5 Essential Things You Must Do Before Taking Communion

“This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)

The gospels record Jesus’ final Passover meal. Christians know it as the Lord’s Supper, the moment in the upper room when Jesus instituted communion as a sign of the New Covenant. He fulfilled the covenant when He died on the cross. Today, we take communion in remembrance of His atoning sacrifice and anticipation of His return.

Years after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the apostle Paul reminded the early church in Corinth of the profound meaning of communion (a reminder for us still today). He instructed them to do five essential things we must do to avoid dishonoring Jesus’ great sacrifice.

Be Thankful

“And when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take, eat, this is My body which is broken for you.’” (1 Corinthians 11:24)

Those in the Catholic religion refer to the Lord’s Supper as the eucharist. Its Greek translation is “give thanks.” Giving thanks and offering blessings to God are based on the Jewish Passover Seder, which is why they play a large part in the communion ceremony.

The Jewish Passover Seder can include up to eighteen steps, many starting with a blessing. Therefore, when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during Passover, He first gave thanks. We, too, should prioritize blessing God and be thankful for all He has done for us.

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, we have been forgiven of all our sins—past, present, and future—and made whole. He has healed and delivered us from the consequences of our sins and made a path for us to enjoy eternal life with Him. We have direct access to the Father when we pray, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us to guide us when we are wayward, teach us to live godly lives, and comfort our sorrows. He provides protection and meets our needs. Everything we have comes from His immense generosity and constant faithfulness.

We have much to be grateful for, which should inspire us to have thankful hearts and attitudes before we take communion.

Remember the Lord

Second, God tells us to remember what Jesus did for us and what He has saved us from.

“Do this in remembrance of Me.” (v24, 25)

Jesus instructs us to remember Him every time we eat the bread (representing His body) and drink from the Cup of Blessing (representing His shed blood).

“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16)

While “eucharist” means “give thanks,” communion means “to have in common, to participate and have partnership with.” When we take communion, we participate in Jesus’ sacrificial death by receiving the blessing of salvation. We partner with Him as the body of Christ (the church) and celebrate our spiritual oneness with Him, a oneness that wholly depends on His death.

Taking communion is an acknowledgment of both our unified and individual fellowship with Christ. Therefore, we remember His death on the cross for us and celebrate our completion in Him.

Notice that Jesus does not suggest that we remember; He commands it. Otherwise, we lack proper appreciation, and communion holds no meaning.

Proclaim the Gospel

After Jesus blessed the third cup (of five, the Cup of Blessing) and the bread, He reminded the disciples of its true meaning.

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” (v26)

Like baptism, taking communion is an outward sign—a public announcement—of one’s acknowledgment and faith in Jesus and His finished work on the cross.

Remember that Jesus said these words during a Jewish Passover meal. The Jewish people annually commemorate God’s deliverance from Pharaoh’s tyranny and escape from Egypt while anticipating a future Messiah. As a family, they bless and partake of the bread (matzah) and the drink (usually wine) as a tenet of their faith. However, for believers in Christ, taking the bread and drinking the wine or juice means much more.

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Every time we take communion, we publicly proclaim the gospel message:

• God sent His Son to the earth over 2,000 years ago, taking on human flesh, fully God and fully human, and walking among us.
• He suffered torture and died on the cross to save us from the penalty of sin.
• The Father resurrected Him three days later in victory over death.
• He will return and establish His final kingdom sometime in the future.

Communion involves thankfulness and remembrance of what Jesus has done and will still do for us, but it also signifies our proclamation of faith in who He is.

Communion is Holy

Paul then admonishes those who take communion improperly.

“Therefore, 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.” (v27)

God requires that we take communion in a manner worthy of Him. We must never take it ritualistically or indifferently. We must not participate in it out of a sense of obligation, disbelief, or just “going with the flow.” And we must never take it with an unrepentant heart or attitude of bitterness, anger, or any other ungodly manner. Paul writes that those who take communion unworthily sin against God.

“[They] will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” (v27, 29)

Taking the Lord’s Supper with unrepented sin not only dishonors the ceremony but also the Lord’s body and blood because one regards Jesus’ grace, suffering, and sacrifice too lightly. Communion is always holy, and we must respect it as such.

Self-Examination and Repentance

Having said this, Paul then provides the fourth and most proper way of approaching communion—self-examination.

“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” (v28)

Taking communion invites God’s discipline. Therefore, we must examine and judge ourselves correctly before we take it. If we do not, God will do what is necessary to draw His church back to righteous behavior, even to the point of death to keep them from falling away (Jude 24).

Remember that Jesus made Judas Iscariot examine himself during the Last Supper. Finding himself unworthy because “Satan had entered him,” he quickly left the upper room and went to the religious leaders to betray Jesus (John 13:27, 30). As believers, Satan cannot enter us, but he can tempt us to sin, which is why we must examine and repent of our sins before taking communion.

Strictly speaking, some argue that non-believers should not take communion. However, since they are not (yet, hopefully) a part of the body of Christ, they are seemingly held to a different standard. Therefore, we might allow non-believers to take communion to allow the Holy Spirit to draw them to repentance and seek God’s mercy and grace.

Take Communion Communally

Notice that we take communion as the body of Christ (communally), which means it is better to do it in fellowship with each other. Paul writes in verse thirty-three,

“Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.” (v33)

Though Paul means literal waiting for others here in verse 33, early Bible manuscripts translate “wait” as “welcome,” which is also true. Taking communion includes welcoming one another as we come together to celebrate the Lord.

However, Paul writes that those who show up with an improper attitude and poor manners should stay home.

In those days, wealthy believers often hosted church gatherings simply because their homes were large enough. They often served entire meals (banquets), but occasionally, they required the more modest guests to bring their own food.

To make matters worse, the host and his elite guests sometimes ate separately from the other believers on an independent timetable. But if they ate as a group, the more subordinate guests were seated farther away from the host and served the lesser-quality wine (i.e., at a lower ranking). The treatment often caused grumbling and complaining.

It was also culturally common for non-believing Greeks to hold drinking parties involving some kind of entertainment. As a result, early Christians occasionally became influenced by the Greeks and treated communion as cocktail hour.

Division, unequal treatment of guests, and ungodly partying became enough of an issue that Paul had to desperately and urgently address the church.

Communion is Not a Party

In 1 Corinthians11:17-22, Paul writes that if one attends communion simply because he is hungry or wants to party or cause issues, he should stay home; otherwise, it will draw God’s judgment on the individual and the church.

“Therefore, when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others, and one is hungry, and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.” (v20-22)

“But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest you come together for judgment.” (v34)

Because the elite treated the others as having lower status and less worth, Paul taught that they did not correctly discern Christ’s body in each other. In doing so, they dishonored the meaning of communion.

There is no point in coming together for a holy ceremony if it is disrespected and includes sinful purposes. If one does not have the correct attitude or respect, then that person should stay home and not defile the purpose of communion or arouse God’s judgment.

Jesus designed communion to be a solemn time of reflecting on His sacrificial suffering, death, and resurrection while we look forward to His return. Treating it with respect is vital for believers and non-believers alike. But specifically for believers, we gather in equal fellowship, approaching communion with thankfulness and remembrance as we examine our hearts and consider our sins. If we have any unrepented sin, we must take the time to ask for God’s grace first so that we can properly honor Him and proclaim our faith in all He has done for us.

Jesus will return. His kingdom is coming. This truth gives us great hope for what awaits us eternally. Until then, let us take communion in genuine remembrance of Him, for He is worthy.