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Be Mature and Complete
A Study of the Letter of James by Rev. Ken Behnken
1. Perseverance under Trial. James 1:1-18
Dr. Paul L. Maier, a noted LC-MS ancient history scholar, wrote, "Controversy has swirled about the New Testament Epistle of James ever since the early church, when some denied it canonical status – through the Reformation era, when Luther dubbed it a 'straw epistle' – to commentators today, who often deem it an unorganized collection of moralisms." He wrote this as the first sentence of his Foreword for the book, James, the Apostle of Faith, by David P. Scaer. He was introducing the fact that in his commentary Scaer offers a view of James' letter that is considerably different from those traditional views. Maier ended his Foreward with "The author has caught the spirit of earliest Jewish Christianity before its systematizing in Pauline vocabulary, its Gentile admixture, and its missionary vector into Europe."
Scaer sees James as a carefully crafted pastoral letter written to encourage those who, as a result of the persecution led by Saul of Tarsus in Jerusalem, were serving as elders or pastors of the many messianic synagogues that appeared throughout Judea and Samaria, and even beyond. The exodus of Christians from Jerusalem may have involved 20% of its estimated population of 25,000. Their settling elsewhere in villages and cities was no easy thing, so the newcomers clung together for faith and fellowship in Christ. The Letter of James was needed to guide pastors and members of Jewish Christian house churches as they developed, encouraging them to be the church where they were. It shows that all of them recognized and valued their ties to the Jerusalem church and James as "bishop" of the expanding church. It was written sometime after the persecution, A.D. 35, and some years before the Council in Jerusalem, 50 A.D. It shows us the Jewish Church before the church in Antioch and the missions of the apostle Paul introduced outreach to the Gentile world.
Who was James? Matthew 13:55 and 27:56 name him as one of Jesus' brothers. Many interpreters of Scripture, however, have pointed out that also cousins were called "brothers" – a view that grew out of the Mariology that developed in the church. Scaer and others refer to Jesus as a "uterine brother", a half-brother, of Jesus. (Recently a 1st century ossuary surfaced that bore the inscription "James, Son of Joseph, Brother of Jesus", which used the word that specifies a full brother – but some now are questioning the ossuary's authenticity.) Scaer says, "Though the early church saw Mary and Joseph having their own children, she was later held to be a perpetual virgin. The significance of our Lord's being born into a real earthly family – his true incarnation into humanity – was diminished. Joseph and Mary gradually were regarded as the primordial celibate pair, and James and his full brothers had to be assigned to other parentage to safeguard Mary's virginal chastity. Even the thought that they were Joseph's children by a previous marriage is no longer tolerable in the view of today's Mariology."
The Gospels tell us that Jesus' brothers did not believe in him until after his resurrection. You get a mental picture of James watching and listening, seeing some miracles and hearing about others, mulling over in his mind the teachings he heard, but not being convinced until the risen Jesus appeared to him personally. (1 Cor. 15:7) Then, filled with the Spirit, James became an integral part of the Jerusalem congregation and probably a leader of one of the house churches, where his mother Mary probably was a participant. When Peter left the city for ministry elsewhere, James' relation to Jesus and his Spirit-filled abilities made him the choice for leadership of the whole Jerusalem church – a church decidedly Jewish in its customs, orientation, and language, as his letter indicates. James was the acknowledged leader at the Jerusalem Apostolic Council, 50 A.D. – and continued in this position until his martyrdom by stoning in 62 A.D.
1:1 – Greetings
1. Why did James identify himself as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" and not as "apostle and brother of our Lord Jesus"? (See Deuteronomy 34:35 and Matthew 20:28) What did James' calling his readers "the twelve tribes scattered among the nations" say to them?
The Interpreter's Bible says that in form and structure James' letter is a "paraenesis", a collection of moral instructions made very pointed by their being couched in the second person – and that it occasionally uses "diatribe", in which a writer or speaker refers to or quotes the opponent's view in order to refute it, often in most deprecatory terms. Both literary forms were common in the Greek world – and may be seen at times in Jesus' teachings in the Gospels, in the Epistles of Paul, and especially here in James.
1:2-12 – Perseverance under Trials
James wrote to Jewish Christians who had fled Jerusalem to take up life in the villages of Judea and Samaria. He understood their circumstances. They were not being actively persecuted by their fellow Jews, but their establishing their own Messianic synagogues or house churches probably had led to their being shunned by other villagers, and possibly had disadvantaged them economically. They were being put to the test regarding their faith in Jesus as the Promised One and their allegiance to the fellowship of believers.
