Who Should Come to the Lord's Table?

Sometimes in order to see the big picture, it is necessary to get into the weeds. This will be the case for this article. In order to know who is qualified to come to the table (getting into the weeds), we must have a firm understanding of the church of the living God (the big picture). 

The argument made in this article is this; the only qualified participants in the Lord’s Supper are baptized Christians who are living in a worthy manner and are in good standing with a local church. 

I will break the qualifications into four categories and tackle each one separately and then bring them back together at the end and answer some lingering questions. 

1. You must be a Christian

The nature of the Lord’s Supper is exclusive to only Christians. While there are no clear verses that say that unbelievers should not partake in communion, it is clear in the Scriptures that only those who have saving faith in Christ alone are welcome to the table. Some denominations practice what is known as “open communion”, but this is a clear violation of the practice of the Lord’s Supper. 

The Lord’s Supper was foreshadowed by the Passover in the Old Testament where the people of God would place the blood of a spotless lamb over the doorpost of their homes in order to avoid the killing of their first born child. In other words, only the people of God participated in the Passover. 

When Jesus reclined at the table and shared the last Passover meal with his disciples where he instituted the Lord’s Supper, it was only His disciples who were there. Perhaps some would argue that Judas was there and Jesus knew he was not a true disciple. The point is that those who were welcome are those who have outwardly professed Christ. Certainly there will be unregenerate people coming. News flash, there are plenty of unregenerate church members who have slipped through the cracks and joined most healthy bible churches. The point is that pastors should fence the table well to make sure that only Christians are coming to the table. 

Paul, in 1 Corinthains 11, emphasizes “when you come together as a church” (v. 18). His point was that only Christians were permitted to come to the table because of what the table represents. 

The Lord’s Supper represents the death of Christ which is the means by which sin was paid for. Parallel to the lamb that was killed to spread the blood on the doorpost during the Passover, Jesus Christ, the perfect lamb of God, has shed his blood for those who would trust him for the remission of sins. 

Only Christians can come to this meal. 

2. You must be baptized

Remember, it is necessary to get into the weeds to understand the big picture. If the Lord’s Supper is only for Christians, then it is only for baptized Christians. You may ask, are there such things as Christians who are not baptized? Certainly, this may be the case. Or you may ask, does baptism make you a Christian? And the answer would is no, it does not save you. However, saving faith, which makes you a Christian, and baptism, which is the public evidence you are a Chrisian go hand in hand. And it goes hand in hand that only a baptized Christian should partake of the Lord’s Supper, which is a meal only for Christians. 

This issue has everything to do with the fact that a person’s saving faith is not a private faith. Rather, it is a public one. And baptism and the Lord’s Supper are public ordinances. 

Baptism is the sign where the church affirms that a person has displayed true saving faith. Apart from the public sign of baptism, that person only has the private knowledge of their faith which is not enough. Since the Lord’s Supper is a public sign that you are a Christian, and to come to the table you must be a Christian, then you must be baptized (publicly affirmed as a Christian by a local church) before you partake of the Lord’s Supper. 

In other words, it is all about getting the order right. First, you have saving faith. Second, you are baptized to affirm your faith publicly with a local church. Third, you are welcome to the Lord’s Table. 

The reason for this qualification is because an understanding of the local church, its nature, and its authority matters. Oftentimes baptism is left out of the qualifications for communion and this minimizes the importance of baptism in the life of a Christian and ultimately minimizes the emphasis of the local church. When all four qualifications are matched together, a robust understanding of the church is preserved. 

I will answer some potential questions that may come to mind at the end of this article. 

3. You must be living in a worthy manner

Paul’s concern in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 was an appropriate manner of coming to the Lord’s table. Apparently they were coming  for selfish reasons, inconsiderate of others, and in an unworthy manner. Some may take this passage to be a warning to unbelievers, but it is, in fact, a warning to believers. Paul goes on later in the passage to say, “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.” In other words, before coming to the table, it is incumbent upon every Christian to discern of themselves their worthiness. The table of the Lord is a physical representation of the gospel, and the gospel bears fruit in our lives through righteous and holy living. We should not be living in unrepentant sin and coming to the table. Rather, we should abstain from the table, and repent of sin before we come to the table again. 

The table is to be fenced, not only from non-Christians, but also from Christians who are living in an unworthy manner. 

4. You must be in good standing with a local church

The church has been given authority by Christ. The church expresses its authority in church membership, baptism, preaching and teaching, and communion. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are corporate matters, along with church membership. If a Christian is not in good standing with a local church, then that person should not be welcomed to the table. 

What does it mean to be in good standing of a local church? It means, number one, that they are active or seeking to be active members of a local church. Number two, it means they are not currently involved in any church discipline cases where a church would caution another sister church of admitting a person into membership because of a particular sin. To be in good standing with a local church does not mean that a person is perfect, but rather that they are living their life in a way which a congregation can affirm that they are truly Christians and are living in a worthy manner. The qualification of living in a worthy manner is not an individual judgment but rather it is a congregation’s judgment, according to the Scriptures, of a person. 

Therefore, a person must be in good standing with a local church to be welcome to the table. 

After reading this article, you may be thinking how strict these qualifications are for the Lord’s table. Let me remind you that we are talking about the gospel of Jesus Christ where dead sinners are made alive. Let me remind you that we are talking about the church of the living God. Let me remind you that we are talking about the all sufficient, inspired, infallible Word of God. None of these things should be taken lightly. We need Christians and churches to take the gospel of Jesus Christ, the church of the living God and the Word of God more seriously than we are. We do not need more compromise, we need clearer expectations. This article is intended to bring more clarity, for the glory of God and the edification of the saints around the topic of who is welcome to the Lord’s table. 



Are children welcome to the table?
If a child is a Christian, who has been baptized, walking in a manner worthy of the Lord, and is in good standing with a local church, then yes that child is welcome to the table. 

If a child is working through salvation and questions about baptism, it is best to withhold from taking the Lord’s Supper until clarity is brought personally and within the congregation and they are baptized. 

What if I am a Christian and not yet baptized, what should I do?
You should seek membership with a local church where your salvation can be affirmed by elders and a congregation who know you and love you. Once this happens, you will be baptized and welcome to the table. Until then, refraining from the table would be best. 

If a person meets all the standards above, are there any reasons they should abstain from coming to the table?
In short, no. 

A prayer that is often used at Faith Community Church before taking communion comes from Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

This prayer is a request that God would reveal any unknown sin in your heart or life to you. Certainly there are sins that are hidden from you, but again, the qualification for communion is not perfection, it is worthiness. If there is any unrepentant sin in your life, then you should repent before coming to the table. Maybe another way to say this; you must come to the table with a clear conscience. Undoubtedly, there will be offenses between you and another person which would normally constitute refraining from the Lord’s table. However, as long as you have done your due diligence in reconciliation and your conscience is clean, then you are certainly permitted to come to the table. If not, then there still needs to be repentance and reconciliation with that person. 

For the sake of clarity, although communion is a time to reflect on sin and repent of sin, it is not a time to wallow in sin and our unworthiness. Christ has paid for our sin and we should have a clear conscience before God and man, and then enjoy the gospel feast found at the Lord’s table with the other saints. The Lord’s Supper serves as a formative thing as you reflect on your sin and the salvation in Christ. It forms a gospel perspective for life, both personally and relationally. 

May God be glorified, the saints be edified, and the gospel be spread to all nations!