Faith is Not Under Your Seat

1 Corinthians 10:1–4 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

Paul does not want the Corinthians to be unaware. When dealing with holy things, ignorance can be deadly.

Paul wanted them to know that their fathers had all passed into the sea. The Jews in the wilderness are called the fathers of the gentiles at Corinth. There is a covenantal identity between them – together they are the people of God.

This is how those who don’t descend from Abraham in the flesh can be considered His sons and daughters. The thing that unites us is the covenant and the crux of keeping this covenant is faith.

Faith brought the Jews to the banks of the Red Sea and faith brought them to the shores of their baptism.

But there is a warning. The Corinthians and many Christians since have assumed automatic blessings in the presence of God. But it was in the presence of God that Ussah was struck down, Uzziah was afflicted with leprosy, Nadab and Abihu were consumed, and many Corinthians got sick and died.

Unimaginable blessings are set before us today. But don’t be unaware. Blessings are appropriated by faith and faith is not automatic. Faith was not handed out at the door. Faith is not under your seat like an Oprah Winfrey door prize.

Faith receives like a child. Faith is not up in heaven leaving us wondering how it is to be attained. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. And this is the word of God. Here is the body of Christ, broken for us. Here is the cup of the new covenant, the blood shed for the remission of sins.

Do you believe? Then take and eat.

Come and welcome to Jesus Christ.

 

**In order to learn how to write decent Communion meditations, I am imitating others. This is was a rewrite of Pr. Wilson’s (So come and Welcome to Jesus Christ, Evening reading, January 3rd.).