What does it mean to take communion unworthily

This comes from the teaching by the apostle Paul to the believers in the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 11:17–34).

Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is meant to memorialize Christ’s sacrifice and reflect the love and unity among members of the body of Christ.

But, in the case of the Corinthians, it was causing division.

Paul says that the Corinthian church were participating in communion “in an unworthy manner” (verse 27). The Corinthians’ had corrupted their communion with selfishness, drunkenness, and discrimination against the poor.

1 Corinthians 11:20–22 NKJV

20 Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. 21 For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you.

They were not honoring God or edifying each other in their celebrations.

Paul then reminded the Corinthians how to properly observe communion, stressing that the focus is to remember Christ’s sacrifice and proclaim His work of salvation (1 Corinthians 11:23–26).

In essence, when people outside the church observe a unified body of believers eating and drinking to remember Christ’s broken body and spilled blood, the message of the gospel becomes visible.

Paul hoped that reminding them of the Lord’s simple instructions would lead the Corinthians to correct their bad behavior. After his reminder of what communion is all about, Paul said,

1 Corinthians 11:27 NKJV

27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

The phrase in an unworthy manner could refer, in general, to harboring unconfessed sin while participating in the Lord’s Supper.

Confession of sin is a beneficial practice to prepare one’s heart for worship; in fact, we are told to “examine” ourselves before we partake of communion (verse 28).

Any known sin that remains unconfessed between us and the Lord.

But Paul was likely being more something more specific. The “unworthy manner” Paul had in mind was most likely a failure to express the love and unity of the body of Christ—the problem he had just addressed.

Those who promoted division in the church were guilty of a serious sin.

They were dishonoring the purpose of communion.

Those who partake of communion in an unworthy manner are “guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27).

That is, they are showing irreverence or contempt for that which is meant to represent the body and blood of Christ.

They are not “discerning the body of Christ” (verse 28), which means they are acting indifferently toward communion, as if it were just another meal. Paul went on to teach the Corinthians how they could avoid taking communion unworthily—by examining their motives and actions and making sure they lined up with the significance of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:28).

They were to perform this self-examination in preparation for eating and drinking to avoid bringing God’s discipline upon themselves (verses 29–31). Paul stressed that the Lord’s Supper should be a time of celebration for the church in which Christians focus on honoring Jesus, exhibiting unity, and proclaiming the gospel of Christ’s salvation. The focus ought to be on others, and not on oneself.

A part from Christ, none of us are worthy, and certainly none of us are sinless.