Epistles (written)

Friday, 10 October 2014

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10:16

Paul’s previous words asked for us to flee from idolatry and then he immediately asked us to judge his words, as to whether they truly are words of wisdom (he said to them “I speak as to wise men.”). In this then he is asking us to use wisdom and grow in wisdom by reflecting on his words of instruction. And so he begins with, “The cup of blessing which we bless.” Three thoughts on what this may mean arise. The first is that the cup is the means by which we receive a blessing. In other words, we are blessed as we partake of the cup. The second is that the cup is a cup by which we bless the Lord. And the third is that the this is a Hebraism (a Hebrew term) which describes the cup.

Scholars argue over which is intended by Paul, but in actuality all three ideas have merit. The first is certainly true in one sense. We have been blessed (past tense) through receiving Christ, but yet we are commanded to participate in the Lord’s Supper as well. Paul will note this in the coming chapter. The Lord surely looks with favor upon those who partake of this holy sacrament as He instructed us to do. The second concept has merit also. We offer our praise and thanks back to the Lord when we are obedient to His directive. Our taking of the cup is an act of blessing toward Him in this regard. And finally, the term “the cup of blessing” is comparable to what is mentioned in Psalm 116 –

“I will take up the cup of salvation, And call upon the name of the Lord.” Psalm 116:13

In this psalm, the term cos yeshuot, or the “cup of salvation” is used. This actually then forms a pun on the name of Jesus, which is Yeshua. The “cup of Yeshua” was anticipated in the 116th Psalm. In other words –

“I will take up the cup of Jesus,
And call upon the name of Jehovah.”

It is an Old Testament picture of the incarnation of Jehovah in the Person of Jesus. Paul then is using the “cup of blessing,” or cos haberakha, as a Hebraism – the cup stands in regard to the “state of blessing” just as the psalm’s cup stood in regard to the “state of salvation.” It is this “cup of blessing which we bless” that Paul equates to “the communion of the blood of Christ.” This brings to remembrance the words of the Lord (which Paul will explain in the coming chapter) that the cup is His blood. But what does that exactly mean?

Because He held a cup of wine in His hand when He said that, it is intended to mean that it is a picture of His death, not a literal nor a spiritual drinking of His blood. Paul confirms this in his words of chapter 11 when he says that in the meal “you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” It is a picture of the suffering of the Lord; a remembrance of His work.

After this, Paul notes that, “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ.” Again, this is a pictorial remembrance of the broken body of Christ. Jesus held the bread in His hands and said, “This is my body.” It is not His literal body, nor is it a spiritual body. Instead, it is a symbolic representation of His death. And in that death we share “the communion.” The Greek word for “communion” is koinōnia. It is a “participation” or a “fellowship” in this wondrous act. As Vincent’s word studies notes concerning the Passover observed by the Jewish people in relation to the Lord’s Supper, “The Passover was celebrated by families, typifying an unbroken fellowship of those who formed one body, with the God who had passed by the blood-sprinkled doors.”

There is no reason to assume that we either literally eat the body of Christ (Catholic transubstantiation), nor that we somehow spiritually partake of the blood of Christ, becoming sharers in His divine life (Calvinist doctrine). When we call on Christ, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and it is in that act that we share in His divine life. The cup and the bread as noted by Paul here are symbolic representations of that awesome position in which we stand.

Finally, there is curiosity by many as to why Paul places the cup first in this verse instead of the bread first as other verses place it. The most likely reason is that Paul took the extra time to deal with and explain the bread (verse 17) and so he dispensed with the matter of the cup first.

