Deliverance Into Godliness And Life
3 As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 2 Peter 1:3
The apostle Peter is implying in the above scripture that the great rewards and goals of the Gospel are life and godliness.
It seems that the Christian walk can be categorized by these two great words. Let’s relate these two themes to the Lord’s Supper and the cross. Jesus delivered us from sin so that we can be godly. Godliness is the goal of the bread. Also, Jesus experienced death for us so that we can experience life. Life is the goal of the cup.
In other words, the Holy Spirit is pleading and waiting for us to take our sin to the cross so that He can lead us into godliness (righteousness, obedience, etc.) By experiencing the deliverance of the cross, we are freed up to be lead by the Spirit into all godliness; i.e., to act like God would act. Also, the Holy Spirit wants us to experience deliverance from death (curses, hell, condemnation, etc.) so that He can minister life (nourishment, supply, etc.) to us.
The ministry of the cross empties us of sin and cancels death. The Holy Spirit seeks to replace the sin and death with righteousness and life. The cross empties us. The Holy Spirit fills us.
In eternity, hell will be filled with sin and death. Heaven will be filled with only righteousness and it will pulsate with life. Everything will be alive and every need, no matter how small, will be met continually.
So, when we eat the bread, we might take one bite to remember our deliverance out of some sin we’re struggling with. We might take another bite to think about what the Holy Spirit would want us to do in place of that sin. We might consider the tough decisions we need to make regarding our behavior.
34 When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Mark 8:34
When we drink the cup, we might take one sip to remember our deliverance from the judgment our particular sin deserves; i.e., we are forgiven. We might take another sip to think about the life and blessing we can expect from the Lord instead of death and cursing. We can drink the juice as if we are drinking all the need meeting promises and gifts listed in the Bible. We can drink as if we are drawing our very life and sustenance from Jesus our source. We can drink as if we are drinking in a blessing from the Lord. Enjoy!
16The 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
Learn more about The Lord’s Supper Here