What does 1 Corinthians 10:16 mean by the cup of blessing which we bless?

The cup of blessing which we bless points to the Lord’s communion table. Paul identifies it as the communion of the blood of Christ, placing it within the Lord’s Supper. The context moves from resisting temptation and fleeing idolatry to the ordinance first practiced in the Lord’s upper room with the cup and broken bread.

Les explains that in 1 Corinthians 10:16 Paul shifts gears. After discussing resisting temptation and fleeing idolatry, Paul suddenly takes the reader to the Lord’s communion table. The cup of blessing which we bless is the communion of the blood of Christ. Verse 17 adds that the bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ. Les reminds us that the first instance of presenting the cup—wine or grape juice—and the broken bread was the Lord’s upper room experience.

1 Corinthians 10:16

The 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?

What does the cup and the bread of the Lord's Table represent according to 1 Corinthians 10:16?

According to 1 Corinthians 10:16, the cup of blessing that we bless represents the communion or fellowship of the blood of Christ, while the bread that we break represents the communion or fellowship of the body of Christ. The many believers are therefore one bread.