The Cup of BLESSING

1 Corinthians 10:16 (ASV)
¹⁶ The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ?

Taking communion should always lead a believer to focus on Jesus and the sacrifice He made for mankind on the Cross.  But to fully receive what Jesus did, we must look beyond the Cross to the empty tomb.  On the Cross Jesus died to redeem us from our sin nature.  But when He rose from the grave He also redeemed us “unto” something more. I Corinthians 10:16 gives us the answer. It refers to communion as “the cup of blessing.” The sacrifice of Jesus not only provided for the forgiveness of sin, but it also made the way for us to be receive THE BLESSING of God.

The first mention of THE BLESSING occurs in Genesis 1:28: ^28 “And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” (ASV) When God spoke forth THE BLESSING over mankind He was releasing His favor toward man, enabling him to receive everything he would ever need to live abundantly and victoriously on the earth. THE BLESSING of God was God’s original intent for man.  Much changed as a result of the fall in the Garden, but God’s plan for man has always remained the same.

 What can the believer find in the Cup of BLESSING today?  The answer can be found in what existed in the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve sinned. Was there sickness and disease in the Garden? No. What about lack of provision for Adam and Eve? No, again. How about broken relationships, strife and other negative occurrences? No, no, and no.  God’s original intent was for man to use his dominion in the earth to create a world that was a prototype of heaven.

No wonder Satan attacked Adam and Eve in the Garden; he wanted all the good things that God had provided for man. Through deception and manipulation, he was able to steal THE BLESSING in the Garden when Adam and Eve disobeyed God.  It was not until Jesus died on the Cross and was raised from the dead that THE BLESSING returned to its rightful owners (those who have received Jesus as Savior and Lord of their lives).  2 Peter 1:3(ASV) states: “³ seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue;”. The “cup of BLESSING” is filled with all things that have to do with life and godliness (which covers everything!).

Communion takes on a deeper meaning when it is received as the “Cup of BLESSING”. It is that Cup of BLESSING that, as the Message version of the Bible says, “raises us up to what he is…” It reminds us that whenever we take communion we should focus not only on honoring the Blood that was shed on the Cross to redeem us from eternal separation from God; we should also celebrate the abundant life Jesus’ broken body and shed Blood made available to us here on earth.

1 Corinthians 10:16-18 (MSG)
… Draw your own conclusions: When we drink the cup of blessing, aren’t we taking into ourselves the blood, the very life, of Christ? And isn’t it the same with the loaf of bread we break and eat? … We don’t reduce Christ to what we are; he raises us to what he is…

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