Vertical and Horizontal Planes of the Lord’s Supper

Vertical and Horizontal Planes of the Lord’s Supper

Lent Midweek 5

INI

In this final week, the topic that we take up in our Lenten series expands on the question “who”. Who should be taking the Lord’s Supper? To answer the question of “who”, there are horizontal and vertical planes to consider. Previously, we talked about how faith was the essential ingredient to make one worthy to receive the Sacrament on the “vertical” plane between us and God. On this plane, the one who has faith that it is Christ’s body and blood, as His Words declare, and that He gives this meal to forgive repentant sinners; the one who believes this is worthy of reception.

But also, there’s the horizontal plane of the Lord’s Supper, which leads to the ancient church practice of Closed Communion. As 1 Corinthians shows, division makes mockery of the Lord’s Supper. For the Lord seeks to unify His people into His own body through the Supper. Not only is church fellowship of concern on the horizontal plane when receiving the Lord’s Supper, but we’re to be at peace with fellow church members. And so, we see that this meal is yes, between us and God. But it’s also biblical and true to say that this meal is between us and each other! AS a body of Christ, we’re unified with each other in doctrine and practice.

So, let’s review the vertical plane of the Eucharist. This meal is between us and God. God gives it to those who repent of their sins and seek God’s forgiveness. In First Corinthians, Paul gives a couple qualifications that makes one “worthy” to receive this holy meal. First, they’re to “discern the body” lest they eat and drink judgment on themselves. In the immediate context of the passage, the “body” refers to the body of Christ. If they don’t know the question of “what it is”, as Christ teaches, then they are made unworthy to receive it, says Paul. The second qualification is that they must be repentant of their sins, seeking to be freed FROM their sins by the power of Christ given in the meal. That’s what Paul means when he says, “let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

Now, here comes the practical question: “Am I truly repentant of sin if I keep being tempted by it and occasionally fall? Am I still worthy to receive the Sacrament? Dear Christian, God desires a broken and contrite heart. God certainly gives escape from temptations. He arms and equips you to fight the temptations with His Word. The spiritual battle will become easier to overcome with the help of God. But this is precisely the point: you need God’s help to overcome temptation. The Eucharist is one of your weapons to fight against a conscience so burdened by sin. So come, frequently and often! If you are tempted by the same nagging sin, repent of it! Ask the Lord to take it away FROM you! And come be refreshed by the gift of life given in His body and blood shed for YOU! To FREE YOU from your condition! If you fall, confess it and repent! In your humble repentance, come receive the body and blood of Christ that the Spirit of Christ may be restored unto you once again!

Johann Spangenberg is a German Lutheran theologian from the 19^th century who wrote the margin comment at the end of the bulletin about worthy reception of the Lord’s Supper. He said, “Whenever you find yourself weak in faith, cold in love, faint-hearted in hope, inclined to every sin; and you long to be strong in faith, ablaze in love, mighty in hope, and free from your sin; you long to be pious, humble, compassionate, at peace, righteous, gentle, sober, meek, faithful, and truthful—then you are the best prepared [for the sacrament]. The greater your hunger and thirst for righteousness, the better prepared you are. For this heavenly meal demands a hungry soul. Whoever is already full does not belong here. Mary sings in the Magnificat, “the hungry he has filled with good things and the rich he has left empty.” So then, approach in faith and brotherly love with contemplation and sorrow for your sins, with sincere intention to shun sin and all its causes—with thanksgiving to God! And be sure that you receive the sacrament according to its fruits, as the signs of the sacrament—bread and wine—indicate. Certainly then you will find yourself in God’s blessing, Christ’s help and assistance, grace and lovingkindness, and finally eternal life. Help us to do this, God our Father, through your dear Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

The meal is meant for sinners. It’s meant for the empty. It’s meant for the unrighteous ones who repent of their sins and want to be better. It’s not meant for holy people who see no wrong in themselves. It wasn’t given to feed people who are already full. On this vertical plane, God gives this meal for sinners, who believe in His Word.

That’s “who” is made worthy to partake on this vertical plane, but what about on the horizontal plane? Is this meal just a personal matter between me and God? Does it matter who I take it with?

I once heard someone say, “while the Lord’s Supper is always a personal matter, it is never a private matter.” That is to say, who I take the Lord’s Supper with, and what my relationship with them is like, matters.

