B Mills
The church in the city of Corinth was made up largely of men and women who had once been worshippers in the pagan rituals of the temple at the heart of that city. Consequentially, Paul’s letter is to appeal to them that they not be drawn back into former habits. We face the same temptations today in the modern church. No, we are probably not tempted to bow down to lifeless idols, but we face the same temptation to return to the old ways of the world with the friends we had before. His first words calls them “wise men.” It is indeed a wise man who seeks the word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit when such temptations come, and they are certain to come. Scripture points out, “The fool has said in his heart, There is no God.” The book of Proverbs, has many such guides, if we just read them. Many are from the words of Solomon.
1 Corinthians 10:15-22 (King James Version)
15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.
16 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?
17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?
20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.
21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.
22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
What is he talking about when he speaks of “the cup of blessing?” That is the name of the third cup used at the Passover feast, and would also be the cup that Jesus used when he instituted the memorial Feast that he instructed we were to observe until he returns. Paul speaks further of this later in this letter, (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), so I will also leave that for a later study. The blessing now refers to the blessing all Christians receive through his death on the cross and the shedding of his blood in the final blood sacrifice for the sins of all. Verse 16 likens the bread to his broken body and the fruit of the vine to his shed blood through which we commune with him. Because of this, this avenue of worship is called the “Communion Service,“ and it is the heart of, and the reason for, our assembly together to worship him every Sunday.
Paul, because of the problem of believers turning back to their old ways, points out that the sacrifices in the pagan temples were actually sacrifices to devils, and that Christians can not worship both God and devils. That same fact is true today. Satan has all who do not accept and follow God. Because they have sinned and the fact that sin and God are incompatible, they are lost. Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved. He assured us, “I am the way, No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
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