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| Q: | As a long time WELS member, I am deeply troubled over the common and individual cup being served at the same Altar at the same time. As stated in Romans 14:23: "But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and anything that does not come from faith is sin." Because of my doubts I have no choice but for me to abstain from partaking of Communion at this time. If I were to partake, it would be only because there is no other choice for me because Communion is only served both ways at the same time now. It would not be from faith that what we are doing is proper. Either/or may be a matter of Adiaphora, but why after 20 years are we further embracing the division? My congregation has gone from the common cup only, 20 years ago to alternating individual cup on the first Sunday of the month and common cup on the third Sunday of the month to now, this year, serving both at the same time at the altar on both first and third Sundays. Is it proper worship of Our Lord to stay forever divided over this matter? We say it is a matter of preference, but why then is this the only matter of Adiaphora we handle this way? We changed our practice from kneeling at Communion to standing. Why is it unthinkable for some of us to stand and some of us to kneel for Communion? I have to wonder what God sees at our split Altar? After all He sees into each and every heart. If this is truly just a matter of preference and not a split in belief, why does each side hang onto their side with such tenacity to the point of demanding their way be served at every Altar that Communion is served? You have answered on the WELS web site section of Q&A that Jesus did not designate that Communion had to be served by common cup only. Am I wrong to believe that we should be united in our practice? The WELS removed a pastor from the pulpit over Communion fellowship issues back in the mid 90s, but we seem to be embracing at the very least a physical split at the Altar. I am not saying that the individual cup is wrong, but I have a hard time believing that you can have a long running physical division without having a spiritual split as well, especially at the same Altar. I have read 1 Corinthians 11; 17-33 over and over many times and it seems to be clearly warning us against divisions at the Lord's Table. Am I to believe these verses do not apply here since we are not getting drunk or letting the poor go hungry at the Altar? Am I misunderstanding these verses? Do they only pertain to drunkenness and eating or following one person or another or are they a warning about divisions in general? As brought out in Q&A, Romans 14 is to be applied to this situation. My question is why then do we stop at Romans 14:12 in its application and not apply the rest of the chapter? Paul did not stop at that point so why do we? I am very distressed over this matter because I cannot get a straight answer. I have been told these verses do not apply but the Q&A section of the WELS web site tell me otherwise. I have always been taught that the Scriptures always teach a lesson and not just a point that can only be applied to that specific situation but can be applied to every situation in life and worship that parallels it. I also believe that no matter what, any time my actions or thoughts differ from Scripture, Scripture is right and I am wrong and I need to repent and change my actions and, or thoughts. I need someone to explain to me why what we are doing is not in violation of these verses and not just because someone has the shakes or a low immune system. | ||||||
| A: | You state in your question, "I am not saying that the individual cup is wrong." With that, you are agreeing that it is an adiaphora. You are saying that use of the common cup is not the only way to distribute the wine in Holy Communion and thus to receive the blood of Jesus, which was poured out on Calvary for our sins. With that I agree. While it is true that when Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper, all drank from a single cup, there is no direct word in the Scriptures requiring that this be done. So, it is a matter of preference. A congregation is free to distribute the wine using only the common cup, using only individual cups, or using both. If it decides to use both, it is free to use the common cup at one service and individual cups at another service, or to use both the common cup and individual cups at the same service. This becomes a divisive issue only if one insists that what is an adiaphoron is not an adiaphoron. When you speak of a "split altar," an altar is split if some come to the altar believing in the real presence of the body and blood of Jesus and some come believing that the bread and wine only represent Jesus' body and blood, not if some drink from a common cup and some from an individual cup. That is why communicants are urged, "A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself" (1 Corinthians 28-29). One advantage of using both methods in the same service is to facilitate the communing together of family members, some of whom may prefer the common cup and others the individual cup. You can't do this with all worship adiaphora. For example, some might prefer the older version of the Lord's Prayer while others may prefer the version in more modern English. Where there are strong preferences both ways, some congregations use one version at one service and the other at a different service. But it would be highly impractical to use both versions at the same service, since the congregation would end up praying the Lord's Prayer two times. However, it is possible to distribute the wine both with the common cup and individual cups at the same service. Since this is an adiaphoron and since it is possible to distribute the wine in both ways at the same service, a congregation is free to choose this method. It is a method I personally prefer, by the way, since I prefer (not demand) to receive the wine from the common cup while my wife prefers (not demands) to receive the wine from an individual cup. My wife, by the way, doesn't "have the shakes or a low immune system," as you put it. Along with many others, she simply prefers to receive the wine with an individual cup. You asked, "Why is it unthinkable for some of us to stand and some of us to kneel for Communion?" Such a practice is not unthinkable. In the congregation I served, though most of the communicants knelt at the communion rail, since kneeling pads were provided, some stood, probably because it was difficult for them to kneel. In other cases mothers holding infants found it easier to stand. This is another example of a practice—to kneel or not to kneel at the communion rail—that can be done at the same time without causing a division, because it is an adiaphoron. I would hope that your current doubts would be resolved when you take to heart your own statement, "I am not saying that the individual cup is wrong." If its use is not wrong, then its use alongside of the common cup is not wrong either. | ||||||
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