1 Corinthians 10:16:17
This verse by Paul to the Corinthian church is a lead-in to the instructions on communion to be found in the next chapter. Here, we see that Paul calls the taking of the body and the blood of Jesus “communion”, which by its very definition denotes a deep communication between the giver of the bread and the eater.
By partaking of the cup and the bread, we are communing with what Christ did for us upon the cross. We drink of the wine which is the blood, shed for the remission of our sins. This blood provides our redemption from sin; our justification in God’s eyes; our sanctification for the service of the Lord and it protects our heart from the curses of this world, much like the blood on the houses of the Israelites protected them from the angel of death.
When we break the bread, we are symbolically showing the brokenness of Jesus on the cross, where His body was torn apart so that ours could be whole. He suffered all cancers and tumors and diseases in Him so that we would never have to suffer them in us. We eat the bread, not partaking of death, but eating His wholeness; His health and His perfect body.
Paul is also using the idea of communion to portray an important fact about the church of Jesus Christ. He says, “For we being many are one bread, one body” (1 Corinthians 10:17). The word used for “bread” implies a “loaf”, meaning that we are one entire piece, not fragmented segments of bread. One particular offering of the Old Testament had the priest bring a loaf of bread before the Lord, mingled with leaven, meaning that the loaf was to rise. This loaf was a type of the church, mingled together and unified.
At Pentecost, this “loaf” was mobilized. Born at Calvary, the church took her shape on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on those assembled at Jerusalem. From that day forward, the fragmented, individual lives of those present were molded into one cohesive unit called the church. Though we are not all the same, we share one common passion and that is to be a part of the body of Christ. Each ingredient brings a unique perspective to the loaf, none more important than the other.
The great unifier of the church; that which jumps across denominational and cultural boundaries is that we are all partakers of “that one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:17). Our constant consumption of the finished work of Christ is what makes the church a true body. When we major on minors and put our focus on the inessentials we take the beautiful taste out of the loaf. As long as our hearts “look unto Jesus”, we remain the unbreakable body of Christ.
Go in the grace and favor of the head of the church. You are His body; thus you are His hands and feet; His mouth and His voice. Say what He would say, and spread His love to those around you.
This verse by Paul to the Corinthian church is a lead-in to the instructions on communion to be found in the next chapter. Here, we see that Paul calls the taking of the body and the blood of Jesus “communion”, which by its very definition denotes a deep communication between the giver of the bread and the eater.
By partaking of the cup and the bread, we are communing with what Christ did for us upon the cross. We drink of the wine which is the blood, shed for the remission of our sins. This blood provides our redemption from sin; our justification in God’s eyes; our sanctification for the service of the Lord and it protects our heart from the curses of this world, much like the blood on the houses of the Israelites protected them from the angel of death.
When we break the bread, we are symbolically showing the brokenness of Jesus on the cross, where His body was torn apart so that ours could be whole. He suffered all cancers and tumors and diseases in Him so that we would never have to suffer them in us. We eat the bread, not partaking of death, but eating His wholeness; His health and His perfect body.
Paul is also using the idea of communion to portray an important fact about the church of Jesus Christ. He says, “For we being many are one bread, one body” (1 Corinthians 10:17). The word used for “bread” implies a “loaf”, meaning that we are one entire piece, not fragmented segments of bread. One particular offering of the Old Testament had the priest bring a loaf of bread before the Lord, mingled with leaven, meaning that the loaf was to rise. This loaf was a type of the church, mingled together and unified.
At Pentecost, this “loaf” was mobilized. Born at Calvary, the church took her shape on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out on those assembled at Jerusalem. From that day forward, the fragmented, individual lives of those present were molded into one cohesive unit called the church. Though we are not all the same, we share one common passion and that is to be a part of the body of Christ. Each ingredient brings a unique perspective to the loaf, none more important than the other.
The great unifier of the church; that which jumps across denominational and cultural boundaries is that we are all partakers of “that one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:17). Our constant consumption of the finished work of Christ is what makes the church a true body. When we major on minors and put our focus on the inessentials we take the beautiful taste out of the loaf. As long as our hearts “look unto Jesus”, we remain the unbreakable body of Christ.
Go in the grace and favor of the head of the church. You are His body; thus you are His hands and feet; His mouth and His voice. Say what He would say, and spread His love to those around you.
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