by Ester yusufu | 17 February 2022 08:46 pm02
Some believers may wonder: If I choose not to participate in the Lord’s Supper for personal reasons—perhaps discomfort or lack of desire—but I still follow other Christian teachings, will I still be saved?
This is a serious and important question, and the answer according to Scripture is clear: No—deliberately refusing the Lord’s Supper puts one’s salvation at risk.
There are teachings in the Bible that are optional, like marriage. Scripture gives principles for marriage, but it does not require everyone to marry.
1 Corinthians 7:1–2
“It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.”
Choosing not to marry is a valid and acceptable choice. It does not violate any biblical command.
However, some practices are mandatory for all believers, and partaking in the Lord’s Supper is one of them. Others include baptism and, in some traditions, foot washing.
The Lord’s Supper—also called Communion—is not just a church tradition. It is a command given by Jesus Himself.
In John 6:53–54 in, Jesus says:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
This is a strong and direct statement. Jesus ties eternal life and resurrection to participation in His body and blood—symbolized in the bread and the cup.
This is why deliberately avoiding the Lord’s Supper—even if you follow other commands—puts you outside the promise of eternal life. You are refusing a channel of grace and obedience that Jesus said is essential.
The Christian life is not lived on personal preferences. We don’t get to say, “I don’t like bread,” or “I feel uncomfortable with wine,” and excuse ourselves from the Lord’s commands.
When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He said:
Luke 22:19
“This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
“Do this” is a command. Just like baptism is not optional (Mark 16:16), the Lord’s Supper is not optional for those who have received Christ.
Avoiding these acts deliberately, even when you understand their importance, is a form of rebellion.
There may be grace for people who have never heard or been taught about the necessity of the Lord’s Supper. But for those of us who have heard, understood, and still choose not to obey—we are without excuse.
Hebrews 10:26
“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins…”
To willfully reject the Lord’s Supper after knowing its importance is to knowingly reject one of Christ’s commands.
Some avoid the Lord’s Supper out of fear that they are not “worthy.” But Scripture does not tell us to avoid it—it tells us to examine ourselves first and then participate.
1 Corinthians 11:27–29
“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.
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.”
We should not be casual about the Lord’s Supper—but we also should not avoid it. The solution is repentance and preparation, not disobedience.
May we honor the Lord’s command, walk in humility, and remain faithful until the day of His return.
Grace and peace to you.
Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2022/02/17/is-it-really-necessary-to-partake-in-the-lords-supper/
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