2. What was James' surprising instruction for them as they were tested by their circumstances? What would be the result of their persevering in faith? How can we put James' instruction into practice when we find our faith tested by circumstances that occur in our lives?
3. What did James recommend as the primary step in coping with trials? On what did James base his assurance that God "gives generously to all who ask without finding fault"? (See Romans 8:31-32) What is the one thing that makes such prayer ineffective? (See Mark 9:17-29) How is the wisdom that God gives different from humanistic approaches to troubling circumstances?
James addressed the economic situation of the Jewish Christians as tests of their faith. They had lost property and means of making a living as a result of the flight forced on them by Saul's persecution. Then, too, the disparity in earthly means among them, no doubt, added to their trials. James addressed both the poor brothers and the rich brothers – giving encouragement especially to brothers who were pastors of the churches.
4. On what would it be wise for the brother (pastor) in humble circumstances to focus? To what would that lead him? (See 1 Timothy 6:6-10) On what would it be wise for the brother who is rich to focus? To what would that lead him? (See 1 Timothy 6:17-19)
5. Which of these words of wisdom from James speaks most pointedly to us American Christians and pastors? What is the equalizer for poor and rich Christians as they persevere in the faith
1:13-18 – Overcoming Temptations
James offers a two step process in dealing with temptation. Both steps require honesty and faithful acceptance of God's Word on the matter. They require not just our intellectual agreement that they are good principles, but our putting them into practice in our daily living.
6. What does James' first step require of us? What results when we are not ready to take personal responsibility for our sinfulness and our sinning? (See Genesis 3:10-13) What is the deadly process that takes place when we nourish sinful desires? If we may not say "God made me do it", may we say "The devil made me do it"? (See John 16:7-11) How may we apply in practical ways James' truth about what causes sin? (See Philippians 4:8-9, Ephesians 6:10-18)
7. What does James' second step require of us? How is it that it is the Gospel of Jesus and not God's law that guards us from the deadly process that is the result of giving in to sinful desires? (See Romans 7:8-13 and 8:1-16)
Be Mature and Complete
A Study of the Letter of James by Rev. Ken Behnken
THOUGHTS FOR THE LEADER
1. Perseverance under Trial. James 1:1-16
The Letter of James was one of the antilegomena (spoken against) writings when the church met to decide the canon of its New Testament at the end of the fourth century. Along with Hebrews, 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and Revelation, it was adopted into the canon by majority vote, not unanimously. As a result, in Lutheran tradition these writings are limited to providing support for teachings enunciated in the homologoumena (same voice) writings adopted unanimously. They are not used as the source of teachings. Luther referred to James as a straw epistle because it does not explicitly enunciate salvation by grace alone through faith alone, as did Paul's writings – and as the church of Luther's day needed to hear it. Later in his ministry, however, Luther, did recognize the value of James for the church as a corrective to "cheap grace" – "grace" and "faith" that ignore the call to dedicated discipleship. Scaer says, "James should be read, not from the Pauline perspective but from the perspective of Jesus, especially in this teachings in the Sermon on the Mount." He sees a connection between Jesus and James in regard to James' style and terminology.
Luther continued the tradition of Mary's perpetual virginity and the phrase semper virgine found its way into the Lutheran Confessions. Since this tradition grew out of the church's developing a Mariology and is not based on Scripture itself, we are not bound to agree with this tradition, but are free to see a greater value in recognizing James as the uterine brother, the half brother, of Jesus. Mariology has continued in the Catholic Church into modern times. In 1854, after centuries of argument involving especially the Franciscan and the Dominican orders, Pope Pius IX spoke ex cathedra to declare: "In honor of the holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the Christian religion, by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and of our own office, we declare, pronounce, and define the doctrine which holds that the most blessed Virgin Mary was, in the first instant of her conception, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, with regard to the merits of Christ Jesus the Savior of the human race, preserved free from every stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore is to be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful." The Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge comments: "The dogma was not sanctioned by an ecumenical council; but since the Vatican Council of 1870 declared the pope infallible, independent of a council, the decree of 1854 must be received as an infallible utterance, and cannot be changed. The dogma of the immaculate conception of Mary and the Vatican decree of papal infallibility are the characteristic features of modern Romanism, as distinct from the Romanism of the Council of Trent (1545-1563), and have widened the doctrinal breach between the Roman Church and the Greek and Protestant Churches." The movement exalting Mary has continued. In 1950 the bodily Assumption of Mary into heaven to be the Queen of Heaven was declared as doctrine. Today there is a continuing movement in the Roman Church toward Mary being declared to be Co-Redemptor with Christ.
