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?. 1 Corinthians 10:16
What does the word ‘communion’ mean? To the religious world, the term is usually applied to the Eucharist, or the Lord’s Supper. Within the context of today’s text, it can certainly apply to that. But its meaning is so much wider, so broad as to far more than a weekly ordinance, no matter how important that ordinance is. According to Wikipedia, communion refers to the bond uniting Christians as individuals and groups with each other and with Jesus Christ. Although the Greek word for communion, sometimes translated ‘fellowship’ is found 43 times in the New Testament, its equivalent is found nowhere in the Old Testament. Old Testament saints were denied the close relationship that you and I enjoy today through the blood and the body of the Lord Jesus.
You and I have blood; in fact, it is the blood that gives us physical life. But our blood is not the basis for any fellowship, because our blood is impure. Whenever our doctors want to know what is wrong with us, they order blood tests, and those tests indicate the various ills that afflict us. Our blood provides only for our physical life and even that for only a short time. Through blood transfusions, we can share that life with others, but only a very few others and only for a very brief time. But when we turn to the blood of Christ, we find no limitations. We find no weaknesses. We find no impurities, no deviation from perfection and holiness. That is why God could accept that precious blood as the atonement for our sins. And so, that blood is the basis for our communion with the Lord Jesus and with each other.
We also have bodies, but our bodies provide no basis for communion. Sin reigns in our mortal bodies and we are the children of disobedience, earning the wages of sin. Everything about our bodies bears the stamp of death. Even the strength, beauty, and vigour of youth reminds us that strength and beauty pass away. The aging process is a continual reminder that these bodies of ours are unfit for providing communion beyond the brief earthly bounds of matrimony, friendship, and partnership. So when we turn our attention to the body of Christ, we are amazed at the difference. Oh, His was a human body, just as human as yours and mine. But in His body, sin had no claim in any way. His body was free of any of the weaknesses or limitations that sin forces upon ours. Never did His body engage in anything but total compliance with the will of His Father, moving in perfect obedience and submission, and in perfect love for lost humanity. The merits of His body thus provide a perfect basis for communion with us.
How amazing that undeserving rebels like you and me can have communion with a holy God! And how much more amazing that a holy God would provide the basis of that communion in the blood and body of His Son! -Jim MacIntosh