At this verse a great change takes place in this book. In all these chapters up to verse 14 of today’s chapter, Paul has been writing to those who professed to be believers. Some were merely professors. In other words, he has been writing to the house of God at Corinth. God has let these two groups, that is, the true believers and those who only claim to be, go on together all through the “day of grace” period (now). When Paul was writing to the first group, he had opened with the subject of divisions among them (1 Cor. 1:10-17), But when he writes to the true believers (1 Cor. 10:16 to the end of the book), Paul opens with the subject of unity among them, and how it is displayed — the Lord’s table. Every true believer is in the unity of the one body (1 Cor. 12:13), but everyone does not keep the unity of the Spirit because we are told to be diligent to maintain it (Eph. 4:3). Let us ask ourselves these questions “Am I endeavoring to maintain the unity of the Spirit? Does my not keeping that unity touch my conscience?” These questions should be seriously considered by every reader of. Someday every one of us is going to have to answer to the Lord personally.
V.16-17 The blood of Christ is the foundation of the union of all believers while on earth. The cup of wine is the communion of that oneness. The one loaf (bread) is the symbol of that unity. Communion is having common joy in a common object — Christ is that Object. There obviously cannot be two unities for Christ is not divided (1 Cor. 1:13).
V.18-22 The illustration of this is the altar worship of Old Testament Israel (Lev. 7:11-34, but verses 15 and 19 mainly). The man who brought the sacrifice, ate part of it, but his friends must be clean, because they were partakers with him. For us today to be able to find Christ as the one gathering center requires separation from moral and doctrinal evil. We know when we are there. It is the Holy Spirit who gathers us, for it is His unity Eph. 4:3.
V.23-33 We believers aren’t to do the things which please ourselves. We must think of the effect this has on other believers. We are to consider the other person’s conscience.