“The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ.?” 1 Corinthians 10:16
Dear Ones:
How is it that the “cup of blessing,” that symbol of the provision of all the blessings in the shed blood of Christ, should be at the same time the cup of immeasurable suffering for Christ? In Mrs. Cousin’s great hymn, “O Christ, What Burdens Bowed Thy Head,” she writes the following:
“Death and the curse were in our cup,
O Christ, ’twas full for Thee!’
But Thou hast drained the last dark drop,
‘Tis empty now for me.
That bitter cup, love drank it up;
Now blessings’ draught for me.”
What is Mrs. Cousin seeking to communicate concerning this “cup of blessing?” It is not that the present and eternal blessings derived from that cup, came at a cost of suffering and death, the greatest demonstration of Divine Love, that has ever been known? Paul wrote that it is one thing for someone to die for a friend, or for someone that is good and righteous. It is quite another for someone to die for their enemies, those haters of God, who defy and reject the very love that came to save them. Where did this cup become filled with death and a curse?
From the very moment that Adam sinned against God, all of his descendants were born enemies of God, not only by choice, but by nature, and the power of Satan. The rebelliousness of Satan, that nature of the thief, murderer, and destroyer, became their own. Jesus rightly told the Pharisees: “Ye are of your father the Devil.” (Jn. 8:44) This state of affairs would have continued indefinitely, for eternity, were it not for a cup, one that Christ drank from. In drinking the dark dregs of sin and death, Christ emptied that cup that the lost sinner would certainly drink. Christ changed that cup of woe and suffering into a cup of blessing, where life would flow forth as a spring, and a river. Instead of powerlessness, bondage, and hopelessness without God, Christ would take the cup and fill it with Himself, by His spirit. Filling that cup with strength Divine, the effect and power of His precious blood to wash the vessel from all sin would be felt, known, and declared. The sacrifice that Jesus, the offering of His precious and powerful blood, changed a cup of woe into a well of eternal blessing, the experience of His blessed life for every individual who would truly trust in Him. In tasting death for every man, by the grace of God, Christ made possible, not only the experience of Abraham’s covenant blessing, but the new covenant of, “…all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3) The blood of Christ would not only deal completely with the sin that would hold man captive unto death, but would provide a “robe of righteousness” which would give man access to God, peace with God.
In the letter to the Hebrews, we read: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (9:14) There is only true freedom from the dominion, guilt and burden of sin, by the power of His precious blood, and the outpouring of His Spirit. It is as we come to Christ just as we are, that He accepts us, revealing His love and power. How can we not see Him on that cross, and wonder how He could have loved us so? Our response must be singular, walking in the light as He is in the light, with no cloud between. It is by the cup of blessing, that Christ’s forgiveness, the cleansing from all unrighteousness, and the overflowing life, will be ours.
During the Last Supper, the Lord Jesus said to His disciples: “This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” (Lk. 22:20) The sovereign power of God is operative in Christ’s precious blood, to perfectly forgive, cleanse, and wash away all sin.
Dear Father, Give us grace to drink from this cup of blessing, remembering Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad