1 Corinthians 10

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” 1 Corinthians 10:28

Paul just got done telling the Corinthians that if they were invited to a meal by a non-believer and wanted to go, that they should feel free to eat anything set before them and to not ask questions about it. It is merely food and it is to be received as such. However, he now qualifies that, beginning with the word “but.” This is to show that there are exceptions to how we conduct ourselves. And so he begins with “But if anyone says to you…” Most scholars interpret this to be speaking of a weak Christian who is making the statement. That could be true, but the speaker isn’t identified and if he is just any attendee at the meal, then how could this be known?

Instead, it could be anyone at the meal, the host, a family member, a servant, or another Christian. The passage is left vague enough to show us that regardless of who speaks, the principle he will convey will remain true. And so, if such a person says, “This was offered to idols,” then Paul’s instructions are “do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake.”

What this means is that the person who speaks, be it the host or a weak Christian or anyone else, may be harmed by your consumption of the food. If it is a non-believer, they may feel that to you Jesus must be just another “god.” They will not come to understand your conviction that Jesus is truly Lord of all. If it is a weak believer, then their conscience toward Christ may also be harmed. They may question how the Lord, upon whom they called, is to be considered on par with the idol to whom the meat was sacrificed. Remember from earlier in chapter 10 that this is what Paul was referring to. People are associated with the idol when they participate in the sacrifice of the idol.

Because of this perception, we are not to eat meat which has been so identified “for conscience’ sake.” Paul will show in the coming verse that that he is not worried about the conscience of the well-grounded believer, but of someone who doesn’t understand our freedom in Christ. In advance of that, he reaffirms that “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” This is an undeniable truth that the well-grounded believer can attest to. Because of this, his conscience is undefiled by what he eats. However, his actions in the eyes of others may be misunderstood.

Life application: If you understand that Christ alone is Lord, then you have the freedom to enjoy the world which He is Lord of. But such freedom comes with responsibility towards others who may be weak in their faith. It is not acceptable to exercise your freedoms while harming others in the process.

Lord God, it is so wonderful to know that the world is Yours, including all that it contains. You have complete control over it and everything is occurring as it should. When I see the many terrifying things which are happening around me, I have the assurance that it is temporary and I have the confidence that You have it all under control. I shall not fear what comes my way because I have my hope and trust in You. Amen.

Tuesday, 21 October 2014

If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. 1 Corinthians 10:27

The previous thought that was given concerned buying meat at the market. About this, we learned that we could “eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake.” When something looks tasty there at the meat market, we should feel no constraints on buying it and enjoying it. The next line of thought concerns an invitation to dinner by a non-believer. The assumption is that this is speaking of a private house or maybe an invite out to dinner at a restaurant, not an idol’s temple (which has already been addressed).

If a non-believer invites us out in such a manner, and if we desire to go, then we are given complete freedom to do so. There is nothing that would forbid a Christian from going out for a meal with a non-believer. While out, we are also given the freedom to “eat whatever is set before you.” It doesn’t matter what has been prepared – all foods are acceptable to be eaten and none are considered “unclean” in and of themselves. This is so plainly clear and explicit that only an intentional twisting of Scripture can come to any other conclusion. But Paul adds on a restriction to the meal. We are to ask “no question for conscience’ sake.” He will explain what this means in the coming verse.

Having noted this, commentators have attempted to insert personal opinions which do not align with Paul’s words here. A couple should be highlighted. Some say that the thought “and you desire to go” is an insert which indicates that Paul was somehow implying that it wasn’t a smart choice, but that it is allowable none-the-less. This requires inserting a presupposition which is not supported by the entire context of the passage. Going back as far as 1 Corinthians 5, we read this –

“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. ¹⁰ Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹ But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person.” 1 Corinthians 5:9-11

There is absolutely nothing wrong with associating with the unsaved and Paul makes that perfectly clear. A second thought concerning the verse we are analyzing is that of drinking. Some commentators state that because Paul says “eat whatever is set before you,” but fails to mention the word “drink” it implies that Paul was a teetotaler and was indicating that the Christian should not consider imbibing if so offered. This is a complete misuse of Scripture based on a faulty presupposition. Paul has been addressing meats sacrificed to idols and he is continuing along with that thought. “Eating” a meal implies all that the meal includes.

