“Unworthy” Speaks To The Manner
In Which You Relate To Others
Not Your Nature
Catholicism is big. Put your finger anywhere on any map and you’ll land close to Catholic influence.
Unfortunately, that can be good or bad. Sometimes very bad.
Even as I write this I know some will balk because they know a few Catholics. They work with some. They are neighbors to others. They’ve heard about Mother Theresa and all these people left very good impressions. They’re good people. They do good things. They are pleasant, social, helpful and the like.
If that was all there was to the argument, enough said, let’s move on but it isn’t.
My arguments here are not aimed at the good Catholics you’ve come to love.
The truth I’m focused on is the fact that everyone has been influenced by the Catholic church. That includes you and me both.
I’m not saying you like them or not, that you agree or disagree. I’m saying that what you think, the way you think, has been in same way influenced by Catholic ideologies.
Catholic Influence Is Both Good And Bad
Influence isn’t necessarily wrong but in the case of the Catholic Church, influence is both negative and positive in every sense. They do good things on the one hand and then turn it into something bad on the other.
Doctrinally, they emphasize the name of Jesus often and loudly. That’s a good thing. They quote Scripture in their services and many of those quotes include the very words Christ spoke. Sometimes that’s all they do other than go through repetivite ceremonies with great fanfare and, of course, offer the sacraments.
The ceremonies don’t offer much in the way of explanation but the sacraments – Communion – are usually accompanied by Scripture which does provide a little understanding.
In every case, however, the simplicity of Scripture is skewed in a Catholic direction.
Catholic Communion Is Closed
My wife and I attended a Catholic service on one occasion and I was surprised at how much of the Bible was quoted and the quotes did include many sections in which Jesus did the talking.
Jesus was emphasized. He was important.
Those are good things. Jesus is the only one who can save and the Bible is the Word of God. Hearing it is an important step in coming to faith (Romans 10:17).
That’s the good part. The bad part is they laden their practices with teachings that counter the ideas in Scripture.
As a visiting non-Catholic, I couldn’t partake in communion. I could sit quietly and observe but If I tried to participate, the only thing I would be offered is a blessing. The elements of communion would be withheld.
There’s something illogical about all this. Catholics believe that communion saves. Wouldn’t it be reasonable to think getting non-Catholics to participate would be a good thing? If it saves, let’s offer it to as many people as possible.
But that’s not the thinking. They limit the offer because they aren’t after salvations, they want control.
Catholics Spread The Error
It was this experience that made me realize that Baptists tend to be more influenced by Catholic teachings than they even realize. One topic debated among evangelical churches, including or maybe I should say especially Baptists, is who is allowed to take communion?
- Should only church members, the ones in good standing be allowed to participate (closed communion)?
- Should those from other churches of the same denomination be allowed to participate (close communion)?
- Or should anyone from any church be allowed to participate as long as they profess Christ (open communion)?
That’s the kind of discussions that Baptists entertain.
But the discussion misses the point. Jesus saves, communion doesn’t. And churches aren’t cultic communities that circle the wagons in the face of perceived threats. We want people to come in. Communion is a very gentle and clear way to expose people to the Gospel. Adding offensive regulations makes it the opposite.
So that leads me to another question, one that colors outside the boundaries. What about offering communion to anyone, church member or not, Christian or not? Rather than closed, close or open, I would call that down to earth and sensible communion.
This last idea, of course, is never considered. I’ve been in some churches where people are cautioned not to take communion unless they are believers.
Yes, Paul did warn the Corinthians not to partake “unworthily” but he was talking about an actual meal, not a ceremony, and he wasn’t referring to the condition of the individuals but to the manner in which the food was offered. It wasn’t a pot-luck open to anyone but a stingy withholding of food by a select few. Their manner was divisive, insulting, hurtful and judgmental toward others. Those aren’t the qualities that should characterize any Christian, church or the Gospel.
What that means, of course, is that disallowing communion is what Paul cautioned against.
Catholics Diminish The Power Of Jesus
Communion is a way of declaring the Gospel through a common experience – eating – but that only happens if everyone is allowed to partake.
And we may not like this truth but in reality the only participants at any communion table are sinners – other than Christ, of course. Every Apostle at the first Lord’s Table was a sinner.
If the Gospel is for sinners, what better way to make the point than observing communion with them. Excluding them misses the point and sends the wrong message.
Let’s face it. Everyone is a sinner. You might be a saved sinner but you’re still a sinner. Confessing your sins is a good way to recognize what you need to avoid or work on but it doesn’t change your basic nature. There aren’t enough Hail Mary’s to make you less unworthy or more worthy.
Catholic obsession has taken something simple but powerful and transformed it into a tangle of ideas which ultimately excludes people from the Gospel.
Communion Is A Supper
The correct understanding is simple.
Communion, or the Lord’s Supper as it is commonly called among protestants, is a supper. It’s a meal. It memorializes an event and associated ideas. Observing it is a way of keeping those events and ideas in mind.
The elements don’t transform. Participation doesn’t save.
And anyone can observe it.
It’s kind of like Thanksgiving dinner. It reminds us that there was a time when the early settlers who stepped on our shores struggled in their first months and had little to eat. Many starved. When the first winter ended and the indigenous people generously offered food and assistance, they had a celebration to thank God and that first celebration ended up being memorialized into Thanksgiving.
It’s a wonderful idea and an occasion we all enjoy.
Does observing Thanksgiving make you an American? No. Does observing Thanksgiving make you Christian? No. Is anyone disallowed turkey because they aren’t old enough to understand? No.
Unfortunately, the Catholics have made us all a bit obsessive when it comes to Communion.
If you find these ideas distressing, that’s OK. We’ve all been exposed to the same influences, even in the religious realm. But don’t walk away or give up too quickly.
THINK!AboutIt
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