1 Corinthians 10

Friday, 17 October 2014

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 1 Corinthians 10:23

Paul reveals his thoughts on the delicate matter of eating meat sacrificed to idols in a verse which carries the same tone as he previously made in chapter 6. There he said –

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Corinthians 6:12

In agreement with the thought that “all things are lawful for me,” Paul will issue words to confirm that idea in verses 25-27. The Christian has the liberty to act in ways that demonstrate Christ’s fulfillment of the law. We have been freed from restrictions once imposed upon us by that law. However, in agreement with the thought that “not all things are helpful,” Paul will issue words to confirm that idea in verses 28 & 29.

There is the truth that our liberties are intended to grant us individual freedoms, and there is the truth that our individual freedoms should not be exercised when they negatively effect the sensibilities of others. Where “all things are lawful” there is the truth that “not all things edify.” And if something doesn’t edify, then it may actually be destructive. We have to consider the effect of our actions towards others if we are to demonstrate love towards them.

In a wise choice of words, McLaren gives us these thoughts concerning Paul’s doctrine –

“He did not keep his ‘theology’ and his ethics in separate water-tight compartments, having no communication with each other. The greatest truths were used to regulate the smallest duties. Like the star that guided the Magi, they burned high in the heavens, but yet directed to the house in Bethlehem.”

Life application: Let us use our freedoms in Christ wisely and for edification. When there is no conflict between what we may do and how it will negatively affect others, then go forward with a clear conscience. But if such a conflict arises, be wise, discerning, and considerate towards those whom we may offend. However, if our actions which uphold a biblical mandate are found to be offensive, that is another issue. We are never to compromise Christian doctrine for the sake of “tolerance.”

Heavenly Father, today I ask for wisdom in how I conduct myself in regards to my Christian freedoms. Help me never to offend by what is allowed but not necessary. But at the same time, help me never to compromise what is required at the expense of offense. Above all, my heart desires to show others Your grace while also showing them my obedience to You. I know this can’t be done without knowing Your word, so please continue to reveal it to me for right doctrine and right practice. Thanking You in advance for hearing my request, I praise You. Amen.

Thursday, 16 October 2014

Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? 1 Corinthians 10:22

As noted in the previous verse, we were told that we “cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons” and that we “cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.” In follow up to those words of instruction, Paul’s question is, “Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?” In other words, by doing this thing which is morally wrong, we will with all certainty provoke the Lord to jealousy. It is the obvious result of participating in idolatry. In the giving of the 10 Commandments, the people of Israel were told explicitly that the Lord is a jealous God. This is stated in the giving of the fourth commandment –

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; ⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” Exodus 20:4, 5

Likewise, a few chapters later in Exodus, the Lord expresses His name as “Jealous.” It is the strongest tie possible to the nature of Himself in relation to His redeemed people –

“…for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Exodus 34:14

And in a thought directly from the Song of Moses, we see how idolatry is exactly what provoked the Lord to jealousy after they were redeemed from the land of Egypt. It was a constant source of irritation to Him as He led them through the wilderness –

“They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God; They have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols.” Deuteronomy 32:21

These words of instruction, as well as the words of chastisement, were given to the people in order to get them to wake up to the holiness of the Lord and their need to cling to Him alone, forsaking all other “gods” which are not gods at all. Though the Law of Moses is now obsolete in Christ and is set aside by His work, we are dealing with the same holy Lord. His nature does not change and our relationship to Him in this regard also does not change. This is the intent of Paul’s words which ask, “Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?”

And in order to solidify that, he finishes this verse with the question, “Are we stronger than He?” Vincent’s word studies notes that, “The force of the interrogative particle is, surely we are not stronger.” In other words, it is an exclamation even though it is put in the form of a question. “We (definitely) are not stronger than He!” He judged His redeemed people Israel and we can expect the exact same Judge’s hand when we fall into idolatry. Let us heed this warning.

Life application: In Christ, we have a new relationship which goes far beyond that of ancient Israel. We have a salvation which can never be lost and which unites us to Him so that we are one body. Because of this, we might feel that we are safe from judgment. This is not the case. Later in 2 Corinthians, Paul will speak of the time when we stand before Christ in order to receive our judgment. When that time comes, let us be found approved and not lose the wondrous heavenly rewards that would otherwise be granted to us. Our salvation is secure, but our rewards and losses are being earned through our present walk with Christ.

O Lord – how often do I wake up and find that my strength for the day ahead is lacking. And it’s not just physical strength, but sometimes it’s my emotions or my internal motivation to meet the unfriendly prospects of relationships, job problems, or even some minor responsibility that I feel pressured by. And yet, as soon as I start reading Your word and thinking about Your strong hand of guidance that is with me, I begin to forget my troubles. Because You are with me, what can man do to me? I have all the strength I need and it comes from You. Thank You for this knowledge each day as I rise. Thank You. Amen.