If one doesn’t drink alcohol, then they may refuse what is offered. If one does, there is nothing in Scripture to forbid partaking along with the host. Presuppositions inevitably lead to faulty doctrine and bad analyses of Scripture. It is inappropriate to use personal standards against others when providing Scriptural interpretation. This has nothing to do with “promoting” the drinking of alcohol. Rather, it has to do with promoting a sound interpretation which is consistent with Scripture.

Life application: Presuppositions need to be set aside when analyzing Scripture. If one doesn’t eat certain meats, that is no excuse for imposing that standard on another. If one doesn’t drink alcohol, that is no excuse for attempting to shame others into not drinking it. It is Scripture, given by God, from which we are to derive our doctrine.

Heavenly Father, how often I feel as if I’ve let You down in my daily walk. I carry along with me the thought of things I wish I hadn’t said or done and it puts up a wall in my mind which keeps You out. But because of Jesus, I know the wall is of my own making. You have provided everything necessary for me to always be in fellowship with You. And so help me to remember to leave these burdens behind and to go forward knowing that in Christ I am already forgiven for my many faults. Thank You for this assurance I have because of the cross of Jesus. Amen.

Monday, 20 October 2014

…for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” 1 Corinthians 10:26

This completes the thought of the previous verse. Read together, they say, “Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; for ‘the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.'”

This thought is seen first in Deuteronomy 10:14. It is then repeated twice in the psalms in both Psalm 24:1 and Psalm 50:11. The idea is that there is one Creator and everything stems from His act of creation. Therefore, anything offered to an idol (which is nothing in all the world), isn’t changed by that idol. It was an animal created by God and it has been given to man to eat. Only during the time of the law were dietary restrictions imposed on man – for a set purpose and a set time which ended when Christ fulfilled the law.

Now all food is considered clean and acceptable to eat. This is shown to be true in the account recorded in Acts Chapter 10 and which is explained throughout the writings of Paul, such as in 1 Timothy 4:4, 5 –

“For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.”

Therefore, whatever is sold in the meat market is acceptable and may be eaten without regard to conscience. Paul will continue explaining this in the verses ahead and noting the exceptions as he goes.

Life application: The food we eat has been given by God for our sustenance. Whatever you eat, be sure to give a prayer of thanks over it, thus acknowledging that it is Christ who has made it clean. After that, enjoy your meal!

Lord God, I want to thank You for the great variety of food You have given us. It is a wonderful thing to sit down and enjoy all the tasty delights You have given to excite our palate. Just like the fields which are adorned with a thousand splashes of color, You have adorned our plates with variety beyond measure. I can be sure that You truly revel in our happiness when I taste the many flavors You have created for us. Thank You for Your attentive care to our daily meals! Amen.

Sunday, 19 October 2014

Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; 1 Corinthians 10:25

Paul’s words in this verse take us right back to the discussion of verse 17 which said, “For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.” In that analysis, the question was raised, “Does the taking of the communion bread result in our being one body?” Paul’s answer here shows that the answer is “No.”

He instructs the Corinthians (and thus the Gentile-led church) to “eat whatever is sold in the meat market.” When we go shopping, there is nothing sold there which is forbidden. If we see a tasty delight of whatever kind of meat and regardless of where it came from, including from the sacrifice at an idol’s temple, it is simply meat. If the eating of the meat (comparable to the taking of the bread) resulted in our being united to the idol, then we couldn’t follow through with Paul’s instruction. However, meat is meat and bread is bread. The eating of either doesn’t result in our being united to the idol (meat) or united to Christ (bread).

