Scripture for Life:

The Practice of Close/Closed Communion
 
 

What is the Lord’s Supper?

Luther in the small catechism tells us that "it is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and the wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink.

The Lord’s supper is Christ’s actual body and blood which was given upon the cross offered for us with , in, and under the bread and the wine. With Christ’s body come the gifts of eternal life and redemption earned by Him. These gifts are present in the sacrament regardless of belief. But with faith, these gifts becomes ours.

The Lord’s supper has a two-fold effect, a vertical and a horizontal effect.

Through faith, the one receiving the Supper is united with God through Christ’s body and blood. Our relationship with God is restored and all of His blessings flow to us.

As we are united with Christ through the presence of His body and blood, the Supper unites us with all believers. This is not an artificial unity, but a true unity.  When we have God as our Father, we find we have many brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Who is Communion for?

The Lutheran confessions state in the Apology article 12 that the Gospel and the sacraments are ". . . signs of the new testament, that is, signs of the forgiveness of sins. Therefore they offer the forgiveness of sins, as the words in the Lord’s Supper clearly state, ‘This is my body which is given for you.’" Apology 13 goes on to say that "A promise is useless unless faith accepts it. The sacraments are signs of the promises. . . .therefore there must be faith. . . ."

So Communion is for those who believe in Christ and for those who believe in what the Sacrament gives., which according to Scripture is the true body and blood of Christ bringing us the forgiveness of sins. So only those should take communion who have been instructed in what the Sacrament contains, and who believe it.

 
What about Visitors?  What does close / closed communion mean?

Close or Closed communion (both terms are used in the church)  is the practice of responsible pastoral care in relationship to admission to the Lord's Supper.  Since First Corinthians chapter 11 indicates that communion can be received for one's harm, it is necessary for the pastor to provide proper guidance for admission to the Lord's Table. 

Proper communion reception required a knowledge of what is going on, and understanding of what is going on, and belief or trust in the sacrament as a means of grace coupled with repentance and a desire to amend one's sinful life.  This presupposes prior instruction.  In addition, communion is an act of public confession and unity with those who are communing.  Having something in "common" is the root meaning of "communion".  In this case, what is held in common is a common knowledge, understanding, and belief in Jesus and what His teachings and His life, death, and resurrection mean for us.  Those who have been instructed in the faith and profess the same through membership in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod or the church bodies in fellowship with us are encouraged to attend.  Others may be admitted on the basis of appropriate pastoral care and discretion.  However, we understand that for all it is necessary to know, understand, and believe what is happening at the Lord's Table and to be in agreement in their confession of faith.  This is what we mean by close communion.

So we do not knowingly admit to the Lord’s table those who are in manifest rebellion against God and are not repentant.

Nor do we knowingly admit those who come without being instructed in what the Sacrament contains, for without knowing the promise faith cannot receive the gift.

Those who see communion as merely symbolic, that is who do not know, or do not believe that the Lord's body and blood are truly present in,with, and under the bread and the wine, or those whose understanding is unclear and hence clouds their faith we do not encourage to commune, for we understand that belief in the real presence is needful for worthy communion. (1Cor 11:29)  We wish no one to find harm in the Lord's Table. 

Nor do we admit those who profess to hold a belief contrary to the common understanding celebrated at our tables for such would make a mockery of communion as a profession of common belief and perhaps lead to a bad conscience.

For all our visitors who have not been instructed we would ask for the opportunity to provide that instruction prior to communing with us so that understanding what we believe and confess is going on at the Table, when one is ready to join us he or she can commune in good conscience and knowing that they receive the sacrament to their good and not to their harm. 

How do we know that Close Communion is the Lord’s desire?

As we have seen the Lord’s Supper has as its purpose the giving of the forgiveness of sin through the body and blood of Christ which unites us with Christ and with one another as we believe in its gifts.

First of all we can know that God does not want us to share the Lord’s Table with those who have false understanding because of God’s commands to not be united to those who have false beliefs.

We see in first Corinthians that the reason they were sinning against the body and blood of the Lord by communing together was not only that they were treating the Supper disrespectfully but also that there were divisions amongst them.

Paul goes on to repeat the words of institution for them so that they understand why what they are doing is not the Lord’s will. This supper is the body and blood of Christ which unites us with Him. We may ask why do divisions cause us to sin against Christ’s body and blood in the sacrament. The answer is found in what we learned from Ch 10. For where there is the Lord’s body the people are united into one body even as they are united to Christ. Division in the church because of failure to apprehend and confess the full truth of Scripture is contrary to Christ's desire for the unity of His church.  To bring these divisions of unbelief and disagreement in teaching to the Lord's Table is to go against its purpose, true union with Christ and one another. And so Paul says:

The exercise of the Lord’s Supper will not bring union where there is disunion in the confession of Scripture. To seek union with Christ and one another while trying to overlook differences in teaching is to do harm to Christ's intention in the celebration of His Supper.  For Christ does not desire an artificial unity, but a true unity with Himself, one built upon the full proclamation of the truth of His grace revealed to us through Scripture.

So we should first seek unity on the basis of Scripture in our confession before we commune together at the Lord’s table.

Why do we practice close communion?

We practice close communion as an act of love. Those who come with an incorrect understanding of the gifts involved in the Lord’s Supper endanger themselves as Paul says.

We also practice close communion because our Lord commands us not to overlook differences in teaching and understanding, but rather to seek a common mind and common understanding. (1Cor 1) As such our practice serves as a witness to the true Word of God. Since spiritual life and growth come only through the Spirit operating through the true teaching of Scripture, to uphold that true teaching is to desire that God’s people receive all that God has to give to them.

What does Closed Communion mean to me?

It means that believers may joyfully seek out often the gifts of Christ body and blood given for us on the cross and distributed to us through the Sacrament which giving us the gift of forgiveness, will strengthen our union with Christ and with our fellow Lutherans who confess the true faith.

As communion is a union of myself with Christ and with those who are gathered to the altar, to partake of an altar is to join in a public profession of that faith. So we should avoid those altars where a faith is confessed contrary to the true faith. This was understood even by the chosen people of Israel, that as one partook of a sacrifice it brought one into union with that altar.

As the Lord has given us the Lord’s Supper for the purpose of strengthening faith and receiving mercy which unites us with Him and His body, the church, if we have something in our hearts which divides us from a brother or sister we should seek to reconciled to him or her before taking the Lord’s body and blood.

As the Lord gives us forgiveness of sins through the supper, we should be repentant of our sins as we come. If we are living in a willful sin which we have not repented of , to take the Lord’s body and blood will bring judgment for in our unrepentence we have said no to God’s gift of forgiveness.

If you are a visitor and new to the Lutheran church, we would love an opportunity to sit down and share with you what we believe the Scripture has to say about this most excellent gift of God.  We would like the opportunity to share with you from Scripture the truths of God's Word so that you can join us in receiving Christ's body and blood for forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Further Reading:

CTCR: "Theology and Practice of the Lord’s Supper"

CTCR: "The Nature and Implication of the Concept of Fellowship"

Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism

What About The Sacrament of the Altar?

What about Fellowship in the Lord's Supper?
 

Scripture quotes are taken from the New International Version and the New American Standard Bible.

All quotes from the Lutheran Confessions come from the Tappert edition of the Book of Concord.
 

© Pastor David D. Reedy , 1997-2005

 

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Rev. David D. Reedy 2002-2005

 

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church   

Dayton Tennessee   

423.775.4253

Prince of Peace is a LCMS congregation located in Rhea County Tennessee, serving the entire county of some 32,000 people.