He takes the wider range of the professing Church at the beginning of 1 Cor.
10, bringing Israel before them as an example. All the Jewish fathers were under the cloud. All passed through the sea. The cloud outwardly rested upon them, typical of the Holy Ghost. They passed through the sea, typical of the baptism of water.
Baptism
Just like Noah and his family passed through the deluge in the ark into a new place of privilege under God’s government, in the post-diluvian earth, and as Israel passed through the Red Sea, and thus were separated from Egypt to Jehovah and his government, so the professing Christian by the death and resurrection of Christ, and instrumentally by baptism, gets a new place of privilege on the earth in the temple of God where Christ is, and the Holy Ghost is, and the word of God; and yet after all he may be eternally lost, if not born again.
Beside this they all ate the manna, and drank the rock typical of Christ; yet with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Thus outward privileges as to Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are no proofs that a man is really saved. These outward privileges might go on without life, the Holy Ghost dwelling in the midst of them all the time (cp. Heb. 6:44For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, (Hebrews 6:4)), and yet those who partook of them might perish. The various sins that Israel fell into are then brought forward as a warning and an example, and he that thought he stood was to take heed lest he fell.
The Corinthians were to take heed of trusting in outward privileges, and their church place, or baptism; nothing but real life in Christ, a dependence upon Him, would avail for eternity. (Cp. Num. 11-16.) But then, to encourage them, there was no temptation that came upon them but such as was common to man; but God was faithful, who would give strength, and not suffer them to be tempted above what they were able to bear, making a way for them to escape.
The Lord’s Table
The apostle’s conclusion is, flee from idolatry. He speaks to wise men, let them judge what he says. 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 being many are one bread, one body, for we are all partakers of the one bread. The Lord’s Table is here brought forward, and put in the very center of Christian worship, as a safeguard against idolatry and Judaism. It is put in contrast with the altars of Judaism and of the Gentiles. In it we do two things: First, we express association and communion with our altar, viz., Christ’s death, in eating and drinking of the two symbols of His broken body and His blood; 2ndly, we express that we are one bread, one body, for we are all partakers of the one bread. The unbroken loaf represents Christ and His Body in union together. This is our corporate position, which we express by partaking of the one loaf.
(1 Cor. 10:1818Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? (1 Corinthians 10:18)) The Israelite after the flesh by partaking of the sacrifices off the Jewish altar showed his identity and association with Jewish worship. So likewise the Gentile, who ate of the sacrifices offered to idols (ver. 19). The idol indeed was nothing in the light of Christianity (ver. 20); but through the idol they really offered to devils, and he would not have them hold fellowship with devils. By eating of these sacrifices they expressed identity with devil worship (ver. 21). The table was the Table of the Lord; the cup on the Lord’s Table was the cup of the Lord. How could they drink the cup of the Lord, thus expressing association with His altar, and the cup of devils? How could they be partakers of the Lord’s Table and the table of devils (ver. 22), without provoking the Lord to jealousy, who is one Lord (Deut. 32:15-1815But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 16They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. 17They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. 18Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. (Deuteronomy 32:15‑18))? An important principle as to sectarian tables in the present day. I cannot sit at any table which is professedly a table of the Lord without expressing my identity with its system of worship. In the case of national worship, or of Roman Catholic worship, if infidels, Puseyites, idolaters, and unconverted people are there, I express that I am one bread, one body with them. In the case of sectarianism, I express I am one bread, one body with such a system. To be on true ground is to give the Lord His true place at His Table. The Lord alone has authority there. If a great man gives a dinner at his house and invites the guests, the guests sit at his table. To take the great man’s place at the head of his table would be to insult him. So with the Lord at His Table; no man has a right to preside there but the Lord. We are gathered to the Lord and not to man. And as the Assembly there in the one loaf expresses her oneness with Christ and His members, so only the members of Christ’s body have any place there. To meet on any other ground, but as members of the body of Christ, owning the Lord in the midst, and His authority is to be on sectarian ground.
The reader will notice that fellowship with the blood and body of Christ is contrasted with Israel’s feeding on the sacrifices of their altars, and the Gentiles feeding on their sacrifices which they offered to devils. How blessed that at the Lord’s Table we show our association with, and feed on that sacrifice which expresses death to every false and even mixed system, and that we are one bread and one body with Him who thus died, and shed the last drop of His blood for His Church! The Lord’s Table is thus put in the very central place of Christian worship. It is the place of communion for the saints on earth, the place where the unity of the body is expressed. Consequently to be away from that place is to be away from the Lord whose table it is and where He is seated; it is to be away from communion, and the child who does it, does not express his church-place as a member of the body of Christ. Where the church does not gather on the ground of the unity of the body to the Lord’s Name, owning His authority, and as expressed at the Lord’s Table, there is no exhibition of the church as the body of Christ in the place. Would to God that every dear Christian saw his place to walk with the Lord.
(Ver. 23) Outside the Lord’s Table they might have difficulties, but this was the general principle to act upon, viz., All things were lawful, yet all things were not expedient; all things were lawful, yet all things edify not. (Ver. 25) This principle is illustrated in what follows. The Corinthians would continually come in contact with things offered to idols, so that even in going to market they might be buying things that were offered to idols. Well, they were to ask no questions. The idol was nothing. (Ver. 26) The earth was the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. (Ver. 27) If any unbeliever asked them to a feast, and they were disposed to go, they were to eat such things as were set before them, asking no question for conscience sake. (1 Cor. 10:2828But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that showed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof: (1 Corinthians 10:28)) But if there was one sitting there who had a conscience of an idol, and told him he was eating a thing offered to an idol, he was to respect his brother’s conscience, and not let his liberty be judged of. His brother spoke and acted on the same principle, viz., the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; only he judged the idol to be something, and that something not the Lord’s; and so he did not eat. (Ver. 29) I, who have liberty, therefore, ought to respect his conscience. (Ver. 31, 32) The conclusion is, that whether eating, or drinking, or whatsoever they did, they were to do all to the glory of God, giving none offence to any, whether Jew, or Gentile, or the Church of God, — the three circles into which the world was divided. (Ver. 33) In doing so, I would be studying every man’s profit, in order to save them. In saying this Paul puts before them his own example, and exhorts them to follow him as he followed Christ. An important principle with regard to devoted Christians. As far as they follow Christ I am to follow them, but no further, otherwise I put them in the place of Christ.