Wednesday, 15 October 2014

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons. 1 Corinthians 10:21

Paul, having established that a believer who participates in a pagan ritual would actually be fellowshipping with demons admonishes the Corinthians that, “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.” His words do not indicate an impossibility of physically carrying out such an action. Rather, they indicate the moral impossibility of it. This is certain because of what he will say in the next verse. We can actually do what he is warning against, but if we do then we are severing a tie of fellowship with the Lord when we do it. As he says in his second epistle –

“…what accord has Christ with Belial?” 2 Corinthians 6:15

The answer is that there is no accord between the two. By participating in pagan rituals, we stand alone with the demon and apart from Christ. This is because “you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.” It is an “either/or” situation. The severity of our actions in this matter is noted by Paul in the next chapter. There he will say the following which is a precept that certainly includes the instruction he is now giving –

“Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.” 1 Corinthians 11:27-29

In fact, Paul continues in this same set of verses noting the consequences of such actions. They were consequences already seen among the Corinthians –

“For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. ³¹ For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. ³² But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.” 1 Corinthians 11:30-32

We must take care in how we conduct ourselves. The Lord protects His name jealously and is never pleased when His saved children bring discredit upon it.

Having said this, it should be noted that Paul’s words here record the first instance of the words “the Lord’s table.” This terminology has been used by faithful followers of Christ for 2000 years as we have proclaimed “the Lord’s death till He comes.” The taking of communion in observance of this is one of the two ordinances commanded by the Lord – baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Be sure to partake of this with gratitude and humility.

Life application: The Lord’s Supper is a high honor to participate in. Some churches offer it a couple times a year, some once every month or two, but there is nothing wrong and everything right with taking it every time a congregation comes together. It is a continual reminder of the wondrous work of Christ for us.

Lord, when I come to the table and receive the elements of my faith, I am humbled and honored to know what they represent. In Your perfection, You came and fulfilled the law which stood against us and which condemned us. And then, in Your great grace and mercy, You gave Your perfect life in exchange for my sins. They are nailed to the cross along with the law. In You I am set free. I thank You and honor You, and I proclaim Your death until You come again as I receive the bread and wine. Thank You for this privilege. Amen.

Tuesday, 14 October 2014

Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 1 Corinthians 10:20

In this, Paul makes a contrast to his previous thought. It read, “What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?” The meat which had been sacrificed to an idol was merely meat, nothing more. In the verses ahead he will show that we can eat such meat without regard to our conscience (verse 27). However, to ensure that he isn’t misunderstood, he does acknowledge that food sacrificed to idols is nothing and then immediately inserts “rather.”

The meat is unchanged, but the sacrifice itself is wholly inappropriate to participate in. His words to support this are almost a reflection of a verse from Deuteronomy 32. In that passage, Moses speaks of the people sacrificing to false gods which are not God and thus they “forgot the God who gave” them birth. Here are his words –

“They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals That your fathers did not fear. ¹⁸ Of the Rock who begot you, you are unmindful, And have forgotten the God who fathered you.” Deuteronomy 32:17, 18

By participating in a pagan sacrifice, they are turning from God to a non-god who is actually a demon. If the ritual isn’t to God, then it must be to either the devil or a force under the control of the devil. This is the battle we are constantly facing; a spiritual battle against wicked powers. We are told about this in Ephesians 6. There Paul describes the reality of the situation as well as the protection we are to take against it. In verse 12, he says this –

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

As this is the reality of our actions, we should never presume to attend a pagan sacrifice. Paul warns against it because, as he says, “I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.” Rather, we are to live in holiness and the exalting of the true God through our worship of Jesus Christ.

Life application: We cannot participate in pagan rituals and come out unscathed. Stand on the word, cling to the Lord, and fix your eyes and thoughts on Him alone.

Precious heavenly Father, there are so many temptations in this life that creep in when I least expect them. How often I walk along, fellowshipping with You and feeling like I have everything under control. But then all of a sudden, I find myself thinking about or even acting on something which is completely contrary to what You would have for me. Then, I am reminded of my failings and my need to cling to You. Please give my fingers the strength to cling and never let go. And I will also remember that You have Your strong hand on me as well. I am secure in You because of Christ my Lord. Thank You for this assurance. Amen.

Monday, 13 October 2014

What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? 1 Corinthians 10:19

In 1 Corinthians 8:4, Paul affirmed that an idol is actually nothing. The fact that man worships something other than the Creator in no way means that it is anything other than the material it is comprised of – metal, wood, flesh, etc. In reality, it is an ineffective lie. Isaiah even uses that term when speaking of idols –

And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” ²⁰ He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?” Isaiah 44:19, 20

Understanding this, Paul made the affirmation that, “an idol is nothing in the world” and that “there is no other God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4). Since that time though, Paul has been using examples of God’s judgment on Israel for following after idols. And then in the verse preceding this one he said, “Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?” With this noted, some might come to the conclusion that he is equating the participation in an idolatrous sacrifice with that of the participation in the true temple sacrifices.

And so he asks, “What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?” His answer is, “No,” and it is not what he is indicating. Rather, he is showing that the participation in the true temple sacrifices produced a bond between the people. “Israel after the flesh” was united as one, regardless of whether they actually believed in God or not. They went to the feasts, sacrificed at the temple, and ate of their offerings. Thus they were united in their rituals. If a believer were to join with pagans in their sacrifices, those pagans would feel this person was united to them in their belief. Thus he would appear to validate the idol as something even though it is “nothing in the world.”

Life application: Our business is to exalt Christ, not idols, demons, angels, Mary, the saints, or anything or anyone else. Let us then exalt Christ, through whom God will receive His just glory.

Lord God, today I would pray that when people see me, they would say “That guy is a reasonable fellow and he really believes in Christ Jesus. I want some of what he has got.” Use me, O God, to lead others to Christ. Amen.