Commenting on the martyrdom of James, Paul Meier says, "Effectively, James and not Peter was the first "bishop" of the Christian Church, and when the high priest and the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem stoned James to death in the absence of the Roman governor Albinus (who was so angry at this lynching that the high priest was deposed), it was a stunning parallel to Good Friday, which must be cited against all current attempts to rewrite the Passion story in the interest of exculpating the Sanhedrin."
1. Jesus' appearance to James evidently was not just to convince him and make him a believer but was also to commission him to serve as one sent out, an apostle. James did not avoid that title nor fail to call himself the Lord's brother out of false humility. Those to whom he was writing knew who he was. He chose to use the title that applied to Moses and the other prophets and was fulfilled by Jesus, the true Servant of the Lord about whom Isaiah sang his songs. (Isaiah 42:1-9, 49:1-13, 50:4-11, and 52:13-53:12) Those to whom James wrote would get the point. (See also the notes about the Author in the NIV's Introduction) / This was a reminder to the scattered believers of who they were. They were children of Abraham, the people of the Covenant of Grace and Blessing – "the twelve tribes of Israel". More than that, they were children of God who had seen the covenant fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. As the twelve tribes had experienced oppression and exile, so they were experiencing persecution and displacement. In the face of all of this James wrote with God's own authority to instruct and encourage his dispersed people in their difficulties. They needed to know that the One who fulfilled the covenant would not forsake them, and they should not forsake him.
2. James surely sympathized with those to whom he wrote because of their trials, but he did not let them pity themselves. He pointed them to the spiritual solution to their being tested by earthly circumstances. They were to consider it "pure joy" when faced by various trials because "the testing of faith develops perseverance". / Perseverance in faith results in growth toward maturity and completeness as Christians. A "fair-weather faith" is no faith at all. The suggestion is that for our faith to grow it has to be tested by difficult circumstances. "No pain, no gain." / As disciples being trained by trials we may consciously sink ourselves deeper in the Word and prayer, seek the strengthening fellowship and guidance of mature Christians, and consciously rejoice in the Lord always. Lenski says, "The flesh will not like them, but the spirit will rejoice to prove itself and to gain from the trials what Christ intended should be gained."
3. The primary step in coping with trials is to turn to God in prayer, seeking his gift of wisdom as to how to cope and overcome / James' assurance is based on God's love for us in Christ Jesus. How else would he be able to give generously without finding fault? When we remember God's gift of the first and best in Christ, we have every reason to expect from him a positive response to our prayers. The Interpreter's Bible says, "While selfish prayers may be ignored by God, prayers for wisdom are certain of their answer." / The one thing that can make prayer ineffective is offering it without faith – faith that God is our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ and that he hears and answers all prayers in Jesus' name. Lips and heart may not be at variance in this. Prayer for wisdom commits the one who prays to dependence on God's readiness to hear and on the proof of his love in Christ. (See Matthew 7:7-11) / Humanistic approaches look for a resolution, a way out of the difficult situation. Seeking and applying the wisdom of God may also resolve the situation, but God's wisdom surely will change the one who prays within the situation. (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
4. The brother (pastor) in humble circumstances would be wise to focus on his high position as one redeemed by Jesus Christ for life as a servant of the Servant. / This would lead him to "take pride" in his identifying with his Lord, to be uncomplaining and content to be "humble and lowly in heart", desiring "not to be served but to serve and give his life for the many". / The brother who is rich would be wise to focus on his low position, his being called humbly to "wash the feet" of brothers and sisters in Christ as a servant of the Servant. / This would constantly remind him to seek first God's kingdom and righteousness for himself as well as for those he serves, because money and all it can buy is temporary and elusive and a significant threat to spirituality – and is given to us so we can benefit others in their need. (See Matthew 6:19-24)
5. Whether we like to admit it or not, we are the rich, and our persevering in faith and discipleship is continually being tested by our American standard of living. Statistically, on the average, LCMS members give less than a shameful 3% of their income to church and charity. Many who dutifully tithe (10%) their income see the tithe as a ceiling, as if everything beyond that belongs to them to use for personal enjoyment and satisfaction. We easily forget that "where our treasure is, there our heart will be". We surely need the grace of God to "pass through the eye of the needle". (See Luke 18:18-30) / The equalizer for poor and rich Christians who persevere in the faith is that the one meaningful goal is "receiving the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him". Poor or rich, we all must guard against allowing love of money to replace love of God. We can't do both. The Interpreter's Bible reminds us: "'To be better off is not to be better' and it is the latter which is the real business of living according to the Biblical viewpoint."
