THE CUP OF BLESSING

“Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16 NASB)

The context of 1 Corinthians 10 deals with Paul's appeal to believers to avoid the tendency of neglecting their relationship with the Lord. He brings to their remembrance the failure of the Jewish people during their wilderness journey after their exodus from Egypt, that even though the Lord provided for them during this trying time, they still rebelled, grumbled and indulged in idolatry. He assures them in verse 13 that God has been faithful and provides ‘the way of escape’ from any temptation which they may encounter. And in verse 14 he commands them to ‘flee’ from idolatry, which appears to be at the core of his argument.

In verse 16 he mentions the celebration of the Eucharist[1] because it ties together with what preceded—an exposition of God’s faithfulness and His grace provision to believers. It follows that if we do not consistently focus upon our relationship with God then anything which diverts us is a form of idolatry.

However, we should not assume that the phrase ‘cup of blessing’ is merely a passing mention of the Eucharist celebration. For the phrase ‘cup of blessing’ has profound meaning. Paul’s use of the word cup itself is not meant to be understood as a literal, physical cup—it is obviously figurative, spiritual. Note the following examples of how Scripture often employed this word:

• Cup of His anger, Revelation 14:10 
• Cup of His wrath, Revelation 16:19
• Cup full of abominations/unclean things, Revelation 17:4; 18:6
• Cup of suffering, Matthew 20:22, 23; 26:27, 39, 42; Mark 10:38, 39; 14:23, 36; Luke 22:17, 20, 42; John 18:11; 1 Corinthians 11:25-28

Further, the imagery set forth of the cup is designed to focus on the contents of the cup. Our Lord used a cup metaphor to refer to the Pharisees internal spiritual condition, indicating how they cleaned the outside while leaving the inside “full of robbery and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25-26).  Here, Paul’s mention of the cup is also meant to emphasize its contents—blessing. The Scripture uses this word blessing in a number of ways: “ascribing praise, implying also thanksgiving, speaking well of and glorifying our God...favor conferred, gift, benefit, bounty.”[2] Given that Paul states that “we bless” this cup, it stands to reason that we are expressing thanksgiving and praise for this cup of blessing. So the meaning of the cup’s content can be understood as something imparted to us, i.e. God’s grace provision to us of eternal life which was attained by the blood of Christ—His suffering and death on the cross on our behalf for the forgiveness of sins (1 Peter 2:21-24).

Further, this cup of blessing, which we continue to remember in our communion services, is not intended to emphasize the physical fluid of the grape juice or of Christ’s physical blood (which was never in a cup). Paul was looking back to the Last Supper when Our Lord took the cup of wine and after giving thanks said to the disciples “this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:27-28). By this He meant to symbolize His death on the cross which would secure eternal life “for many”.

But furthermore, Our Lords command to “do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:35) implies that His blessing of eternal life is not limited to the future, but is effective in the present—providing strategically for all of our needs while we are here on His earth. These blessings He provides us are not limited to the physical (i.e. food, shelter, clothing) but, and maybe more importantly, to the spiritual—the Biblical principles designed to sustain us during every event of life, whether it be enjoyable moments or evil confrontations.

Now let us answer Paul’s question, “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ?” By the rules of Greek grammar, this question presumes an affirmative answer: yes, we do share in the blood of Christ. But how exactly do we share in His blood?

We understand sharing in the English to mean giving something to another person, either a portion or all of what we possess. The Biblical meaning of the word share[3] is to partake of something in common with another. Here Paul rightly states that we share in common that which the blood of Christ procured: our salvation. By our redemption from the curse of sin, we are restored to the proper relationship with our Creator, as He intended from the beginning when He created man. We are able to live the God ordained lifestyle that is ‘normal’, ‘natural’ with Christ at the center of our lives as Lord and Savior. All other lifestyles are the real ‘alternative’ lifestyles.

What is the means by which this sharing is accomplished?

By being baptized with water? No.

By joining a church? No.

Only by the simple decision of faith in Christ and His finished work on our behalf can one share, partake of this great salvation.

Sometime in the middle of the 1^st Century A.D., a panicked Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They answered: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31).

If the reader has never taken a moment and expressed faith in Christ, then they do not share in this salvation which the cup of blessing represents. Not because I say so, but because of what the Word of God states:

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)

“But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)

 

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[1] Known to most Christians as the Communion Service or the Commemoration of the Lord’s Supper.

[2] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G2129.

[3] Gk. koinōnía [κοινωνία] association, communion, fellowship, close relationship. In Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1979). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 438.

