1 Corinthians 10
The Lord's table is spoken of in this chapter as the CONFESSION of the Lord by those who partake. Various, we know, is the aspect given to this precious legacy left to us of the Lord. Circumstances in the conduct of the Corinthians brought it into another point of view.
The Israelites were baptized unto Moses and the judgments of Mount Sinai, in the cloud and in the sea; God therefore vindicated His glory on many various occasions, because He was not duly acknowledged in His attributes toward His people. Subjection according to their deliverance was forgotten. " Remember how I brought you out of the land of Egypt, with a mighty hand and outstretched arm," was the burden of the call of the Lord to Israel. " Now all these things happened to them as ensamples, (for us,) and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages are come." The apostle argued therefore that as to join the altar of the idol was to have fellowship with the idol that it could not be with impunity. To join the altar of the idol was fellowship with the idol owned it, in fact, confessed it if it were the table of devils, it was communion or fellowship (the word is the same) with them. Singleness of confession then was that which the Lord, strong as He was jealous, required. To confess any other Lord was incompatible and impossible; and as a common act (which the introductory act of Christianity was not) it partook of the nature of a common confession. At the table of the Lord, the assembly was one bread in the participation of the one bread or loaf. Saved by grace, there was no question of salvation, it was-who was Lord? The assembly therefore, whatever character of worship, thanksgiving, memorial of grace in the Lord's death was shown forth in the Lord's supper, it was the example of the Israelites separated to God in the cloud and in the sea, that the instruction given in the parallel given by the apostle lies. It is then the unmixed confession of the Lord by a practical separation to Himself without any admixture of other subjection that we find in this chapter. In the Hebrews, the apostle says, " We have an altar (I do not suppose that this alludes to the table) of which those who serve the tabernacle cannot partake." It is a much more serious question, but which vindicates the purity and singleness of the confession intended to be made by the table of the Lord.
Christendom looks on Christ as commonly acknowledged within its bounds, as received on earth, and mixing Himself with the world. God looks not at it so. Christ was rejected on earth and received in heaven. If we would acknowledge and confess Christ aright, it would be as rejected on earth and now at God's right hand. If we belong to Him, we belong to Him there. He does not, as supposed, belong to us down here; we show forth His death till He come from where He is. This is the proper and true confession of Him giving our confession its just significancy in the world; waiting for Him and separate unto Him in that expectation. This manifest instruction from this chapter shown in these observations does not however pretend to include other doctrine in the chapter.