“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.”
Can
we say that we've listened with care to what is here stated as a
warning for us all? I personally think not. And why now because in
all my years searching and seeking the kingdom of God not one pastor
in any church has ever, to my recollection and knowledge, shared a
message based on this passage of scripture. So let's us do so and the
first word I see that draws my attention is "unworthily"
so now turning to any dictionary available lets look it up. The
closest one at my finger tips is the Webster's 1828 Dictionary here's
what it says;
adv. "[See Worthy and Worth.] Not according to desert; without due regard to merit; as, to treat a man unworthily."
Here we have another word used, "desert" just what does it mean lets look shall we: a. S as z [L. To sow, plant or scatter.] 1. Literally, forsaken; hence, uninhabited; as a desert isle. Hence, wild; untilled; waste; uncultivated; as a desert land or country.
2. Void; emprty; unoccupied. Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, and waste its sweetness on the desert air.
DESERT, n. An uninhabited tract of land; a region in its natural state; a wilderness; a solitude; particularly, a vast sandy plain, as the deserts of Arabia and Africa. But the word may be applied to an uninhabited country covered with wood.
DESERT, v.t. [L. To forsake.]
1. To forsake; to leave utterly; to abandon; to quit with a view not to return to; as, to desert a friend; to desert our country; to desert a cause.
2. To leave, without permission, a military band, or a ship, in which one is enlisted; to forsake the service in which one is engaged, in violation of duty; as, to desert the army; to desert ones colors; to desert a ship.
DESERT, v.i. To run away; to quit a service without permission; as, to desert from the army.
DESERT, n.
1. A deserving; that which gives a right to reward or demands, or which renders liable to punishment; merit or demerit; that which entitles to a recompense of equal to the offense; good conferred, or evil done, which merits an equivalent return. A wise legislature will reward or punish men according to their deserts.
2. That which is deserved; reward or punishment merited. In a future life, every man will receive his desert.
So we can see that anyone who forsakes his call, or we might say turns his back (in this case from the Lord) by not understanding aright all that was accomplished throughout the meal or Last Supper, as well as what was accomplished shortly thereafter, as a continuance of the whole (His death, burial, resurrection and ascension) we might say, that person is automatically guilty of not properly discerning our being one in Him in the redemption of all. And because of that, is unworthy of the whole and remains an enemy, a traitor a deserter and in this case an anti-Christ. For in redemption and in accordance to the promise spoken to Adam and woman in Genesis 3:15, all Adams seed is redeemed in and by that one continuous action. God in His divine wisdom then built upon this one promise all other promises or covenants. For a vow is just that, a covenant and greater than. Through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and even king David we find that the nations are to be blessed, not just one particular group such as Israel alone.
And again we'll turn to a dictionary for help with the word "vow":
VOW, n. 1. A solemn promise made to God, or by God or by a pagan to his deity. The Roman generals when they went to war, sometimes made a vow that they would build a temple to some favorite deity, if he would give them victory. A vow is a promise of something to be given or done hereafter.
A person is constituted a religious by taking three vows, of chastity, of poverty, and of obedience. Among the Isrealites, the vows of children were not binding, unless ratified by the express or tacit consent of their father. Num 30.
2. A solemn promise; as the vows of unchangeable love and fidelity. In a moral and religious sense, vows are promises to God, as they appeal to God to witness their sincerity, and the violation of them is a most heinous offense.
VOW, v.t. 1. To give, consecrate or dedicate to God by a solemn promise. When Jacob went to Mesopotamia, he vowed to God a tenth of this substance, and his own future devotion to his service. Gen 28.
When thou vowest a vow, defer not to pay it. Eccl 5.
2. To devote.
VOW, v.i. To make vows or solemn promises. He that vows, must be careful to perform.
Again in Genesis 3:15 it is God making the vow to all of man kind as they are the seed of woman and Adam as the nations. When God spoke to Adam, He did not give a certain day or way of worship, nor is it recorded that he was to every year practice the sacrificing of an animal as his covering of sin.
Keep
in mind the habit or manner of some in the assembling together,
wherein they practice as a rite or ritual, the Lord's Supper and the
washing of feet, by way of their church doctrine. In the same fashion
as the Hebrew Orthodoxy who worshiped God as an external being, who
made an agreement with them which required to keeping of Saturday as
their Sabbath. And by their so doing promised to help them. Therefore
they had not the understanding of the internal reality which Jesus'
message revealed. This message was in accord with the promise first
spoken to mankind through Adam and is found in Genesis 3:15 and the
seal of it in verse 21. They have not the revelation of Christ or of
His words spoken within the confines of the synoptic gospels or of
all that the Old Testament reveals of Him, let alone the witness of
Paul or the other New Covenant writers. They are held by the religare
of their respective denominations through its rites, rituals,
customs, ceremonies and traditions of men, that is to say their
doctrines of an external and material faith. And are therefore
refusing Christ and are then in reality anti-Christ, though they
deceive themselves by their practice of religious ceremonies. To get
a clearer understanding lets look at Hebrews where Paul is speaking
to those who have turned from their Jewish roots and forsaken the
external religion, to the obedience in Christ and have tasted of the
good things in Christ, that is to say the abundance of His Life in
them.
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