Looking for a Protestant AND Catholic apologistic type interpretation of Cor 1:11

[St_Redemption]

26] For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come. [27] Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. [28] But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. [29] For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. [30] Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep

I specifically wonder about (25). What is meant by “drinking of the chalice of The Lord unworthily”? I take it a Catholic answer would be that it means to partake in the Eucharistic sacrament without being initiated into the Church or with mortal sin on ones being etc. What does this passage mean to a Protestant, who knows his theology?

 

[Mark1124]

What does this passage mean to a Protestant, who knows his theology?

Depends on the Protestant. There is no single Protestant view on the Eucharist; some have virtually the same view as Catholics, some think it’s purely symbolic, some are somewhere in between.

 

[JerryZ]

I like the Catholic Public Domain version a bit more.

I Corinthians Chapter 11
11:23 For I have received from the Lord what I have also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the same night that he was handed over, took bread, 11:24 and giving thanks, he broke it, and said: “Take and eat. This is my body, which shall be given up for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 11:25 Similarly also, the cup, after he had eaten supper, saying: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 11:26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he returns. 11:27 And so, whoever eats this bread, or drinks from the cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be liable of the body and blood of the Lord. 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and, in this way, let him eat from that bread, and drink from that cup. 11:29 For whoever eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks a sentence against himself, not discerning it to be the body of the Lord. 11:30 As a result, many are weak and sick among you, and many have fallen asleep. 11:31 But if we ourselves were discerning, then certainly we would not be judged

It is a little bit more intelligible to me. The meaning is quite clear. He is not talking about an ethereal reality here or a mere symbol.

“not discerning it to be the body of the Lord.” The bread and wine is the “IT” St. Paul is writing about.

People do not become sick and die from a symbol do they?
They are because they ate and drank with sin in their souls and or disbelieved what they were consuming.

from: discerning
adjective dis·cern·ing \di-ˈsər-niŋ
: able to see and understand people, things, or situations clearly and intelligently

…

 

[St_Redemption]

I like the Catholic Public Domain version a bit more.

It is a little bit more intelligible to me. The meaning is quite clear. He is not talking about an ethereal reality here or a mere symbol.

“not discerning it to be the body of the Lord.” The bread and wine is the “IT” St. Paul is writing about.

People do not become sick and die from a symbol do they?
They are because they ate and drank with sin in their souls and or disbelieved what they were consuming.

from: discerning
adjective dis·cern·ing \di-ˈsər-niŋ
: able to see and understand people, things, or situations clearly and intelligently

…

Thank you for your post
That’s the frustratingly hard part about all of this. Jesus spoke in so much metaphor, certainly he meant “spiritually” sick. So there’s a metaphor right there. I assume that He didn’t that you get the flu if you don’t partake in the Eucharist.

God Bless!

 

[JonNC]

26] For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the chalice, you shall shew the death of the Lord, until he come. [27] Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. [28] But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice. [29] For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. [30] Therefore are there many infirm and weak among you, and many sleep

I specifically wonder about (25). What is meant by “drinking of the chalice of The Lord unworthily”? I take it a Catholic answer would be that it means to partake in the Eucharistic sacrament without being initiated into the Church or with mortal sin on ones being etc. What does this passage mean to a Protestant, who knows his theology?

Q: What does the Missouri Synod teach regarding the sacrament of communion and who can partake in this sacrament?
A: The LCMS believes that Scripture teaches that the Lord’s Supper is a precious gift of God in which Christ gives us His true body and blood (in a miraculous way), together with the bread and wine, for the forgiveness of our sins and the strengthening of our faith. Because the Bible teaches that this Sacrament may also be spiritually harmful if misused, and that participation in the Lord’s Supper is an act of confession of faith, the LCMS ordinarily communes only those who have been instructed in the teachings of our church and who have confessed their faith in these teachings.

Jon