The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 70-19, titled "Bible Questions and Answers."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. Copyright 2000 by John MacArthur Jr., All Rights Reserved.

Question

What would you say to encourage those who would want to take communion but for medical reasons could not? But they felt discouraged because they couldn’t do so. What I mean is, it would not be healthy for them to do so, so how would you encourage them in such a way…that because medically, it would be a danger to their health. Like say, if somebody needed to be fed intravenously because they couldn’t swallow or for other reasons. In what way would you encourage them--you know, encourage them that it’s not a negative thing to not do it if you can’t.” 

Answer

That’s a good question, and I don’t think I’ve ever been asked that question. But, I understand that. Let me give you a parallel question, and that would be the question that comes to--and I’ve faced this question a number of times and it sort of broadens the picture a little bit--there have been people who have come to Christ in a very severe and final illness, maybe days, maybe hours, maybe just a few weeks from death, that are in no way capable of being baptized. They miss that ordinance, and yet, certainly, God knows the spirit of obedience and the heart of obedience.

And I would just say that the desire in the heart to honor the Lord Jesus Christ, the desire in the heart to exalt the cross and exalt the Savior on the cross…certainly God counts as the act, where the act is impossible. You understand that? If a person cannot do, because it is impossible for them to do, what they would otherwise do, that the Lord does understand. If a person doesn’t have the capacity to swallow, obviously they can’t eat the bread and they can’t drink the cup. I don’t think we need to sort of reduce it to an IV drip--I don’t think that’s required. I think the heart attitude counts for the act because it’s the heart that God looks at anyway.

I remember a dear old lady in her 90s that I had the privilege of being with when she embraced Christ in the hospital. She was in her 90s, and another lady had encouraged me to go there, and I gave her the gospel and she responded to the gospel and she repented. After we talked a little bit about that, she said to me--she said, “I wish that I could be baptized. I really wish that I could be baptized. Well, she was in the throes of death already and didn’t live very long after that. It was an impossibility to immerse her, but I’m quite confident that the intent of her heart was sufficient to indicate to God the spirit of obedience that was there. Because of physical compunctions, it was unable to be fulfilled, but God looks at the heart in a matter like that. Where we have the capability to do what God has asked us to do, we do it. Where we don’t have the capability, the intent of the heart is sufficient to satisfy Him, I’m quite confident.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
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