Paul in his letter detailed the abuse that occurred in the Corinthian Church when men sought to serve their social goals rather then serving the Lord who instituted the Supper. For in their feast that occurred prior to their celebration of the Lord’s Supper, the rich brought food for themselves and shared within their faction and clique, while the poor were left without anything to eat and drink. There was no sharing or unification between the two factions. So, when they came together for the Lord’s Supper, a mockery was made of Christ’s unifying gifts.

So, this is why the ancient Church practice of Closed Communion exists. It is neither loving nor responsible for a pastor or church to sacrifice theological considerations, especially concerning the “what” of the Lord’s Supper, for social pressure or custom. For example, if someone’s friend or relative was visiting and came to the table, that person participates in the sacrament to their own judgment. Sure it would be a courteous thing to do, but it wouldn’t be right and proper on the horizontal plane for someone who doesn’t share in the same confession. And ultimately, the officiant of the Supper is charged by God to be a good steward of the mysteries of God. Caving into social pressure isn’t being a good steward of what God has given.

So, the practice of closed communion isn’t to “judge” anyone’s eternal salvation. Rather, it recognizes real theological divisions. It seeks to prevent a profession of confessional unity where there is in fact, disagreement. Thus, if I were to invite someone who Lutherans were confessionally at odds with to the table, like the Corinthian Church did, I would be making a mockery of what Christ does for His people at the Lord’s Supper. For this Supper isn’t meant to meet any social goals, but it unites God’s people together where no division exists theologically or personally.

In a tract titled “Why Closed Communion?” the rationale for this practice is explained in this way “So it is not that a Lutheran congregation wants to bar fellow-saints from the blessings of the Eucharist when they practice Close Communion. It is not that they want to be separatistic, or set themselves up as judges of other men. The practice of Close Communion is prompted by love and is born of the heartfelt conviction, on the basis of Scripture alone, that we must follow Christ’s command. This means refusing the Lord’s Supper to those whose belief is not known to us. It is not showing love to allow a person to do something harmful, even though he may think it is for his own good. It also means if they are members of a Christian body which departs from the full truth of Scripture in some of its doctrines, that we must not minimize the evil of this false teaching by opening our fellowship to any and all Christians who err in the faith.”

There is a public confession that happens at this altar. To partake of this meal here is to say “Amen” to the Scriptures as taught by our church, as we bring forth this confession to the world. So, this public confession that takes place here is not only a confession that we are in fellowship with Christ, but also, that we are in fellowship – with no division – with each other. So closed communion seeks to promote good order, whereas open communion actually invites factions within the body of believers communing at the altar, which is the very thing Paul speaks against.

Paul said earlier in 1 Corinthians that Christians are a part of the one body of Christ. The Church stands on Christ. And as a part of the body of Christ, we’re to help other parts of the body. If we were the hand, and the foot is hurt, we should seek to use our hand to help the foot. Because we’re a part of one body! So, it would be foolish to let the foot suffer without our intervention or help. So, as a body unified by faith in Christ, it isn’t loving to invite others to eat and to drink if, according to what we believe, they aren’t discerning the “body” of Christ and the blood of Christ, and without discerning the confession of the body of Christ gathered at that altar. To do such would mean that we’d allow there to be divisions and factions, which Paul strictly speaks against! We shouldn’t have an attitude of apathy, allowing the Supper to serve our social goals. Rather, we should truly help our brother or sister in Christ by curbing a misuse of the Supper due to the division of doctrine and practice.

And to take this further, there shouldn’t be divisions within the congregation itself, lest they eat and drink judgments upon themselves. If there be someone who you’re angry with, our Lord says in Matthew 5 – “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. Come to terms quickly with your accuser.” If you come to the altar with hate against your brother, repent! Be reconciled with whoever your hate is against, and then come to the altar to receive true forgiveness FROM the sin of hatred and anger. To hate your fellow congregation member, and even Christian, and coming to the altar to participate in the Sacrament, mocks what the Lord does in the Supper. He seeks to demolish your sin, not allow you to harbor it safely in your hearts.

So yes. This meal has a vertical and horizontal plane. It is personal between us and God. But it’s not private. It’s between us and each other too – as a community of believers bound to and washed by the body and blood of Christ.  Together, we share in the same confession of the biblical truth concerning the supper – especially the questions “what it is”, “what benefit it gives”, “how we’re to take it in repentance and faith”, and “who it’s for”. This is what Christ has given us, His people, that we may be strong in faith, and holy in living.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston