“As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:9-10). All the matters pertaining to human society are superficial. Worldlings may be familiar with material wealth, education, or science, but there is something deeper which we experience, something beyond the concept of man. Others can even sense that the joy and the strength which we experience are deeper than what they know. We are a mystery to the world. In suffering we have a joy; in loss we have a gain. “The deep things of God” which He prepared for them that love Him are Christ Himself.
“For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (3:11). If you do not have Christ, your life has no foundation. He is not only the foundation of the church; without Him, you have no foundation for your personal life. Our daily living must be founded on a Person. Christ is the reality of our life because He is our foundation.
“Even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7). The Passover reminds us that formerly we were under God’s condemnation but that God has forgiven us, passed over us, through Christ (see Exo. 12:1-14). Christ as our Passover becomes our salvation and our forgiveness.
“Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8). In the Old Testament seven feasts were kept by the children of Israel (Lev. 23). The first was the Passover and the next was the feast of unleavened bread. In that feast nothing leavened could be eaten. In Christ we enjoy a lifelong feast of unleavened bread. If we do not sense that we are feasting, it is because we have not gotten rid of the leaven. Leaven represents what is sinful and condemned by God. Once this is gone, our Christian life becomes a happy enjoyment.
The Lord’s table signifies the Passover and also reminds us of the feast of unleavened bread. Sin and condemnation are over. We are at the feast, enjoying Christ and hating sin.
“Our fathers...were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:1-4). Day by day our food is Christ; He is the manna. He is also the living water that flows out of the cleft rock. The rock symbolizes the source of our supply. Both the supply and the source of the supply are Christ. He is our dependable rock, always following us to be our supply. In Him we have food, drink, and an unfailing source of supply.
“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God” (11:3). All too often the self is the head. But Christ is not only our life; He is also to be our Head. Unless we take Christ as our Head, we cannot properly take Him as our life. This affects our personal life, our family life, and the church life. His headship is a serious matter.
If we are asked for advice by a younger one, our fellowship must be under the headship of Christ. To tell the younger one what to do is to disregard the fact that Christ is his Head, not we. For him to know what to do is secondary; for him to realize that Christ is his Head is primary.
Our Head is the Lord Jesus. We are not our own head; neither is anyone else. Once we realize this, we are ready to know His will because we have given Him the right position. The sisters cannot take their husband as their head without first positioning themselves to take Christ as the Head. Only when He is the Head are we properly positioned in the presence of God. We lack the experience of Christ because we do not esteem Him as our Head. Before we decide to go somewhere or to buy a pair of shoes, we must check with Him. By coming under His headship we shall experience Him as our reality.
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