they are unfit for Holy Communion, they are unfit to die, and if they die in their present condition, they will be lost eternally. The same sins that disqualify them from the Lord's Supper also disqualify them from heaven. I urge all such persons to repent and be converted, to stop doing evil and break off from their sins.
C. Many fear participating wholeheartedly in the Lord's Supper will add to their responsibility. They are not at all ignorant and careless about religion, but are reluctant to take a public stand. They fear they might afterwards fall away and bring scandal on the cause of Christ. They think it wisest to be on the safe side and not commit themselves. Such people do well to realize that if they avoid responsibility of one kind by not participating in the Lord's Supper, they incur responsibility of another kind, also grave and injurious to the soul: open disobedience to a command of Christ. Jesus said to participate often in the special remembrance of His death for His people's sake, even as often as we gather. Taking Communion is a serious step that requires self-examination, but if the direction of your life is faith in Christ and increasing holiness and love, you pass the test. It is never wise, prudent, or safe to neglect a plain command of Christ.
D. Some fear they are not yet worthy to participate in the Lord's Supper. They are right if they are not characterized by true faith in Christ, righteousness, and love, but wrong if they are confusing the direction of their lives with perfection. The Lord's Supper is not intended for angels, but for men and women living in a world full of temptations and needing mercy and grace every day they live. A sense of our own unworthiness is the best worthiness we can bring to the Lord's Table. A deep feeling of our entire indebtedness to Christ for all we have and hope for is the best feeling we can bring with us.
E. Some object to participating in the Lord's Supper because they see others doing so whom they deem unworthy. Remember that Paul called for self-examination, not the judgment of others! Jesus Himself said, "Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:1-6). When Peter asked the Lord, "What about this man?" Jesus told him, "What is that to you? You follow Me!" (John 21:21-22). Do not deny yourself a great privilege merely because others abuse it. Luke's description of the night on which our Lord was betrayed makes it clear that Judas the betrayer participated in the Lord's Supper. If others are foolish enough to eat and drink unworthily, let us not turn our backs on Christ's ordinance and refuse to eat and drink at all.
I do not know in what state of mind this book will find its readers, but I will conclude by offering to all warnings I think are particularly required by the times.
(1) Do not neglect the Lord's Supper. The man who coolly and deliberately refuses to use an ordinance the Lord Jesus Christ appointed for his profit may be sure his soul is in a wrong state. There is yet a judgment to come and an account to be rendered of our conduct on earth. How can anyone look forward to that day and expect to meet Christ with comfort and in peace if he has refused to meet Christ in His own ordinance?
(2) Do not receive the Lord's Supper carelessly, irreverently, and as a matter of form. The woman who eats the bread and drinks the wine while her heart is far away is committing a great sin and robbing herself of a great blessing. God cares about our attitude and state of mind. He who draws near without repentance, faith, and love but with a heart full of sin and the world instead will end up worse, not better, by participating in Communion.
(3) Do not make an idol of the Lord's Supper. The person who insists that Holy Communion is the principal ordinance of Christianity is not reflecting what the Bible teaches. In the great majority of the New Testament Books, the Lord's Supper is not even named, including in the letters to Timothy and Titus about a minister's duties. To repent and be converted, to believe and be holy, to be born again and indwelt by the Holy Spirit—all these are far more important than observing Communion. Without them we cannot be saved. Without the Lord's Supper we can. The penitent thief on the cross was not a communicant; Judas Iscariot was! Are you tempted to make the Lord's Supper override and overshadow everything in Christianity, placing it above prayer and preaching?
(4) Do not use the Lord's Supper irregularly. Strive never to be absent when this ordinance is administered. Regular habits are essential for maintaining the health of our bodies. Regular use of every means of grace is essential to the prosperity of our souls. The man who finds it a weariness to attend when the Lord's Table is spread may well doubt whether all is right within him and whether he is ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9; 21:1-4).
(5) Do not do anything to bring discredit on your profession as a participant in the Lord's Supper. Remember that your participation is to proclaim the Lord's death until He returns. Lying, drunken, adulterous, dishonest communicants are walking sermons on behalf of the devil, giving occasion for the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Seek to draw others toward Christ, not away from Him and His people.
(6) Do not despond if, with all your desires, you do not yet feel any great good from the Lord's Supper. Very likely you are expecting too much and are not an accurate judge on this matter. Your soul's root may be strengthening and growing during this period of apparently slow progress. Remember that earth is not heaven, and that here we walk by faith, not by sight, and must not expect perfection. Do not write bitter things against yourself without cause. Tell the Lord Jesus how you feel and commit yourself to Him as you honor what He did on the cross for you.
To every reader I commend the whole subject of the Lord's Supper as deserving serious and solemn consideration. Resolve to obey what the Bible plainly teaches about it.
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