Standing Between Two Tables: The Decision That Shapes Eternity

Two Cups, Two Tables But Only One Choice

1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

The Incompatibility of Two Cups:

Scripture's most stark dichotomy: a choice between two cups that cannot coexist in the same hand or heart at the same time. This passage cuts to the spiritual core of what it means to claim allegiance to Jesus Christ while potentially maintaining fellowship with idolatry.

Throughout Scripture, a cup is more than a vessel from which one drinks; it symbolizes participation, fellowship, and acceptance of a portion assigned by God. To drink from a cup is to identify oneself with what that cup represents. It is an outward act that signifies an inward allegiance.

Contrasting The Two Cups

“The cup of the Lord,” is referring to the cup of fellowship, which commemorates the blood of Christ. This cup speaks of the New Covenant established through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. It proclaims reconciliation to God, redemption from sin, and fellowship with the crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ. Every sincere participant who drinks from this cup confesses that his hope rests entirely upon the atoning work of Christ. The cup declares dependence upon the mercy of God, gratitude for redeeming grace, and loyalty to the Lord who purchased your salvation with His own blood.

In contrast, “the cup of devils” signifies participation in that which is opposed to God. In the immediate context, where eating and drinking to the point of excess, fellowship is purely carnal. To drink from such a cup was to identify with a spiritual rival.

The Call to Decision

This passage urges you to reflect on their spiritual state and the choices they make daily. Each time you stand at the table, you are confronted with a profound question: Where do your true loyalties lie? The act of communion invites you to reaffirm your commitment to Christ and his body.

Homage At The Table 

The fellowship extends from the cup to the table, the unity of believers gathered in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice, is God given and God ordained. You cannot simultaneously sit at the Lord's table and the devil's table. These tables represent not just different meals but different kingdoms, different loves, different hopes, and ultimately different eternities.

The table of the Lord gathers the redeemed. It speaks of forgiveness and joy, freedom from sin, this common salvation and restoration has already been guaranteed by the completed work of Jesus Christ. The devil's table gathers the deceived, those who chase shadows instead of substance, temporary pleasures, the lust of the flesh and pride of life instead.

Choose Your Table Wisely

If you have never drunk the cup of the Lord, if you have never experienced the forgiveness and resurrection power of Christ, the table remains open to you. The invitation has always stood. All who genuinely turn to Him and receive His sacrifice, are welcome. But you cannot hedge your bets. You cannot hold one hand out to Christ and keep the other in the darkness.

Choose the cup. Choose the table. Choose Him—wholly, without reservation, without the poison of divided loyalty. Your salvation hangs not on your perfection but on your honesty and your willingness to abandon all competitors to His throne. And if you will do this, you will discover a joy, a peace, and an eternal hope that no false table in this world could ever provide.