6. James' first step requires that we accept personal responsibility for temptation to sin. It comes from our sinful nature as part of a sinful humanity. / When we don't accept personal responsibility we blame others, even God. / The process: desire is conceived within us; it gives birth to sin; and when full-grown (given expression) sin gives birth to death (deadens spiritually). / Jesus overcame and judged the devil. With Jesus as our Lord, we are no longer ruled by the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. / Devoting ourselves to things that are positive and good helps us control our sinful desires – all the while, wearing the armor of God.
7. The second step requires that we continually look to God in thanks and praise for "every good and perfect gift", especially his gift of rebirth in Christ Jesus. / By nature we are sinful and unclean; the law can only be an impossible burden for us. Rebirth in Christ frees us to live by the Spirit, motivating us to love our Lord and one another freely and willingly – becoming his gifts to each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Most Excellent Way
Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians
STUDY THIRTEEN – Divisiveness and The Lord’s Supper – 11:17-34
11:17-22 –
Paul began his instruction about Customary Propriety in Worship in Study Twelve by praising the Corinthian Christians for “holding to the teachings just as he had passed them on to them.” Now, as he began this section he bluntly told them that he had no praise for them in what he now was going to take up with them. The divisiveness in the congregation had been expressing itself in the worst possible way – in the eating of their Agape, their love feast. Paul told them that this was keeping them from concluding their fellowship meals with any real celebrations of the Lord’s Supper.
The agape meals were like our potluck suppers. Members brought food and drink as they could, and shared the meal. In closing, they used some of the bread and wine to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. This was a natural part of their informal fellowship, but did not become a permanent practice. By the middle of the second century the Lord’s Supper was separated from the love feast. In 150 A. D. Justin Martyr described the Lord’s Supper as part of the church’s worship without any mention of the love feast.
The divisive spirit in the Corinthian congregation had corrupted their love feasts. They had become settings for separated factions and cliques. The “haves” were eating and drinking their full without waiting for others – and getting drunk in the process. The “have nots” went hungry. In that setting they then pretended to be one in the Spirit in the Lord’s Supper. It’s no wonder Paul told them, “It is not the Lord’s Supper you eat,” and asked them, “Do you despise the church of God?” Paul then reminded them of his original instruction, and in the process gave us the Bible’s most complete instruction about the Sacrament.
11:23-34 –
1. Of what does Paul’s “I received from the Lord” assure us?
2. How did Jesus’ words change forever the thrust of the eating and drinking of the bread and wine of the Passover Supper?
3. What proclamation is intrinsic to our repeatedly eating and drinking the body and blood of our Lord in this meal?
Paul immediately judged their abuse of the Lord’s Supper through their fractious spirit. He told them that in eating the bread and drinking the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner they were sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Jesus had meant it when he said, “This is my body. This is my blood.” In this holy meal Jesus comes to his disciples in his true humanity as our Savior as well as in his true divinity as our Lord. We eat bread and drink wine, but he gives us his body and blood. In the process we proclaim his death and gain fresh assurance that his death was for our sins and that, as a result, we are forgiven.
It is vital that we participate “worthily” and not sin against his body and blood. That’s why Paul said, “Examine yourself before you eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” What do we look for? It helps to know that the Greek word axios, “worthy,” referred to a balance scale with the idea of being “equal to.” But how can we sinners be equal to the body and blood of Jesus? Only by bringing Jesus with us to the meal by faith. Then Jesus in our hearts equals Jesus in the meal – and we truly enjoy a Holy Communion. A first concern in self-examination always must be: “Is there anything in my life, any persistent willful sin of commission or omission, that is disrupting my communion with my Savior and will prevent me from bringing him with me to the meal?” (See John 14:23-24)
4. What must we do before communing if our self-examination reveals a persistent willful sin is threatening to kill our relationship with Jesus? (See Mark 1:14-15 and Hebrews 10:26-31)
5. What happens when a member of the church ignores God’s call to turn from willful sin in repentance and persists in it, but goes ahead and communes anyway?
