Should churches fence the table?
We should not ignore the warnings of Scripture. Lives and souls are on the line.
When a church offers communion, should it be offered with no caveats or warnings? No, because that is not consistent with Scripture. The Apostle Paul gives us a warning in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30 concerning the holiness of the Sacraments:
Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
The sacraments, such as Baptism and the Lord's Supper, do not belong to church members, to the heads of households, or to parachurch organizations. They belong to the Church, which the Bible tells us in 1 Timothy 3:15 is the pillar and foundation of the truth. The church has been given authority over these matters for the protection of souls under their care and protection of the reputation of Jesus Christ. God sees communion, which represents the sacrifice of His only Son, as a very serious matter. People have died from taking Communion in an unworthy manner.
This is why churches should be careful about offering communion, and offering cheap grace. If churches truly love their sheep, they will warn them and not reassure them they are perfectly fine in the face of clear evidence. If the judgment is wrong - and they sometimes will be - an apology and restoration is in order. But the existence of incorrect judgments does not mean that all judgments should be avoided.
There are people who have committed horrible sins, who are sincerely repentant and absolutely should not be barred from the Lord's Table. If the presence of sin disqualifies someone from communion, then no one in all of history would be able to take communion. Remember, God saves repentant sinners from the uttermost to the guttermost. One of the most horrible things in Scripture is when the Pharisees dismissed Judas when he sought to repent for his betrayal of Jesus.
But far too often, cheap grace and an open invitation are practiced when good judgment indicates this should not be the case. Not only is it wrong to abandon sinners who are unrepentant, it does a disservice to other members of the congregation to not warn them of God's judgment. Many sinners have been sanctified or even regenerated by seeing the discipline of a rebellious church member. God's word tells us "yes," but Scripture also says "no" and that should not be ignored.