THE LORD’S TABLE

F. E. Raven

The Lord’s table in any place may be described as the fellowship of Christ’s death on the part of all christians in that place. This was actually realised at first in the early church, but is not now seen in practice. We cannot confine the idea to our fellowship, because it takes in, in scripture, all the saints in a place ...

In trying to make clear my thought I may premise by saying that I do not believe that the truth of the Lord’s table is found outside of those gathered to the Lord apart from unrighteousness. My fear is in the assumption of the table by brethren as giving to them a kind of ecclesiastical status, when morally they may be very little in the reality of what it implies. It is a truth which in the present state of the church must be apprehended abstractly, that is, in its normal character, as being the proper fellowship of all the christians in any given place. It is the fellowship of Christ’s blood and body—of His death.

In this sense the Lord’s table in its true character can never be restored, and the attempt to lay claim to it by any body of saints appears to me undesirable. I think the point now is to be morally in the fellowship of Christ’s death, I believe it is of all moment in these days to be in the sense of the ruin of the church, and to get away, not only from all unrighteousness, but from all pretension; but to get to the Lord—to follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those that call on the Lord out of a pure heart (2 Timothy 2: 22). I trust that this describes our fellowship, and

am sure that the nearer we are to the Lord, the more truly we shall be in the fellowship of His death, and thus really partakers of the Lord’s table. To attempt to apply 1 Corinthians 10: 16, 17 in a literal way to ourselves, would virtually put brethren in the place of the assembly. In connection with the distinctive place which those occupy who have thus got to the Lord and are following righteousness, I quite accept the idea of a company remaining to the end. It is clear that although there may be nothing ecclesiastical, yet the existence of a company is recognised in Philadelphia.

(‘Notes of Lectures’, Vol. XVII, p.22).

Note: This does not appear to be included in the New Series.