Children & The Lord's Supper

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I always get questions about whether children should participate in the Lord's Supper. I offer the following with a spirit of humility in order to provide some guidance regarding the issue of children and the Lord's Supper.

 THEOLOGICAL ISSUES:

  1. The Lord's Supper is for believers ONLY: The Lord Jesus Christ gave this ordinance to His disciples. Parents must be as certain as possible that their child has genuinely accepted Christ as Lord and Savior before they allow them to partake of the bread and juice. Do they understand that Jesus Christ is God Himself? Do they understand that sin demands judgment? Do they understand that had Jesus not sacrificed Himself on the cross to pay for our sin that we would be consigned to hell for all eternity? Do they believe that Jesus died and was raised on the third day? Have they pledged to follow Jesus all the days of their life
  2. The Lord's Supper is a matter of obedience: The Lord Jesus Christ instructed His disciples to KEEP this ordinance. If a child has truly accepted the gospel, then they must regular partake of the Lord's Supper. Further, if a child is a true follower of Jesus, they must be learning and striving to live a life obedience to all of God's Word. Parents must be diligent to teach their child the importance of the Lord's Supper and the significance of the bread and juice. Parents must also be committed to discipling their children in the ways of God
  3. The Lord's Supper is a matter of conscience: We should never take of the bread and the juice without having examined our hearts beforehand. Thus, parents are to help their children prepare for the Lord's Supper. Parents should lead them to examine themselves, confess their sin, and repent of their sin.
  4. The Lord's Supper is a matter of community: The Lord Jesus Christ gave this ordinance to the Church. This is a sacred ritual which is to be celebrated by the collective body of believers. The Lord's Supper is to be taken in the context of those who gather to proclaim the death, burial, resurrection, and return of Christ. Communion is for the community of Christ. Therefore, before taking the bread and juice, believers need to make sure that they are in reconciled relationships with other believers, or at have attempted to reconciled with others if there has been a breach in relationship
  5. The Lord's Supper is a sacred matter: Scripture warns severely against taking the Lord's Supper in a manner unworthy of our Lord and Savior (1 Cor. 11:27-32). Up until a certain age, it is paramount for parents to exercise extreme discernment regarding this issue. Scripture explicitly warns that there are terrible consequences if a person takes the bread and juice in a manner unworthy of Jesus. Parents, for the spiritual sake of our children, let's exercise diligence in order to maintain the sacredness of the ordinance which the Lord Jesus Christ gave to us and commanded for us to keep.

I pray and hope this has been helpful
In awe of Jesus,
Rick Gutierrez 

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