Paul told his readers that their unloving horizontal relationships were corrupting their relationship with Jesus so much that “it was not the Lord’s Supper they were eating.” His strong words urge us to examine ourselves also regarding our relationship with each other. It is in our relationship with one another that our relationship with the Lord Jesus is displayed. So our self-examination has to include, as a second concern: “Is there anything in my relationship with a brother or sister in Christ, any resentment or bitterness, any persistent refusal to apologize or forgive, that is disrupting my communion with my Savior and will prevent me from bringing him with me to the meal?” (See John 13:34-35 and 1 John 3:16-18)
6. What must we do before communing if our self-examination reveals a persistent willful refusal to apologize to or to forgive a brother or sister in Christ? (See Matthew 5:23-24)
Paul’s concern for the Corinthians’ horizontal communion took on a note of urgency with his “Anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (The Greek has only “recognizing the body.”) In view of the context in which Paul repeated his instruction about the Lord’s Supper, his “recognizing the body” clearly referred to recognizing the unity of fellowship in the body of Christ, the church. This is what they were abusing with their divisiveness.
“Recognizing (or discerning) the body” has also been seen as pointing to “recognizing the true presence of Jesus in his body and blood in the Sacrament.” Both are true, and they go hand in hand in the significance of the Sacrament. Paul said the Corinthians’ loveless divisiveness was keeping them from really eating the Lord’s Supper when they came together. That’s because the abuse of their relationship with each other in the body of Christ was impacting directly on their relationship with the Lord. Not recognizing and practicing and celebrating their oneness in “the body” was keeping them from truly recognizing and celebrating Jesus’ body (and blood) in the holy meal. Paul warned the Corinthian Christians that as they brought their loveless divisiveness with them to the Lord’s Supper they were really eating and drinking judgment on themselves. Instead of drawing them closer to Jesus and one another in faith, their communing in proud lovelessness was defeating its purpose.
Paul's warning surely extends to us. It reminds us that also our horizontal relationships with fellow members in the body of Christ reveal and display the validity of our vertical relationship with Christ, the Head
7. What happens when a member of the church refuses to “go and be reconciled” with a brother or sister in Christ, but goes ahead and communes anyway?
8. When we have examined ourselves and have consciously and appropriately repented of our sins, both against God and against our brothers and sisters in Christ, of what may we be confident as we come to the Lord’s Table? (See 1 Corinthians 10:16-17)
9. What has your study of Divisiveness and the Lord’s Supper said to you for your faith and life?
The Most Excellent Way
Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians
THOUGHTS FOR THE LEADER
STUDY THIRTEEN – Divisiveness and the Lord’s Supper – 11:17-34
1. Paul’s “I received from the Lord” assures us that he was giving true apostolic instruction in teaching about what the Lord’s Supper means and does in the life of the church. He was Jesus’ representative in this. Paul surely had contact with the other apostles regarding the dramatic event in the Upper Room, but he was also instructed by the Spirit as he put the event into the perspective of the Passover Supper and the prophecies of the Messiah. His words have provided for us the bulk of The Words of Institution, which are spoken every time Christians gather at the Lord’s Table. Lenski quotes from The Lutheran Confessions: “Where his institution is observed and his words are spoken over the bread and cup, and the consecrated bread and cup are distributed, Christ himself through the spoken words, is still efficacious by virtue of the first institution through his word, which he wishes to be repeated.”
2. It was after eating the last meaningful Passover Supper with his apostles that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, the New Testament meal that declares that the Passover and all Old Testament ceremonies and sacrifices have been fulfilled by Christ. During the course of the meal that was a memorial to God’s saving the firstborn from death through the lambs’ blood on the door posts and lintels of the homes of faithful Israelites and then delivering them from slavery in Egypt, Jesus changed the thrust of the evening to what he was at the point of doing for sinful humanity. He would be the Lamb of God who would shed his blood and suffer and die as God’s atoning sacrifice for human sin. The meal he instituted by giving the apostles his body and blood fulfilled the Passover and replaced it as the sacramental meal of God’s faithful people. It is no longer appropriate for New Testament Christians to eat a Passover Supper, which was only a type of Christ and was fulfilled by Christ. We now have his own gift of the Sacrament of his Presence, the meal in which he gives us his body and blood in assurance that God’s saving plan for us and for all has been completed in his Son.
3. St. Paul says that every time we eat the bread and drink the cup we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. It is this proclamation of the Good News of Jesus that makes this meal a means of grace – effectuating in us what it promises, the forgiveness of sins. These are powerful words. Paul’s Greek emphasized “the death” by placing it forward in the phrase “the death of the Lord you proclaim.” He referred to Jesus as “the Lord,” a title weighty with significance, for it identified Jesus with The Septuagint’s use of the same Greek word, kurios, for Yahweh, the covenant Lord. As we proclaim the Good News in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper we are bringing each other the clearest possible Gospel and the strongest encouragement to faith and love.