 

© 2022 David M. Rossi

 

OUR COUNTRY: STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER

In the year 538 b.c. while in captivity in Babylon, Daniel prayed to God for forgiveness of the sins of his country Israel—specifically mentioning their iniquity, wickedness and rebellion towards the Lord. It would be fitting for all who claim Christ as their Savior to adapt a similar prayer for God’s intercession in our country today. Our country began with the noble Biblical intentions of the Founding Fathers who relied immensely upon Scripture in laying the formation of our Republic.1

But now Christianity seems to be a distant memory, not simply because of those who reject Christ, but because many Christians have turned away from the authority of Scripture. We have failed to become credible witnesses in order to impact our culture for the gospel. Instead, many denominations have developed a belief system based on the ideology of the secular-humanist, social justice and political correctness, with the aspiration of gaining public approval. This is an obvious strategy to please men, of which Paul condemned as not indicative of the servants of Christ:

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

The situation which we find ourselves in the United States in 2021 is different than in Daniel’s day. Before their fall to Babylon in 586 b.c., Israel had been in a direct covenant relationship with God, ruled by a king who was to obey the statutes of the covenant, as were the religious leaders—high priest, priests and scribes.

“Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has set a king over you. If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. If you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.” (1 Samuel 12:13–15)

Samuel added this directive:

Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile.” (1 Samuel 12:20–21)

It is impossible to provide a Biblical parallel of our nation with that of Daniel’s. In spite of the auspicious beginning of our Republic by the Founding Fathers, our nation is not in a covenant relationship with God—it is not considered God’s chosen people as Israel has been proclaimed (Deuteronomy 7:6–8; Psalm 105:43; Romans 11:1-2).  

However, Christians today have a responsibility towards governments as delineated in Scripture. Paul states the every person is subject to the authorities and that they exist because they are established by God to maintain law and order (Romans 13:1-7; see also Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13ff).

In contrast to the Christian’s responsibility, the rulers are supposed to be “servants of God” (Romans 13:6). When they cease to be servants of God, they by nature will rule with evil intent, namely, by means of oppression and tyranny.

Our nation has been methodically progressing towards this junction since the end of World War II. Our loss of personal freedom, liberty and privacy are under great assault by an over-reaching central government—one that is far removed from what our Founding Fathers envisioned. Dr. Francis Schaeffer explains its origins and how the World Council of Churches has been complicit in the rise of world-wide tyranny. Here is a relevant quote from his book The Great Evangelical Disaster (1984)2:

It is interesting to note that within the WCC agenda there is a whole catalog of issues on which the World Council has “come down on the wrong side,” and with which the evangelical world has increasingly accommodated. One that I would mention in particular is related to the proper need for Christians to stand against tyranny—from whatever side it might come, right or left. This includes the tyranny that exists in the Soviet bloc, and the extended tyranny that exists around the globe because of the natural expansionist philosophy of Marxism and the Soviet Union. And note that the Soviet system is totally based on the same view of final reality which under the name “humanism”3 is producing destruction of our own country and our own culture.

This of course also needs balance: I would say again that our country was never perfect—our country was never perfect, and now it is certainly less perfect. It has been years since I have prayed for justice on our country; I pray only for mercy. With all the light we have had and the results of the biblical influence, and then to have trampled on what we have had—we deserve God’s judgement. [Emphasis his]

Therefore, I encourage you to read Daniel’s prayer4 and in your own words substitute his locale (Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem) with your country (United States, England, etc.); his leaders (the king) with your president and congressional representatives, prime minister, etc.; his spiritual leaders (the priests and prophets) with your pastor/teachers. And pray for God’s mercy upon our country and for a spiritual revival within the hearts and minds of those who claim Christ as their Savior that we all adhere to “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”5

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[1] Lutz, Donald S. “The Relative Influence of European Writers on Late Eighteenth-Century American Political Thought.” The American Political Science Review, vol. 78, no. 1, 1984, pp. 189–197. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1961257. [Retrieved 8 January 2021].

 [2] Schaeffer, Francis (1985). The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 4.390.

[3] The secular-humanists reality is “seen as only material or energy which has existed forever in some form, shaped into its present complex form only by pure chance” i.e. without God’s creative works. From an address delivered by the late Dr. Schaeffer in 1982 at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. https://peopleforlife.org/francis.html

[4] Daniel 9:1-19

[5] Matthew 4:4

© 2024 David M. Rossi

OBEYING THE ROYAL LAW: JAMES 2:6-8

 Verses 6-8: But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

   The display of partiality towards the poor man is considered dishonoring. The Apostle Peter commands that we are to “honor all people” (1 Peter 2:17; cf. Romans 12:10; 13:7). Why should we honor all people? Because all men bear the image of the Creator, and since all men need salvation, the nature of our witness should imitate Christ, so that the reality of the gospel will not be tainted by any personal imperfections.

