1 Corinthians 10:16- The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?
Every first day of the week we come together to partake of the Lord’s Supper. This meal is used as a memorial of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection and helps us to remember what He did for us. However, it is so much more than that. To the faithful child of God, it also is a symbol and declaration of our unity to Him. Even then there is more to it and many Christians fail to recognize or do not realize at all what our communion here symbolizes. Today, we are going to look at two aspects of the Lord’s Supper that are just as important as remembering Christ’s death.
- It symbolizes a deep relationship: Christ in coming to this earth and dying for us was the greatest sacrifice ever made in history. In doing so He not only redeemed us but also established something truly wonderful. Now, we can have a deep and meaningful relationship with God without the weight of sin sitting on our shoulders. While yes there still needs to be a fear of God and obedience to His will, we may call Him “Abba Father.” Not only that but Christ, who sits at the Father’s right hand, is our elder brother. This communion is a declaration of that closeness and should bring us great joy in the partaking.
- It symbolizes our absolute loyalty to God: Again, this is something that many Christians, even if they understand it, overlook. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we say that we are His and wholly dedicated to His cause. This also means that we cannot be living in any sort of sin. In 1 Corinthians 10:21, Paul makes the statement “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.” What does this mean? It means that we cannot have one foot in each door. We have to be wholly God’s or wholly Satan’s. If we try, then we are partaking “in an unworthy manner” and are “guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 11:27). That does not sound like a situation we want to be in.
So as we partake, yes let us think back to the sacrifice of God but also remember what it means to us. We must not forget our relationship or our death to sin. Without them, we are just as lost as before.