One of the problems that occurs during the call for self-examination during the LORD’s Supper is that members of the body of Christ judge themselves subjectively, and then wrongly excommunicate themselves from the sacrament. In other words, they base their freedom to partake in the LORD’s Supper upon their own judgment of themselves, and their own feelings.
As G.I. Williamson and fellow committee members write:
By our calling for self- examination and “discernment” on the part of communicants as part of their preparation for each observance, we direct attention (perhaps unwittingly) away from the objective character of this sacrament.
People are making judgments about their subjective condition every time communion is celebrated, and as a result they often “suspend” or ”excommunicate” themselves on a week-by-week, or month- by-month basis.
And often the criteria for this evaluation are highly emotional and subjective. The effect of the whole is a tendency to obscure Christ, as the object of faith, from our view, and to hinder the very effectiveness of the sacrament in the life of God’s people which we are concerned to promote (Majority Report, Paedocommunion, OPC 55th GA, 1988.)
All of this subjective judgment is based upon the following verse:
28 But a man must test himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. 30 For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. (1 Corinthians 11:28-30)
The problem is that far too many take this verse out of context and apply the verse to the entirety of the Christian life. What Paul is writing against is division in the church. This is one of the major themes and sins of the Corinthians. They were finding all manner of ways to divide themselves, when they were to be one body, and one in Christ.
Many Divisions
For example, the first critique that Paul makes against the Corinthians is that they have set up factions among themselves, some following Apollos, some following Cephas, and some boasting of only following Christ (I Cor. 1:11-17). There are many other issues as well that result in division, but those other issues are not the point of this post.