How does 1 Corinthians 10:18 relate to the concept of spiritual participation? Reading the Verse “Consider Israel according to the flesh: Are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?” (1 Corinthians 10:18) Participation in Israel’s Sacrifices • Under the Law, portions of certain offerings were eaten by priests (Leviticus 7:15) and, at times, by the worshiper. • By eating what had been laid on God’s altar, they shared in its holiness and in the covenant benefits the sacrifice secured. • The act bound the eater to the altar—and to the God who accepted that offering—as part of a worshiping community. Spiritual Principle: Eating Means Fellowship • Paul’s key word is koinōnos—“participant, sharer, partner.” • In Scripture, shared meals symbolize shared life (Genesis 18:1-8; Revelation 3:20). • Therefore, to eat a sacrificial meal is never a neutral, merely physical act; it forges real spiritual fellowship with the altar’s deity. Applying the Principle to the Lord’s Table • Just two verses earlier Paul says, “Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16). • The same participatory logic holds: when believers receive the bread and cup, we truly share—in a mystical yet literal way—in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 13:10). • Communion unites us with Him and with one another because “we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:17). Warning Against False Participation • Paul immediately contrasts this holy sharing with pagan temple banquets: “The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons… You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Corinthians 10:20-21). • Mixed participation provokes the Lord’s jealousy (v. 22). Authentic fellowship with Christ demands exclusive loyalty. Living Out True Participation Today • Approach the Lord’s Supper with grateful awe, recognizing it as real communion with the crucified and risen Christ. • Guard your heart from any rival allegiance—occult practices, idolatrous media, or anything else that competes for worship. • Let shared participation overflow into loving unity within the body, serving and preferring one another (Philippians 2:1-4). • Walk daily in the holiness that befits those who dine at the Lord’s altar, reflecting His character in word and deed (1 Peter 1:15-16). |
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