Here and in the next verse, James poses two questions concerning the duplicity of how they have shown favoritism to the rich man. First, to paraphrase his question: “Aren’t these rich people the ones who oppress you and drag you into court?” These actions, oppressing and dragging, should not to be minimized. For their oppression is an arbitrary exertion of power over you in a tyrannical manner.  They don’t merely send a subpoena to your home, they have you forcefully dragged into court.

The answer to this first question is undeniably "yes."

The second question James asks, again paraphrasing: “Aren’t these rich people the ones who speak slanderously about your Savior, Jesus Christ?” James maintains that the name of Jesus Christ is a ‘fair name.’ The Greek word for fair has a deeper meaning of “morally good, noble, praiseworthy.”1 Luke writing around the time of this epistle mentions the name they have been called:

And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. (Acts 11:26)

So, what does it mean to blaspheme? The dictionary definition states that it is “the act of cursing, slandering, reviling or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God.”2 This was forbidden of God’s people as stated in the Third Commandment of the Decalogue:

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)

Let’s look at a few illustrations from Scripture to demonstrate the seriousness of this sin: because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, the scribes believed that He was a blasphemer (Matthew 9:3); those who ascribed that the miraculous works of Christ were empowered by Satan, instead of the Holy Spirit, Jesus stated that they had blasphemed the Holy Spirit and that they would not be forgiven (Matthew 12:31-32).

However, is blasphemy only a verbal activity? It also demonstrated by any form of contempt for the God of the Bible, including physical violence. The beating and murder of God’s people, with the intent to rid the world of Christians and Christianity, is a clear example of blasphemy. This began in the first century with Stephen (Acts 7) and has continued even to this day with the Islamic Jihad being acted out in many countries. This blasphemy continues with governments which denigrates Christianity because of Biblical tenets don’t agree with their secular humanist ideology.

Do you ever feel uncomfortable when someone in your presence or on the television uses the name of God flippantly? Are you repulsed when they say “Jesus” or “Christ!” instead of “Oh, my!” as an exclamation? Or needlessly say, “Oh My God!” We should be disgusted. It is blasphemy. Sure, the unbeliever gives no thought to the right or wrong of their verbiage—their ignorance does not give us a reason to excuse them. Instead we should pity them in their unwitting practices.

The answer to this second question is also "yes."

The Royal Law

The word ‘however’ is incorrectly translated from the Greek and therefore fails to provide the reader the accurate emphasis in this verse. It would be better translated by: indeed, really, truly, or actually. So what James is saying is that if indeed you are fulfilling the royal law, you are doing well. You are being obedient to the Lord.

But what does he mean by a ‘royal law’? The Greek word for royal actually means ‘kingly.’ The idea is that this law ranks supreme over all other decreed laws of God. This particular edict, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself", was first proclaimed to the Jews in Leviticus 19:18. It is the supreme royal law that believers of all ages are to obey. The Lord Jesus further expressed its supremacy including it with the great and foremost commandment "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).3 And then He declared:

“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:40)

One might ask, as the lawyer in Luke chapter 10 asked Jesus: “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus answers the question with His narration of the familiar parable of the Good Samaritan. At the end, Jesus asks the lawyer:

“Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.” (Luke 10:36-37)

We see here that the neighbor could be a friend, an unknown person, an enemy, or anyone in our periphery. And the love we should demonstrate towards the neighbor is to be characterized by mercy, which involves being compassionate. Notice that this exhibition of love is lacking bitterness, resentment, unhelpfulness, rudeness—everything short of compassion, empathy, kindness, consideration or benevolence.

In this day of polarization (politically and theologically) this is a major challenge for believers. But the bottom line is this: being obedient to this law means that you are doing the right thing in the sight of God and man—you are doing well. James employs a play on words here. The Greek for well has its root in the word fair of verse 7. Therefore, by 'doing well' means that we live up to that 'fair name' by which we are called: Christian—one who identifies as a believer in and follower of Christ.4

 

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[1] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1957). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 401. [καλός/kalós].

[2] "Blaspheme" (1995) In Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (R. F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, R. K. Harrison, Ed.). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

[3] James does not cite the first commandment.

[4] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition). New York: United Bible Societies, 1.126.

© 2023 David M. Rossi