“Should someone who comes late to the communion of Christ be allowed to participate?”

November 2023 – Grace & Truth Magazine

QUESTION: What is the biblical standpoint for someone who comes late to the communion of Christ? Should he or she be allowed to participate or be refused?

ANSWER: I am interpreting the phrase “the communion of Christ” as meaning the “Lord’s supper.” This is the occasion when we gather together around the Lord Jesus to remember Him and proclaim His death, by eating from the bread and drinking from the cup, as the Lord did the night He was betrayed.

It truly is a privilege and blessing that we have this feast of remembrance. The Lord gave it to us by command, expressing His desire that we do this in remembrance of Him. He is honored, and at the same time we need this time around Himself to draw out our affection and love. We regularly remember the Lord, doing so in a good and honoring manner for He is present. There before the Lord, we remember Him and what He has done at such a great price and sacrifice – all for His glory and honor. It should be the deep desire of our hearts to be with Him, showing Him the respect and reverence He deserves and to fulfill the desire that He expressed. This should be shown in how we behave, dress, and come to Him for this wonderful occasion. Knowing somewhat of Him, what He has done and the price He paid, should give us the desire to come, linger in His presence and enjoy the thoughts the Holy Spirit gives to us of Him. It is not good to run in late, quickly eat the bread and drink of the cup, and then hurry back out into the world.

Let us savor the fragrance of this communion, this fellowship with our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We remember when Mary anointed the Lord in John 12 that the odor of the ointment filled the house. Certainly the fragrance went with Mary as this ointment had permeated her hair, having dried the Lord’s feet with it. She enjoyed her communion with her Lord for a good period after. Mary had found blessing in her time with the Lord before this act, moving her heart to give this wonderful sacrifice to the One whom she loved so much. This should be our attitude as we come to remember the Lord each Sunday.

Yes, it should be abnormal for us to come late or without preparing our hearts to be in His presence. Something is missed when we don’t have something to offer Him or share in the sacrifices of the fruit of our lips to the Lord in harmony with the others gathered to do the same. There are always circumstances in life. Perhaps working conditions did not allow one to arrive on time. Possibly the car broke down causing the lateness, or the bus or taxi was late. There are many potential unforeseeable reasons for missing the start of the remembrance meeting from time to time.

Still, for a person to enter late is not good, and if it is a practice it may indicate something is wrong in the life of that individual. It would be proper for a person with a shepherd’s heart to encourage that one, helping in the spirit of Galatians 6:1 (MKJV): “Restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.” Gentle encouragement or help to “lift up the hands that hang down” (Heb. 12:12 KJV) may be the needed blessing to resolve the situation.

We see in 1 Corinthians 5 the instruction to put out or separate one from the Lord’s Supper when a person is living in sin. This is a disciplinary action and would not be appropriate for the person who is mentioned in our question.

The act in itself of taking the emblems – “showing communion” as we often express it – is not necessarily a demonstration of the true condition of heart or of communion with the Lord. For this reason Paul said, “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat” (1 Cor. 11:28). The one who enters late should judge himself and thus eat or abstain as directed by his conscience, but generally the self-judgment is followed by “so let him eat.” The portion does not say, “So let him not eat.”

Psalm 103:14 (NKJV) shows that the Lord knows our weaknesses, “He remembers that we are dust.” But the constant practice of being late, unless there are reasons for such that need to be considered, is a symptom that something is not right. Wise counsel and encouragement from a brother or sister would be the appropriate attitude and action to help this person see that perhaps something is missing in their relationship with the One they claim is Lord.

Answered by Albert Blok