1 Corinthians 11:27-30 - Explained
The Bible speaks in 1 Corinthians 11:27–30 about taking the Lord's Supper unworthily, and about some people getting sick and even dying as a result. Because of this warning from Paul the Apostle, around the world in Baptist churches when the Lord's Supper is taken there are a lot of people who will choose not to take it because they do not want to risk taking it unworthily. When they do this they usually have the right heart — they are just looking at their lives and realising they are sinners. But I do not think that is the intent of what Paul the Apostle is speaking about in 1 Corinthians chapter 11.
Some people apply this to unsaved people and say unsaved people are unworthy, so judgment could come upon them. But an unsaved person who happens to visit church is probably not even going to realise they are unsaved. I do not think the judgment is coming upon them simply for showing up to church and taking the Lord's Supper without realising what it means.
If we go back in 1 Corinthians we can clearly see the context. 1 Corinthians 5:7–8: "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." The Lord's Supper is basically the replacement of the Old Testament Passover, with just slight changes from the Passover to the Lord's Supper. And in the verses that follow this passage, it actually talks about people being kicked out of church for various sins. The Bible does teach church discipline — if you have grievous and major sins in your life, and it gives a list of these things in 1 Corinthians 5, you should actually be kicked out of the local church. It talks about being a drunkard, and of course there is the man sleeping with his father's wife in 1 Corinthians.
What the Bible is basically stating is this: if you have a major sin in your life, one that deserves church discipline, and you realise it but the pastor does not and you are getting away with it in human eyes even though God sees it — then you should have a fear of taking the Lord's Supper unworthily. That should motivate you to get right with God and say, I am going to get rid of this sin because I do not want to risk being judged by God. But if you choose to take the Lord's Supper unworthily while living in open fornication or adultery, then you could possibly get sick and die as a result — that is what the Bible is saying.
This is not saying that if somebody goes to church and they struggle with listening to rock music, or they smoke cigarettes from time to time, or they watch bad movies, that they should worry about God striking them down for taking the Lord's Supper. What it is saying is that someone who would brazenly go into church knowing they deserve to be kicked out of the local church according to what the Bible says, and they choose to take the Lord's Supper unworthily anyway — that person should fear.
Pastor Matthew Stucky
