At its very heart Biblical Christianity is mysterious. Something of the mystery of our salvation in Christ Jesus carries over into what the Word, as we focus today on 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, teaches about the Lord’s Supper. Guard against reducing God’s revelation to something that we can comprehend.
Flee idolatry. Early in 1 Corinthians 10 Paul warned against idolatry as it came to expression in the life of Israel in the wilderness. The idols are not gods, but behind them are demons, evil spirits. Paul’s warning takes on urgency in the context of the Lord’s Supper, which involves table fellowship with your redeemer. The warning is appropriate today. Avoid any involvement with the occult. Avoid looking to anyone else than God as the source of power, knowledge, and revelation. Spiritism, witchcraft, astrology, channeling, are all prohibited. An idol is anything in your life which is more important than God. It is easy to condemn the idolatry of ancient Israel, of Corinth, or of pagans today, but Paul’s point is that idolatry must be avoided by you! See 1 John 5:21. Examine yourself to determine what your priorities are. Remember that Paul calls greed “idolatry,” Colossians 3:5. Live as one “on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come,” verse 11. (The New Testament considers this the whole period bracketed by Christ’s comings.) At first glance urbane, sophisticated, immoral Corinth might seem to be worlds away from the “primitive” world of Israel wandering in the wilderness. But Paul connects them. Israel had been united with their deliverer in the cloud and in the sea. They had been baptized into Moses. The Passover was a meal eaten in the presence of God. God assured them that they were his people, redeemed by the blood of the lamb. This looked beyond Moses to the reality which you have. You have been baptized into Christ. You have union and fellowship with him. What had been shadow and promise is now an accomplished reality. Baptism marks your union with Christ at the beginning of the Christian life. Recognize the awesomeness of God’s presence in salvation and judgment. Rejoice in the privilege of living in the time of the revelation of God’s salvation. The Lord’s Supper does have a note of celebration, blessing, and thanksgiving in it! No wonder that the glory of the new heavens and earth is described as a rich feast!
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