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? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
The apostle Paul wrote 1 Corinthians to address a wide range of deficiencies in the faith and practice of the brethren at Corinth. These issues ranged from divisions over who converted them (1:10-15; 3:1-9), sexual sin being practiced and overlooked (ch. 5), failure to have the wisdom to settle disputes without the help of pagan courts (6:1-8), misunderstandings about marriage (7:1-16), food sacrificed to idols (ch. 8), issues of authority among men, women, Christ, and God (11:2-16), perversion of the Lord’s supper (11:17-34), misuse of spiritual gifts (ch. 12-14), and some denying the bodily resurrection (ch. 15). With so many issues, many of our brethren today would not even bother to try and help a congregation such as this, but God would not give up so easily. That is why we have this book in our New Testament with all its powerful lessons to help us grow.
I am convinced the solution to all these issues, as well as any we face today, is found in the concept of communion as described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. While this passage is specifically addressing the issue of the Lord’s supper, it describes the truth of what we enjoy being in Christ. As children of God in Christ, Paul said we enjoy the communion of the blood and body of Christ. The bread and fruit of the vine are mere symbols of the relationship we enjoy daily. The word translated communion is the Greek term koinonia which means fellowship, association, joint participation, partnership, etc. When I consider that my sins drove a wedge between my God and me, the fact of being able to commune with Him through the sacrifice of Christ is the greatest honor of all. This is the magnificence of reconciliation, and Paul spoke frequently of this concept. Think through some of these truths with me and see if it does not strengthen your resolve to overcome temptation.
Without His blood we were “…dead in trespasses and sins”, but by His blood He “…made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:1, 5). In Romans 5:1-11, Paul gives more color to what this means as he describes the peace we now have with God through Christ (vs. 1), the access to hope we now enjoy through faith (vs. 2), the love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit He gave to us (vs. 5), and the bewildering fact that the perfect, sinless Son of God did all this for weak, ungodly sinners who were actually His own enemies at the time He suffered such agony and shame (vv. 6-11).
When describing the reconciliation of God in 2 Corinthians 5:11-21, Paul pointed out a few other important details such as the fact God actively pursued peace with us while we did not care for Him one way or the other (vv. 18-19), His placing our guilt upon the Christ (vs. 21; cf. Isaiah 53:4-6, 11; 1 Peter 2:24), and making a completely new creation of those who come to be in Christ through biblical faith (vs. 17). Knowing all these things should promote an attitude of gratitude towards the Christ who died to reconcile us to God, the Father who sent Him, and the Holy Spirit who revealed all these things to us. Paul says of this in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christs controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.” (ESV). This is the essence of communing with our Lord, and it is the answer to all our spiritual ailments.