I will take up the cup of salvation in my hand
And I will call upon the name of the Lord
It is in the name of Jesus where I take my stand
And in His name I am attentive to God’s word

For He is the very Word of Life, this I know
And in Him alone can I live and grow

I will take up the cup of blessing in my hand
And in the name of Jesus will I ever bless my God
It is in His name alone where I take my stand
And in Him alone will I fellowship in the path I trod

How can it be, O great and awesome God, that You have come and united with Your own creation in order to redeem Your fallen children? It is beyond my comprehension and yet it is what Your word proclaims. And so I place my faith, my trust, my hope, and my eternal soul in the Lamb who was slain to ransom me from the grasp of the devil. I thank You and I praise You for all You have done. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Wednesday, 8 October 2014

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10:14

“Therefore” is given to lead us to a summary thought concerning the previous words of instruction. In verses 1-5, Paul showed how the Israelites had actually partaken of the spiritual goodness of the Lord – the cloud and the sea, the spiritual food, and the spiritual rock (from which the water issued forth). These were there for the people and sustained them as they travelled. And yet, instead of clinging to that which gives life, they turned their backs on Christ and followed a different path. In verses 6-10, we were shown that some fell into idolatry, some into sexual immorality, some into tempting Christ through their speaking out against Him as if He were incapable of properly providing for them, and some merely complained about their circumstances instead of being grateful for His provision. Paul showed that their lives were given as examples for us to learn from. He also instructed us that we should take heed of these things because we all share in humanity and are susceptible to falling as they did. But in a note of encouragement, he said that God will always provide a way out when we are tempted. This is where his thoughts have led to and they bear directly on his previous discussion about foods sacrificed to idols which was seen in chapter 8.

Eating foods is a neutral matter, even foods sacrificed to idols – because idols are nothing. However, idolatry is harmful and sinful. It is also tempting and destructive as his examples have shown. Idolatry leads to barriers between God and us and destroys our intimate fellowship with Him. Therefore, we shouldn’t see how close we can get to it without going over the line. Instead we should turn our backs to it and run from it. The Apostle John has the same word of admonition for us. As the final thought of his first epistle, he closes the letter with, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen” (1 John 5:21).

In spiritual matters, we are to remain in fellowship with God in ways which He has personally authorized such as reading and studying His word; praising, worshipping, and praying to Him; and fellowshipping with other believers. In doing these things, we will be kept safe from the sins which we can so easily fall into.

Life application: An idol is not necessarily a piece of stone, wood, or metal that is set up to worship, but rather it is anything which replaces devotion to God in our hearts. Sex, money, over-indulgence, etc., are things which tear our hearts and minds away from the Lord. Let us continually walk with Him and purposely flee from idolatry.

Lord God, keep me free from the things which take my heart and eyes away from You. A million temptations come my way each day and some of them are more difficult to face than others. You know the ones which will try me the most, so remind me to put on the armor which will protect me from them. I know that You will always be with me and provide a way out of the temptations I face. And so I ask in advance for eyes to see those paths of exit and to be strong enough to take them when those temptations arise. Thank You for hearing my prayer. Amen.

Tuesday, 7 October 2014

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

In the preceding verse, Paul gave those at Corinth a warning when he said, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Now he gives them a note of up-building and encouragement. The temptations that they faced in seeking divisions or facing decisions concerning eating or not eating certain foods, etc, are regular temptations that “are common to man.” In other words, they are a part of the human experience, just like the temptations of those in the wilderness. There was nothing supernatural about their temptations and they could have resisted rebelling, but instead, they lacked faith in God’s provision and fell into weakness.

Those at Corinth were following this same human pattern, but they had the power to prevail if they so chose. They had the truth of the gospel and they possessed the knowledge that “God is faithful.” From those Old Testament passages, they saw that God never abandoned His people, even if they may have thought that He did. The Corinthians had the surer foundation, which is the word of God, to look into and see this.

As a further encouragement, Paul instructs them with the happy thought that God “will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able.” God is not in the business of “causing” His people to fall. Rather, He has placed us in the stream of humanity and our experiences are those which humans can and should expect. In those experiences, temptations are a natural part of what occur. This was seen in the Garden of Eden, this was seen at the time of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife, and it was seen when David saw the beautiful Bathsheba and desired her.

These and other examples show us that some failed and some prevailed. When Joshua and Caleb set out with the other spies to investigate the land of Canaan, they held fast to their faith in the Lord while the other ten weakened. It was a common human experience and each had the ability to stand fast in their convictions or to waffle in them.

