Big Idea of the Message: The church revolves around the ordinances (or sacraments) of baptism and communion, which represent the believer’s response to, cooperation with, and participation in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
May imply that Paul received this instruction by direct revelation, but most likely recognizes Jesus as the source of the instruction (compare 15:3). This instruction may have already become a well-established tradition among the Church in the first century by the time this letter was written.
Paul is referring to the Corinthian believers’ misuse of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:18)—they were missing the point of the meal, hindering their relationships with other believers and thus hindering the spread of the gospel (especially among the poor). They had even been driving fellow believers away from gatherings that were meant to celebrate Jesus—who offered His life for all without qualification of wealth or status.
People who sin in this way are like those who originally crucified the Lord Jesus. They are not honoring Christ’s death but are instead making a mockery of it.
Application Point: Members of the church should be baptized, and they should partake in the Lord’s Supper. These are gifts of God to them.
