1 Corinthians 11:29 and the Lord’s Supper
In 1 Corinthians 11:29 (AKJV) we read, "For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." According to this verse taking communion improperly is a sin against Jesus' body. With this verse in mind, can a member of a church who improperly administers Communion, like a church that denies the Real Presence, go to heaven when they are eating and drinking damnation to themselves?
Answering your question means understanding the “damnation” (in the translation you cited) brought about by unworthily receiving the Lord’s Supper.
The Greek word in 1 Corinthians 11:29 means “judgment” or “condemnation.” “Damnation” speaks of an everlasting judgment that is irreversible. The immediate context (1 Corinthians 11:30) speaks of temporal judgments, and not damnation, that some Christians in Corinth received for their unworthily reception of the Lord’s Supper.
Could such temporal judgments lead to an everlasting judgment of condemnation or damnation? Certainly, that is the serious nature of impenitence and unbelief. However, Bible translations that speak of “condemnation” and not “damnation” in 1 Corinthians 11:29 hit the mark in light of the immediate context.
This does not minimize the seriousness of those who fail to “discern the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:29). All doctrinal errors are serious and potentially faith destroying. Without question, the apostle Paul’s prayer that his readers would grow in knowledge and faith (Ephesians 1:17-19) is our prayer for people who do not profess the truths of Scripture.