Back in 1995, I was asked by a family in our church why we have open communion. “Shouldn’t it be closed to people of other denominations?” they reasoned. This couple had a rather exclusive notion of the church. As head elder at the time, this was my response to them,
“A brief overview of redemptive history is helpful to understand your question. We should also consider the context of God’s purpose to restore in mankind the image of His Son.
Inasmuch as the Lord’s Supper celebration was the antitype of the Passover celebration, it looks backwards to that event, while looking forward in anticipation of the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Notice that a lamb is central in both events.
Passover
Regarding the Passover event in Egypt we read this,
“And the Lord said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the Passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof” (Exodus 12:43).
That this “stranger” was one who wished to retain his status as a foreigner and remain uncircumcised is evident in verses 44-45.
But, the foreigner who chose to identify himself with Israel and become circumcised was given full privileges as an Israelite including Passover observance (v. 48).
“And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as a native of the land. For no uncircumcised person shall eat it” (v. 48).
God’s desire to redeem all men is evident in His extension of this ordinance to all men through the temporal agency of national Israel. As long as His requirements were met, anyone was welcome.
Besides being a memorial of the Exodus, the Passover feast, centering around the sacrificial lamb, pointed forward to Christ, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Paul directly declares Jesus to be “our Passover Lamb, sacrificed for us” (1 Cor 5:7).
Circumcision
The Apostle Paul addresses the circumcision debate squarely in light of the gospel, and points to Jesus as the Great Gatherer who extends to all men the covenant of salvation,
“For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Eph. 2:18,19).
The entire passage of Ephesians 2 and 3 are highly recommended reading. Because God is the Creator of all men, He wants to be the Redeemer of all men. So, the New Testament accepts the Old Testament notion of strangers joining themselves to Israel through circumcision -- but expands it in Christ, making circumcision of the heart the requirement to sit at the Lord’s table.
“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Rom 2:29).
This is the new covenant experience (Heb 8:10).
The Lord’s Supper
In the same way that the Passover was restricted to God’s covenant people, the Lord’s Supper ordinance is restricted to those inside the New Covenant. God’s injunction to “examine ourselves” before we eat of the bread and drink the cup is a firm reminder that this ordinance is for believers only. To approach the Lord's table carelessly is to eat and drink judgment to oneself, failing to discern the Lord's body (1 Cor. 11:29).
At Corinth, this judgment of God had manifested itself in physical sickness and even death (v. 30). It is noteworthy that the Apostle says “Let a man examine himself and so let him eat...” He does not say that if he passes some critical test then he may eat. The injunction of Christ to “Do this in remembrance of me” is further evidence that this service is for those who have known their Lord through intimate communion with Him (John 17:3).
The servant of Christ who conducts the communion service should summon all to self-examination rather than attempting to determine for himself who is a believer or not. The qualification for sitting at the Passover table was not that a man be a literal Israelite but rather a spiritual one (Galatians 3:29).
Likewise, fitness for the Lord’s table is a heart converted through love. “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). And “If any man hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20).
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
“And he saith unto me, Write, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God” (Rev 19:9).
Continuing the theme of this study, we ask who are “they which are called?” It is they who accept the Lamb of God (Rev 17:14, 12:11).
Just as the Passover pointed forward to the Lord’s Supper, the Supper points forward to the end of the age when the redeemed are gathered unto the Bridegroom (Luke 14:15). We call it the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.
The night of his betrayal Jesus shared an experience with His disciples that pointed forward to the hope of all humanity,
“And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God" (Luke 22:16).
“Fulfilled in the kingdom of God” recalls that the Passover is not only a memorial meal, but also a prophetic one. Passover points forward to the final deliverance of God's people at the return of Christ, symbolized in a great messianic feast at the end of time.
In Luke 14, Jesus told a simple story about “A certain man” who “prepared a great banquet and invited many” (verse 16). Romans 5:18 confirms that the sacrifice of Christ, the true Lamb is the justifying invitation that is extended to all men. The parable in Luke 14 raises an important issue. All of those who missed the feast excused themselves. It wasn’t the will of the “Master of the house” that any should miss the banquet (v. 21,23). The servant who delivered the invitations (the Church) had no power to determine the eligibility of the invitees, rather his task was to be sure that all received invitation (Luke 14:17-24). The invitation will be complete and total (Luke 14:22,23).
Conclusion :
We have seen that the Passover ordinance was open to the “stranger” who joined himself to the Lord, yet still restricted to the “covenant people.” Furthermore, full citizenship in Israel was granted to those who sought it.
We have seen that the Lord’s Supper was restricted to the covenant people. A participant in the Lord’s death (Rom 6:8, 1 Cor 11:26, 1 Pet 4:13) is a person who has been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20). It remains to the partaker alone to determine the condition of his/her relationship with Christ (1 Cor 11:28, Rom 14:4).
We have seen that the eschatological Marriage Supper of the Lamb is for the covenant people, both Jewish and Gentile alike who have washed their robes in “the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 7:14). We see in the Bible that there will be some apocalyptic surprises regarding those who accept or reject the universal invitation (Matt 8:11,12). But, all are invited.
Any attempt to close a communion service to those outside our denomination breaks the relationship that the Lord’s Supper shares with the Passover and the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Fitness for the Lord’s table is decided not upon denominational grounds but on the presence or absence of a faith relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Attempts to commune without this relationship invite a curse into the person’s life, so the stakes are serious.
We must insist that a participant be a believer. We must also stop short of the excommunication characteristic that made salvation subject to the whim of a man (Pope) in the middle ages. God alone “knoweth them that are His.”
I hope that helps answer your question, and I look forward to communing with you in two months.”
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