I remember the first time I attended a communion service as a Christian. I didn't know much about Christianity, and had only just received my first Bible, which I hadn't read much of. When the bread and wine was passed around, the man who brought me told me about this verse. I wasn't sure what to make of it. Does it mean that if I eat it wrong, I'll go to Hell? Does it mean that if I have some kind of unconfessed sin, Jesus will be angry if I eat it? At the time, I decided not to take any chances. I was a new convert, after all. I probably had sins I didn't even know about (and knowing what I do now, I certainly did), so I let the bread and the wine pass me by.
As it turns out, Paul's meaning is a lot less sinister. There is no specific way in which communion must be taken, and although sin is involved here, there's a lot more to it than just "if you sin, don't eat it".
The key to understanding any Bible verse is not to read it on its own. In fact, the very concept of a Bible verse is new. The Bibles that were read in the synagogues did not have verses. The letters, as the Apostles originally wrote them, did not have verses. The concept of a Bible verse is brand new. Observe:
1 Brian is an American citizen. 2 Brian is not an American citizen. In actual fact, 3 Brian was born, raised, and still lives in England. 4 The whole point of this paragraph is to show that a single verse, when taken out of context of the rest of the passage, can be made to say anything. 5 Notice how, in verse one of this paragraph, I started with what would be a lie. However, in context of the next five verses, 6 we see that verse one is not a lie at all, but a statement intended to illustrate a point.
Above is a hypothetical extract from a book we'll call "Path Treader Post", in honor of the page from which this article is descended. Just as Path Treader Post 1:1 must be taken in context of Path Treader Post 1:2-6, so also must 1 Corinthians 11:27 be taken in context of the rest of the chapter (along with other relevant Scriptures). Verse markers are helpful in this regard, as they help us figure out where to start reading, especially when the same Bible also contains headings.
As it turns out, Paul's statement was made in response to the Corinthians' poor conduct. The "unworthy manner" in which the Corinthians ate the bread and drank the cup can be found in verses 17-22. In the NKJV, this passage reads "Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you."
What we see, then, is that the Corinthians were not treating the Lord's Supper like the Lord's Supper. Rather, they abused what is, in effect, a sacred ritual, in order to abuse each other. When they gathered together, they did not gather together to break bread, or drink the cup, in remembrance of Christ, or in proclamation of His death until He returns. Rather, they did so in pride, and in division, and in gluttony, and in neglect of the poorer members of the Church. They were abusing each other, filling their stomachs, and even getting drunk, before attending communion, while their brethren were starving, maybe even relying on this supper as a fulfillment of their own physical needs.
This is the kind of thing you do not want in a church. In fact, I think most of us would take one look at this kind of behavior and know that this is not fitting for the Lord's Supper. We would know instinctively what Paul, apparently, had to teach the Corinthian Church by divinely inspired letter.
And so we see that this is not a case of "if you stole from your mom's purse, do not take communion, or God will be angry" (although do try to rectify that sin). Rather, it's a case of showing due reverence for the ritual in which you are taking part. The Lord's Supper is not a normal meal (as if the conduct of the Corinthians would be acceptable even if it was). It is very special. It is a community gathering designed to express the most beautiful aspect of our faith: Christ's body was broken for us, and His blood spilled, and through faith in this, we get to rise with Him. If you do not have enough respect for Christ to conduct yourself in a Christian manner while doing this, on your own head be the consequences.