As a continuation of his encouraging words, Paul then tells those in Corinth (and thus us) that with whatever temptation we face God “will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” As noted above, God is not in the business of trapping us in our weakness. Because we are humans and share what is common to humanity, then the weaknesses we face are merely human experiences and thus can be overcome, even from a human perspective. With the surer word of God and the sealing of the Holy Spirit, how much stronger should we be in the face of these things? There is never a scenario that we will face where defeat is inevitable. Rather, when we are pulled away by our own lusts, we voluntarily give way to sin.

This is why it is so important to follow the three avenues of spiritual strengthening that we have available at all times – 1) Praying to God. We can simply talk to Him about our needs continuously. Every moment can be a moment of prayer if it is a conversation with Him. 2) Knowing the Bible. If we read and apply the Bible to our lives, we will have that sure foundation on which we can stand when temptations arise. We can draw from the well and be reinvigorated with the lessons it has taught us. 3) Fellowshipping with other believers. In our weaknesses, we can be strengthened and encouraged through communion with others. They can provide us the “pat on the back” that we need and they can often give us additional perspectives into the word of God that we may have missed.

Life application: Pray without ceasing, read and meditate upon God’s word, and fellowship with other believers. In doing these three things, you will be strengthened and built up in your faith and in your walk with God.

Heavenly Father, I love that Your word tells me that You are faithful and that You will not allow me to be tempted beyond what I am able. Your word goes on to say that with any temptation You will make the way of escape for me. I thank You that through this promise I will be able to bear up under any test or trial that comes my way. I know that You are not in the business of causing us to fail, but instead You allow temptations to come our way in order to teach us and to strengthen us in our walk. Thank You for Your kind hand upon me and thank You for Your word which instructs and encourages me! Amen.

Monday, 6 October 2014

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12

There is no reason at all to assume that Paul is speaking about a “loss of salvation” here. He has been using lessons from the exodus and the wilderness wanderings to show that the people lacked faith in God’s continued hand of support for them. They failed to trust that what He started He would also see to its completion.

They had Moses to lead them, and yet they failed to trust him. They had the cloud and the pillar of fire there as a display of God’s glory and they failed to acknowledge that He was there with them. When they became needful, they were given manna, water, and quail and yet they failed to trust that God would continue to meet their needs as time passed. They had seen the destruction of the armies of Egypt, and yet they feared going in to possess the land of Canaan. On and on it went, a lack of faith leading to times of judgment. Even Moses, because of His actions, was excluded from entering the land of promise.

These people, with the evidence right before their eyes, fell into disbelief time and time again. Paul admonishes us to be more stout and steadfast in our faith and practice. We have the truth that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. We have the complete Bible given to us for our instruction and growth. We have promises in the word which show us that even death cannot separate us from the love of God which is found in Christ Jesus. And yet, we allow our faith to become weakened through temptation, through privation, and through neglect of meditating on His word.

At these times, we aren’t going to lose our salvation. We “have” been forgiven; past tense. We “have” been sealed with the Holy Spirit; past tense. We “are” seated with Christ in the heavenly places; done deal. These things are told to us to remind us of this and to keep us from falling. And yet, from time to time, we hear of a great preacher, teacher, or Christian professor falling into sin; maybe adultery. We see people neurotically worrying about whether they will be raptured along with the rest of the church because they failed to cross a “t” or dot an “i”.

Likewise, people come to Christ, but never grow in the knowledge of the word and they flounder about in a state of theological confusion. Others forget that they have been saved at all (see 2 Peter 1:9). We are asked to not only ensure our salvation by calling out to Christ for His unmerited favor, but to walk in our salvation, getting ever-closer to Him. If we do this, we will be firm and fixed upon the Rock and filled with the Water of life in those times when difficulties arise.

Life application: In the morning, read your Bible and think on Christ. During the day, meditate on the word and think on Christ. In the evening, pick up your Bible and read it again and think on Christ. Be firm, fast, and secure in your walk with Christ and you won’t fall.

Oh my precious Lord. Help me never to think of myself more confidently than I ought to, but rather, help me to rest in You and not in my own strength. Help me Lord to not be prideful of the things I own or the knowledge I possess. But rather, help me to remember that everything I have is temporary and can fly away in a moment and that all of my knowledge came from You. In all things, help me to walk humbly and with humility all my days, ever-thankful for Your kind hand of grace upon me. Amen.