Purity of Heart in Communion and the Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper stands at the center of Christian worship, yet traditions sharply diverge on what "purity of heart" means for those who approach the table and what consequences follow from receiving unworthily. Paul's warning in 1 Corinthians 11:28—"let a man examine himself, and so let him eat"—anchors every tradition's teaching, but the nature of that self-examination and the required spiritual state remain contested [1].
The Reformed and Presbyterian Position
Reformed theology, articulated in the Westminster tradition and by figures like Charles Hodge, requires communicants to examine themselves "of their knowledge to discern the Lord's body, of their faith to feed upon Him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience" [9]. This tradition does not demand absolute assurance of salvation before approaching the table, but it insists on present faith, genuine repentance, and the intention to forsake sin. Hodge emphasizes that the dispositions required by the sacrament "should exist in the heart, without producing supreme love and gratitude to Christ, and the fixed purpose to forsake all sin and to live devoted to his service" [9]. The Supper is communion with Christ's body and blood [10], and therefore requires what Paul calls "newness of heart and life" [1]. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown notes that the Corinthian abuse—where some gorged themselves while others went hungry—meant "there is no such thing as eating the LORD'S Supper" at all [6]. The meal's corporate nature demands not only vertical purity before God but horizontal charity toward fellow believers.
The Anglican Via Media
The Thirty-Nine Articles frame the question differently. Article 28 states that "to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the same, the Bread which we break is a partaking of the Body of Christ" [7]. The Anglican tradition emphasizes faith as the instrument of worthy reception, but it does not prescribe the introspective rigor characteristic of Reformed practice. The focus falls on receiving "with faith" rather than on a detailed moral inventory. This reflects a pastoral concern to invite believers to the table without imposing barriers that might keep sincere but struggling Christians away.
The Patristic and Eastern Orthodox Emphasis
Early Christian sources and the Eastern tradition stress holiness as essential to communion with God in any form. Augustine, in his exposition of the Beatitudes, ties purity of heart directly to the vision of God: "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" [8]. John of Damascus and the broader Orthodox tradition understand the Eucharist as participation in divine life, requiring preparation through fasting, confession, and reconciliation. Josephus describes the Essenes' practice of entering their dining hall "after a pure manner, as into a certain holy temple," with a priest saying grace before and after the meal [4]. While not directly about the Christian Eucharist, this reflects the Jewish context in which ritual purity and sacred meals were inseparable—a context the early church inherited and transformed.
Shared Ground and Divergence
All traditions agree that the Lord's Supper is "communion of the body and blood of Christ" [1], instituted by Jesus at the Passover meal [2, 3]. All affirm that self-examination is commanded [1] and that the Supper proclaims Christ's death "until he comes again" [5]. The disagreement centers on how much assurance, what degree of sanctification, and what kind of preparation constitute "worthy" reception. Reformed traditions tend toward stricter fencing of the table, requiring evidence of regeneration and active repentance. Anglican and some Lutheran traditions emphasize faith as the primary qualification, trusting that the sacrament itself strengthens weak believers. Orthodox traditions integrate the Eucharist into a broader ascetical discipline, where preparation involves the whole rhythm of fasting, confession, and liturgical life.
The hermeneutical divide often traces to differing doctrines of grace and the sacraments. Those who see the Supper primarily as a means of grace for believers emphasize faith and invitation; those who stress the covenant community's holiness emphasize examination and exclusion of the impenitent. Paul's warning that unworthy partakers are "guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" [1] remains the common text, but traditions read it through different lenses—some seeing a call to rigorous self-scrutiny, others a call to faith-filled approach despite ongoing struggle.
