We want to affirm the presence of the Lord here with us now, and this presence is truly a real presence. We do not want to say it is an absence—a mere memorial—and neither do we say it is an ethereal, spiritualized presence, or that it is simply a raw material presence, crassly … [Read more...]
The Head of the Table
As the apostle Paul begins the eleventh chapter of 1 Corinthians, let us assume that he is not guilty of a radical lurch as he changes subjects, deciding finally to come back to the subject of the Lord’s Supper in v. 17. The culmination point of Christian worship is the … [Read more...]
A Pious Cocoon
The apostle tells us to do whatever we do to the glory of God. We cannot really understand this unless we have been disciplined by His Table. Whatever you eat, whatever you drink, he says, whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. But this comes at the end of a detailed … [Read more...]
Fence the Tables
The apostle Paul does not draw the kind of antithesis we might expect between the Table of the Lord and the food we eat throughout our daily lives. In this passage from Corinthians we have been considering, he talks about the Lord’s Supper as a sacrament, the manna and water of … [Read more...]
Table Allegiance
We have no right to legislate morality in any area unless God has spoken to that issue clearly and directly. Apart from this, all things are lawful in their substance. The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness of it. We have already considered that all men are covenantal … [Read more...]
Israel After the Flesh
As we come to the Table, Paul tells us to “behold Israel after the flesh.” Look, he says, at Israel in the Old Testament, and take special care to note how their condition was similar to yours. We partake of Christ in the bread and wine. They were partakers of the altar as … [Read more...]
Do Communion? Or Have Communion?
As we come to the Table, we are charged to flee from idolatry. We do this in two ways. The first is that we leave all pagan idols behind. Whether these idols are actual gods made of wood or stone, or are idols of the heart and mind does not matter. We leave them behind in … [Read more...]
Broken Bread
One of God’s great patterns is that of taking apart, and then restoring fully. The restoration, the resurrection, is fuller, deeper, and richer than the original unity ever was. But before God tears, we consistently tend to panic, afraid that this time He will not be able to put … [Read more...]
Rationalism and Superstition
We must always remember the importance of eating. Food is not a consequence of the Fall, and the nourishment of creatures was no afterthought on the part of God. God created us as eating creatures. As we eat, and grow, and mature, and multiply, we find that God is in the … [Read more...]
Do Communion? Or Have Communion?
As we come to the table, we are charged to flee from idolatry. We do this in two ways. The first is that we leave all pagan idols behind. Whether these idols are actual gods made of wood or stone, or are idols of the heart and mind does not matter. We leave them behind in order … [Read more...]
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