1 Corinthians 11:27
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The phrase "unworthy manner" doesn't refer to your personal feelings of inadequacy, but to a disrespectful or careless approach to the sacred meal itself. Paul is highlighting that how we act during communion—whether with arrogance, division, or disregard for its meaning—makes us guilty, not just our internal struggles. It’s a call to treat the Lord’s Supper with the profound reverence it deserves.
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is addressing disruptions happening during the Lord's Supper in the Corinthian church, where social divisions and selfishness were marring the sacred meal. Just before this, he's been explaining how the Supper is meant to proclaim the Lord's death and foster unity, not to be a scene of people neglecting or looking down on one another. This verse then serves as a serious warning about the profound spiritual danger of approaching such a sacred observance with an unrepentant or divisive heart.
Feeling 'unworthy' to approach God? This verse can sound intimidating. But what does 'unworthy' truly mean in this context?
Paul isn't talking about being perfectly sinless. In 1 Corinthians, the church was struggling with deep divisions and selfish behavior, especially during their communal meals.
A Divided Community
When Paul speaks of eating or drinking 'in an unworthy manner,' he's addressing the Corinthians' attitude and actions. They were treating the Lord's Supper, a sacred commemoration of Christ's sacrifice, like just another meal – some were eating and drinking to excess, while others were left out or shamed. This lack of unity and respect showed they weren't discerning the true significance of what they were doing.
The Core Issue
'Unworthy' here relates to a lack of spiritual discernment and a disregard for the communal nature of the meal, which is meant to signify unity in Christ's body. It's about approaching the table with selfishness, division, or disrespect, rather than with a humble, repentant heart ready to remember Christ's sacrifice for all.
The verse says those who eat unworthily 'will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.' What does this serious charge mean for us today?
Paul uses strong language to convey the gravity of disrespecting the Lord's Supper. It's not about earning God's favor through performance, but about recognizing the profound reality being represented.
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Re-enacting the Sacrifice
When we partake in the Lord's Supper, we are not just remembering an event; we are participating in a symbolic re-enactment of Christ's ultimate sacrifice. The bread represents His body, broken for us, and the cup represents His blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins.
A Corporate Offense
To partake 'in an unworthy manner' means to treat these sacred symbols lightly, as if Christ's sacrifice and the new covenant it established were insignificant. It demonstrates a failure to grasp the immense love and the profound cost involved. This lack of understanding or respect makes one 'guilty,' not in the sense of earning eternal condemnation (that's what faith in Christ prevents!), but in the sense of showing profound disrespect to the very means by which God offers forgiveness and reconciliation.
Understand the original words
enochos · Greek Adjective
An objective moral state of being liable for punishment or liable to a charge; it denotes accountability before God for an offense against His holiness.
anaxiōs · Greek Adverb
In this context, it refers to a lack of reverence, spiritual indifference, or a state of life that is inconsistent with the holiness of the event being celebrated; a failure to recognize the sacredness of the Lord's Supper.
Paul is writing to a church deeply divided by social status, and this division is spilling over into their most sacred communal meal, the Lord's Supper. His strong words about 'unworthy' participation are a direct response to this disharmony and disrespect.
c. AD 50-52
Paul Founds the Corinthian Church
The Apostle Paul spends about 18 months in Corinth, establishing the church and teaching the believers.
c. AD 53-57— this verse
Paul Writes His First Letter
From Ephesus, Paul hears about divisions and problems in the Corinthian church and writes 1 Corinthians to address them.
c. AD 57
Disputes and Disorder in Worship
Reports reach Paul of serious issues within the Corinthian church, including social divisions during meals and a misunderstanding of the Lord's Supper.
c. AD 57
Paul Addresses the Lord's Supper
In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul corrects the Corinthians' practice of the Lord's Supper, emphasizing its sacredness and the need for worthy participation.
This passage immediately precedes our verse and explains the 'sharing' in Christ's body and blood, setting the context for what it means to partake worthily or unworthily.
1 Corinthians 11:29This verse directly follows, explaining the consequence of unworthily partaking: 'eating and drinking judgment on himself,' which clarifies what 'guilty' means in verse 27.
Exodus 12:15This Old Testament passage about the Passover commands the removal of leaven (symbolic of sin) before eating, showing the ancient precedent for discerning oneself before a sacred meal.
Hebrews 10:29This verse speaks of treating the blood of the covenant with contempt and profaning the Son of God, mirroring the seriousness of 'guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord' in 1 Corinthians 11:27.
The phrase "unworthy manner" doesn't refer to your personal feelings of inadequacy, but to a disrespectful or careless approach to the sacred meal itself. Paul is highlighting that how we act during communion—whether with arrogance, division, or disregard for its meaning—makes us guilty, not just our internal struggles. It’s a call to treat the Lord’s Supper with the profound reverence it deserves.
Paul is addressing disruptions happening during the Lord's Supper in the Corinthian church, where social divisions and selfishness were marring the sacred meal. Just before this, he's been explaining how the Supper is meant to proclaim the Lord's death and foster unity, not to be a scene of people neglecting or looking down on one another. This verse then serves as a serious warning about the profound spiritual danger of approaching such a sacred observance with an unrepentant or divisive heart.
Paul is addressing disruptions happening during the Lord's Supper in the Corinthian church, where social divisions and selfishness were marring the sacred meal. Just before this, he's been explaining how the Supper is meant to proclaim the Lord's death and foster unity, not to be a scene of people neglecting or looking down on one another. This verse then serves as a serious warning about the profound spiritual danger of approaching such a sacred observance with an unrepentant or divisive heart.
"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord." — The phrase "unworthy manner" doesn't refer to your personal feelings of inadequacy, but to a disrespectful or careless approach to the sacred meal itself. Paul is highlighting that how we act durin…
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Last reviewed October 2026