Sources
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Communion of the Lord's Supper — Prefigured -- Ex 12:21-28; 1Co 5:7,8. Instituted -- Mt 26:26; 1Co 11:23. Object of -- Lu 22:19; 1Co 11:24,26. Is the communion of the body and blood of Christ -- 1Co 10:16. Both bread and wine are necessary to be received in -- Mt 26:27; 1Co 11:26. Self-examination commanded before partaking of -- 1Co 11:28,31. Newness of heart and life necessary to the worthy partaking of -- 1Co 5:7,8. Partakers of, be wholly separate to God -- 1Co 10:21. Was continually partaken of, by the Church -- Ac 2:42; 20:7. Unworthy partakers of Are guilty of”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Lords Supper — The words which thus describe the great central act of the worship of the Christian Church occur but in a single passage of the New Testament-- (1 Corinthians 11:20) + Its institution .--It was instituted on that night when Jesus and his disciples met together to eat the passover, (Matthew 26:19; Mark 14:16; Luke 22:13) (on Thursday evening, April 6, A.D. 30). It was probably instituted at the third cup (the cup of blessing) of the passover [see on [821]Passover], Jesus taking one of the unleavened cakes used at the feast and breaking it and giving it t”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Lord's Supper — (1 Cor. 11:20), called also "the Lord's table" (10:21), "communion," "cup of blessing" (10:16), and "breaking of bread" (Acts 2:42). In the early Church it was called also "eucharist," or giving of thanks (comp. Matt. 26:27), and generally by the Latin Church "mass," a name derived from the formula of dismission, Ite, missa est, i.e., "Go, it is discharged." The account of the institution of this ordinance is given in Matt. 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19, 20, and 1 Cor. 11:24-26. It is not mentioned by John. It was designed, (1.) To commemorate t”
- Project Gutenberg “Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, CHAPTER 8, section 3: go, after a pure manner, into the dining-room, as into a certain holy temple, and quietly set themselves down; upon which the baker lays them loaves in order; the cook also brings a single plate of one sort of food, and sets it before every one of them; but a priest says grace before meat; and it is unlawful for any one to taste of the food before grace be said. The same priest, when he hath dined, says grace again after meat; and when they begin, and when they end, they praise God, as he that bestows their food upon them; after whi”
- 1 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Corinthians 11:26: 11:26 In taking the Lord’s Supper, Christians proclaim the saving significance of the Lord’s death to those around them until he comes again (see 1:7-8; cp. 1 Thes 1:9-10; 3:12; 4:13-18; 5:23).”
- 1 Corinthians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Corinthians 11:20: When . . . therefore--Resuming the thread of discourse from Co1 11:18. this is not to--rather, "there is no such thing as eating the LORD'S Supper"; it is not possible where each is greedily intent only on devouring "HIS OWN supper," and some are excluded altogether, not having been waited for (Co1 11:33), where some are "drunken," while others are "hungry" (Co1 11:21). The love-feast usually preceded the Lord's Supper (as eating the Passover came before the Lord's Supper at the first institution of the latter). It was a club-feast, where eac”
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), Section 271: The Supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the love that Christians ought to have among themselves one to another; but rather is a Sacrament of our Redemption by Christ's death: insomuch that to such as rightly, worthily, and with faith, receive the same, the Bread which we break is a partaking of the Body of Christ; and likewise the Cup of Blessing is a partaking of the Blood of Christ.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — CHAP. XXII.--74. Moreover, a certain strength and vigour in walking along the path of wisdom ties in good morals, which are made to extend as far as to purification and singleness of heart,--a subject (part 3): he shows to a man, he shows them with the same intention with which he wishes them shown to himself, viz. as not expecting any temporal advantage from him: thus will the heart be single and pure in which God is sought. "Blessed," therefore, "are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."(3)”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 68: this sacrament demands should exist in the heart, without producing supreme love and gratitude to Christ, and the fixed purpose to forsake all sin and to live devoted to his service. Our Church, therefore, teaches that it is required of them who would worthily partake of the Lord’s Supper, that they examine themselves, of their knowledge to discern the Lord’s body, of their faith to feed upon Him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience. It is, however, not to be inferred from this that a man must be assured that he is a true believe”
- 1 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Corinthians 10:16: 10:16-18 Paul affirms the spiritual meaning of sacred meals. In the Lord’s Supper, believers share in the blood and body of Christ (see also 11:17-34; Matt 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20). Sharing one loaf unites believers as one body in Christ, just as the pagans’ religious meals unite them with the gods they worship (see 1 Cor 10:19-21).”