1 Corinthians 10:16

Cup of blessing. That is, the cup over which the blessing is pronounced in the celebration of the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. When instituting this ordinance on the occasion of the last Passover supper that He ate with His disciples immediately before His arrest, Jesus took wine, “gave thanks,” and then passed it to the disciples and instructed all of them to partake of it (see Matt. 26:27; 1 Cor. 11:25; DA 149, 653). Paul now continues the discussion of the danger involved in eating things offered to idols. His argument is based on the fact that through participation in the communion service believers become partakers of the body and blood of Christ, thereby becoming one body with Christ (see Matt. 26:26-28; John 6:51, 53-56; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; DA 660, 661). After having testified to their oneness with Christ in this way, would it not be incongruous for them to take part in the idol feasts and so enter into communion with the evil spirits to whom the sacrificial offerings were made (1 Cor. 10:21)?

Which we bless. Christ “gave thanks” (Matt. 26:27) for the cup, an act that is paralleled by the prayer of gratitude for the spilled blood of Jesus which we offer before partaking of the wine in the communion service. When Christians drink this cup they give thanks to God in their hearts for all the blessings He has provided through the blood of Jesus. They silently praise Him for rescuing them from the slavery of sin and giving to them the glorious freedom of sons and daughters of God.

Communion. Gr. koinonia, “fellowship,” “sharing.”

Of the blood. The blood represents the death of the Son of God, and by faith believers share in that death. Thus those who participate in a heathen sacrifice become sharers in that sacrifice. Perhaps the reason why Paul mentions the cup before the bread, the reverse order from that in Matt. 26:26, 27, and 1 Cor. 11:23-25, is that Paul wished to place the subject of the partaking of the bread next to the subject of meats sacrificed to idols. He is not discussing here the significance of the Lord’s Supper, nor is he setting forth the order in which the emblems should be served.

Bread. As the bread is broken in the communion service before it is given to the participants, so the body of the Saviour was broken on behalf of all the world, but only those who confess their sins and seek for pardon are benefited by the sacrifice that has been made by Christ (see Matt. 26:26; 1 Cor. 11:23, 24, 26, 29; 1 John 1:9; 2:1, 2).