Rather, it is the participation in the ceremony which others would see and thus identify us with the entity represented by the sacrifice, whether we actually were or not. Therefore, as perception is important for conscience’ sake, we are to keep our conscience clear and at the same time we are to not negatively affect others’ conscience through our actions. Understanding this, Paul continues with his thought by saying about our meat-shopping experience, “asking no questions for conscience’ sake.”

If we ask questions about the meat, what will the result be? If it was first sacrificed to an idol and that knowledge was passed on to us, it would then become a point of conscience, not merely of eating. But what if it wasn’t sacrificed to an idol? It would make no difference at all. And so we see that either way by not asking then no matter of conscience is connected to the meat. The meat doesn’t change by the sacrifice; the meat in relation to us changes by the conscience (perception) of what the sacrifice means.

In this, we can see the truth of the statement “Ignorance is bliss.” There is no defiling of our conscience by having others assume that we are participating in an idol’s sacrifice, and there is no defiling of another’s conscience by their assumption that it makes any difference at all to us about where the meat came from.

Life application: When Paul wrote to those in Corinth about buying meat, he said that we should “eat whatever is sold in the meat market.” Two obvious points come up which have been shunned by many sects and cults. 1) The meat sold does not in any way adhere to the dietary laws found within the Law of Moses. And so, 2) the type of meat also does not in any way adhere to the dietary laws found within the Law of Moses. If your church, pastor, denomination, etc., tells you that you shouldn’t eat any type of meat (pork is always a good example), it’s time to leave and find a new place to worship. Paul is rather clear here.

Heavenly Father, I thank You that even though I don’t adhere to the dietary laws of the Old Testament, I am still considered clean in Your eyes. My obedience isn’t found in rituals and observances, but rather it is found in the fulfillment of those laws by Another. My trust is in the finished work of Christ, not in my pitiful attempt to meet standards that no one has ever met except Him alone. It is with great thanks that I can rest in Him and be found faultless in Your eyes. Surely He has done all things well! Hallelujah and Amen.

Saturday, 18 October 2014

Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being. 1 Corinthians 10:24

The words used by Paul here are still given in relation to food which has been sacrificed to idols, but they form a general principle for any debatable issue. He has already revealed that an idol is nothing, and he has also shown that participating in the sacrifice to an idol aligns a person with that idol and with those who sacrifice to it (even though the idol is nothing). He has shown a distinction between the meat and the ritual, but some may not perceive that distinction. They may tie to the two together in their thought process and come to an incorrect conclusion concerning the eating of such meat.

In order to avoid such a stumbling-block in a person like this, Paul will continue to give words for us to consider. Remember, these words follow a general principle even though he is discussing a particular issue. In the end, love should be the first consideration as we conduct our actions before others.

As a side note, the word “well-being” is inserted for clarity, but it is a good choice of wording. Other versions say “good,” “welfare,” “advantage,” and so on. The olde King James Version says “wealth.” When it was written, it meant more than what wealth means today and it implied a general sense of well-being. However, as times go by, words evolve and they no longer carry the same signification they once did. This is why it’s always good to check with multiple versions and not get myopically fixed on one translation lest misunderstandings arise.

Life application: When we seek out our own well-being first, it is inevitable that others will receive less esteem than they should. It is impossible to exalt ourselves above others while exalting others above ourselves. Thus, we should walk in humility and defer honor to those around us. As the Lord says, “…whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king
And do not stand in the place of the great
For it is better that to your ear he sing
“Come up here to a higher position, good mate!

Humility is a noble and dignified trait
And something which is highly esteemed by the Lord
In due time He will exalt you, so patiently wait
Until the day when He speaks to you a goodly word

Be patient and walk in a humble way
Exalt others and do not your own esteem hunt for
By doing so you will receive His favor some wondrous day
When you are brought through heaven’s open door

Lord Jesus, help me to be good to those around me and to place others above myself. I know Your word asks me to do this, but my human nature often gets in the way. Keep me from a boasting heart and the desire to stand above others. Instead, grant me humility and kindness to those I come in contact with. I know with this You will be well-pleased. Amen.