1 Corinthians 11:28

My Notes

What Does 1 Corinthians 11:28 Mean?

"But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup." Paul instructs self-examination before communion — not as a barrier to participation but as a preparation for it. The word "examine" (dokimazō — to test, to approve by testing, to verify genuineness) is the same word used for assaying metals. The purpose isn't to determine if you're worthy (nobody is). It's to ensure you're approaching the table with the seriousness it deserves — discerning the body (v. 29), not treating the memorial as a casual meal.

The instruction is: examine AND THEN eat. Not: examine and stay away if you find sin. The self-examination produces worthy participation, not abstention. The goal is the table, not the avoidance of it.

Reflection Questions

• 1.When you take communion, have you 'examined yourself' — or is it automatic?
• 2.What does self-examination before the table look like practically — not as a barrier but as preparation?
• 3.How does the instruction 'examine AND THEN eat' prevent the table from becoming either casual or terrifying?
• 4.What awareness does the examination restore that casual participation loses?

Devotional

Examine yourself. And then eat. The instruction isn't: examine yourself and if you pass the test, eat. It's: examine yourself SO THAT you eat properly. The examination serves the eating, not the avoiding.

Dokimazō — test for genuineness. The word is used for testing metals: heating them to verify their composition, to separate the real from the counterfeit. Paul wants you to test yourself before communion — not to determine if you qualify (you don't, by merit) but to ensure your approach is genuine. Are you approaching the table aware of what it represents? Are you discerning the body — recognizing that this bread means something specific and someone specific?

Let a man examine himself. The examination is self-directed, not externally imposed. Nobody else examines you for communion. You examine yourself. The responsibility is personal, private, between you and God. The assessment is: am I approaching this table with the awareness it deserves? Am I taking this bread and this cup with the seriousness of what they represent — a body broken, blood shed, for me?

And so let him eat. The 'and so' is the pivot: the examination leads TO eating, not away from it. Paul isn't creating a system where sensitive souls examine themselves into permanent abstention. He's creating a system where every participant approaches the table having thought about what they're doing. The examination produces readiness, not disqualification.

The Corinthians' problem wasn't that unworthy people were eating (everyone is unworthy). It was that people were eating 'unworthily' (v. 27) — without discernment, without reverence, without awareness that the bread and cup mean something. Some were getting drunk. Some were going hungry while others feasted. The Lord's Supper had become an ordinary meal — and Paul says: examine yourselves back into awareness of what this actually is.

The table is for sinners. The examination ensures the sinners know what they're receiving. And the receiving — after the examination — is the point. Not the avoiding.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture