Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ.

It is to be feared that because some who are called Christians make too much of the Lord's supper, or rather misapply it, and run for a priest to administer it to a dying man to ensure his salvation; others are apt to make too little of it, and think of it solely as a table of remembrance. Our Lord said, "This do in remembrance of me," and to partake of the Lord's supper without remembering the Lord Himself, is surely not really partaking of it at all. The Lord knew what poor forgetful creatures we should be, and how much we should need a frequent ordinance by which to call Him to remembrance, and He instituted His supper for that very purpose.

But is there not more than this in the Lord's supper? God has caused it to be written, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread" (1 Cor. 10:16-17). Now here it is plainly a question of communion — communion in its double aspect. In verse 16 it is communion with the body and blood of the Lord, the body of our Lord that was nailed to the cross, the blood of our Lord that was shed to put away our sins. In verse 17 it is communion of the body of our Lord that is composed of His saints: though we be many, we are but one loaf — one body; and this is proved by being all partakers of the one loaf.

The communion between the offerer and the offering is illustrated from the Old Testament: "Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?" (ver. 18). That is, the saints have communion with the One offered on the altar, Christ Himself. In Leviticus 3, it is the peace-offering, and this it is that corresponds to what we have in Corinthians. It has the two characteristics that we need; there is the shedding of blood, and the partaking of the offering. "Things New And Old" (Vol. 33).