4. Jesus’ preaching was summarized by Mark in the same way he summarized the preaching of John the Baptist – and was echoed by Peter in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost. All of God’s representatives bring this same basic call: Repent, and believe the Good News. The Bible’s “repent” calls for a change of heart and life, a turn from sin to God in the power of the Holy Spirit. Christians who recognize through their self-examination that they are involved in situations of persistent, willful sin, will go to Jesus, confess this truth to him, and seek the power of his Spirit to get out of that situation. We need to take seriously the Bible’s teaching that the one sin that Jesus cannot forgive is our willfully saying NO to him. But when we approach Jesus honestly and openly he will never reject us. With his assurance of love and forgiveness we may go with rejoicing to the meal by which he will strengthen us in our resolve to overcome temptation and turn from that sin. The Lord’s Supper is for sincere Christians. It is for the forgiveness of sins, but not in the sense that it “wipes the slate clean” so we can do it again. The Lord’s Supper is for Christians who already are forgiven and live daily in that forgiveness. It strengthens our faith and life in Christ.
5. When a church member is saying NO to Jesus by persisting in some willful sin and refuses to repent and correct the situation with God’s help when his self-examination makes him face up to it – yet goes ahead anyway and pretends to say YES to Jesus by participating in the Lord’s Supper, he participates to his harm, not to his blessing. What is intended to bless and deepen the faith/love relationship with Jesus actually has the opposite effect when it is reduced to going through the motions. Jesus is made less important by such surface participation and the “unworthy” participant is hardened all the more to God’s call to true repentance and faith and discipleship. On a practical life level Paul said that the Lord’s judgment and discipline may come also as physical circumstances that he allows. Weakness, sickness and death in the Christian community often are “wake up calls” to remind us of our need of his forgiving love, our need to strengthen our discipleship through repentance and renewal.
6. This emphasis is often missing in instruction about self-examination. We view Holy Communion as if it were only between each of us and the Lord and often miss its horizontal aspect. As a result, members of the church may feud with each other – but still kneel at the same Lord’s Table. (In this regard, remember that the Lord’s Table extends beyond the local church to every place his Supper is being celebrated.) We need always to be aware that our relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ has a direct effect on our relationship with Christ. Jesus said that if we intend to bring our worship to him (and go to communion) and remember that we are not right with a brother or sister in Christ, we are to make being reconciled through personal contact the first priority – and only then bring him our worship (and go to communion).
7. Jesus said, “If you refuse to forgive, your heavenly Father will not forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14-15) An unforgiving, unloving heart effectively blocks God’s forgiving love. This spiritual blessing of the Lord's Supper is missed when we proudly and stubbornly refuse to “go and be reconciled” as a first priority. To commune at the Lord’s table while nursing an unforgiving spirit or carrying a grudge against a fellow Christian means that we are not really taking the Lord’s presence in his body and blood seriously. We cannot deal with him seriously in faith and love while at the same time rejecting or ignoring his call to show that we are his disciples by loving one another. In our interactions with one another we interact with the Lord. When we perpetuate unresolved bad feelings with a brother or sister in Christ it corrodes our relationship with Christ – and the longer we persist in being double-minded in this way the harder it becomes to take the necessary steps to correct the situation, until finally our proud hearts may be hardened against our Lord’s will for us.
8. Communing “worthily” does not require that we be “perfect Christians”. The Lord’s Supper is for sinners and assures us of our Lord’s forgiving love. While we need to be serious about repenting and turning from willful sin, and serious about being reconciled with brothers and sisters in Christ, we know that to make the needed turn-around or carry out the needed attempt at reconciliation we need the dynamic of the Spirit of Jesus in our lives to do it. He offers that dynamic also in the Lord’s Supper. When we commune in faith and love as his forgiven children, he forgives anew and will help us in our struggle with sin as imperfect disciples.
9. This question gives members of your group an opportunity to express themselves on a part of the study that had particular meaning for them. Some may be eager to share; others may not be. Some studies may elicit a good deal of participation; others may not. The purpose of the question is to give a last opportunity for comment or discussion before you close with prayer. This Study, true to its context in First Corinthians, emphasizes that horizontal relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ are vital because they have direct impact on and reflect our relationship with Jesus our Savior. The two questions recommended for self-examination bring that process to its most basic concerns.
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