Above image from:
https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-pauline-epistles/first-corinthians
Albert
Barnes' Notes: "Verse 1, with the following illustrations 1
Corinthians 10:1-4, is properly connected in Paul‘s argument with the
statements which he had made in 1 Corinthians 8:8, etc., and is
designed to show the danger which would result from their
partaking of the feasts that were celebrated in honor of idols.
It is not improbable, as Mr. Locke supposes, that the Corinthians might
have urged that they were constantly solicited by their pagan
friends to attend those feasts; that in their circumstances it
was scarcely possible to avoid it; that there could be no danger of their
relapsing into idolatry; and their doing so could not be offensive to God,
since they were known to be Christians; since they had been baptized, and
purified from sin; since they were devoted to his service; since they
knew that an idol was nothing in the world; and since they had
been so highly favored, as the people of God, with so many extraordinary
endowments, and were so strongly guarded against the possibility of
becoming idolaters. To meet these considerations, Paul refers
them to the example of the ancient Jews. They also were the
people of God. They had been solemnly dedicated to Moses and to God. They
had been especially favored with spiritual food from heaven, and with
drink miraculously, poured from the rock. Yet notwithstanding this, they
had forgotten God, had become idolaters, and had been destroyed.
By their example, therefore, Paul would warn the Corinthians
against a similar danger.
In view of all this, Paul cautions the Corinthians not to be
self-confident or to feel secure; and not to throw themselves
in the way of temptation by partaking of the feasts of idolatry; 1
Corinthians 10:12-14. This danger he further illustrates
1 Corinthians 10:15, 1 Corinthians 10:24 by showing that if
they partook of those sacrifices, they in fact became identified with
the worshipers of idols. This he proved by showing that in the
Christian communion, those who partook of the Lord‘s Supper were
identified with Christians 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; that in the Jewish
sacrifices the same thing occurred, and that those who partook of them
were regarded as Jews, and as worshipers of the same God with them 1
Corinthians 10:18; and that the same thing must occur, in the suture of
the case, by partaking of the sacrifices offered to idols. They
were really partaking of that which had been offered to devils;
and against any such participation Paul would solemnly admonish them; 1
Corinthians 10:19-22. Going on the supposition, therefore, that there was
nothing wrong in itself in partaking of the meat that had been thus killed
in sacrifice, yet Paul says 1 Corinthians 10:23, that it was not
expedient thus to expose themselves to danger; and that the grand
principle should be to seek the comfort and edification of others;
1 Corinthians 10:24. Paul thus strongly and decisively admonishes
them not to enter the temples of idols to partake of those feasts; not
to unite with idolaters in their celebration; not to endanger
their piety by these temptations."
Stuart Allen: "Having clearly taught that a believer can be securely saved, yet lose the Divine prize through slackness or unfaithfulness, the Apostle now illustrates this by appealing to Israel's past history in the wilderness:"
(1) I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. ALL of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and ALL of them walked through the sea on dry ground.
- Moreover:
- Left out of the NLT here but in the KJV is the word moreover (Greek γάρ - gar, Strong's number 1063). γάρ can be translated "moreover", "therefore", "so then", "so", "for", "in fact" or "since". It is used here to connect with the thought about running the race to give an example of how ALL the Israelites also ran the race but ONLY TWO FINISHED the race - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! ALL athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
- Our ancestors in the wilderness:
- Like Israel in the Old Testament, we too have received many spiritual privileges. If they failed to finish their race, so can we.
- ALL (Greek - pantes):
- The word "ALL" is here twice for emphasis and repeated in verses 2, 3, 4, 17 and 31 for emphasis to contrast with the word "MOST" in verse 5 and "SOME" in verses 7, 8, 9 and 10.
- An
example of spiritual failure by John Stevenson: In our last
chapter, we saw the danger of disqualification. Paul
told how it is possible to put all of the effort in training to run
the race and to cross the finish line, only to find that you have been
disqualified. Now, he turns to an example of such a
disqualification. It is the example of Israel in
the wilderness. Here is the point. ALL of
Israel was in the race. Notice the repeated use of the word "ALL."
ALL were under the cloud.
ALL passed through the sea.
ALL were baptized into Moses.
ALL ate the same spiritual food.
ALL drank the same spiritual drink.
Everyone who came out of Egypt was in the race. But not everyone was a winner. Not everyone won the prize. Not everyone was permitted to enter into the Promised Land. This is seen in verse 5: Nevertheless, with MOST of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness (10:5). MOST of the Israelites who came out of Egypt died in the wilderness. Why? Because they were disqualified. Even though they entered the race, even though they exercised a certain level of self-discipline, even though they were headed toward the right goal, they still fell short. They were disqualified. They died in the wilderness. The Old Testament account leads us to believe that nearly two million people went out of Egypt in the Exodus. Out of that number, ONLY TWO entered into the Promised Land. ONLY TWO men won the race. Only Joshua and Caleb entered into the land of Canaan. The rest died in the wilderness. - Cloud:
- The cloud, the “Shekinah”, was the visible symbol of the divine presence and protection that attended them out of Egypt. The word shekinah meant "to dwell with."
(2) In the cloud and in the sea, ALL of them were baptized as followers of Moses.
- ALL:
- Repeated for emphasis from verse 1.
- Baptized:
- J.
Hampton Keathley III: "The word “baptized” signifies
the truth of “identification.” It’s important to note
here that the only people who got wet were the Egyptians.
Though the fundamental idea of the Greek verb, baptizo, is
“to dip, immerse, plunge or to place into,” the outworking of this
metaphorically is that of identification. The word
was used of a dyer of cloth who would dip a piece of cloth into the
dye to change its color. It would go into the dye one color, like
white, and come out another. In the process, the identification of the
cloth was changed from white to a blue or red piece of cloth. By their
obedience to Moses’ commands, and belief in what God was doing, they
became identified with the leadership of Moses and united together
as the people of God under Moses, God’s spokesman, and so
also identified with God’s deliverance.
So likewise today, when a person trusts in the Lord Jesus, they become united into Him by the baptizing, identifying work of the Spirit, and to one another in the body of Christ. In this position in Christ, all believers share all that Christ is - His righteousness, His Sonship, inheritance, death, resurrection, ascension, and session, etc., and we become members of one another with responsibilities to each other in that relationship." - J. C. O'Hair: "After the close of the Book of Acts, the statement in Ephesians 4:5, is “one baptism”. Baptism was not something new with Israel. Hebrews 9:10. But the baptism committed to John had a special significance. There were three baptisms in the “Acts” period, “water baptism”, “Holy Spirit baptism”, and “death baptism”. Acts 1:5; Acts 11:14 and 15; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27; Acts 19:2 to 7 and Romans 8:3. ... Water baptism is not required by God for membership in the true Church, which is the Body of Christ. Water baptism is not required for salvation or regeneration. Water baptism is not demanded as a condition for receiving the Holy Spirit. ... As members of the Body of Christ we have all been baptized into Jesus Christ. We have put on Christ. We have been baptized into His death. We have been raised to walk in newness of life. And because we are made of the same human material as were the children of Israel, we have this important admonition in 1 Corinthians 10:12, which we quote “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” Our one baptism of Ephesians 4:5 identifies us with Christ."
- Baptism by Stuart Allen: www.heavendwellers.com/Baptism.pdf: "Here is a dry baptism; the only ones that were immersed in water then were Pharaoh and his hosts. That was Divine judgment; they were drowned. For Israel it was a dry baptism. All were baptized unto Moses so one can have, as we have seen, quite a number of aspects of baptism that have nothing to do with water at all. What did this baptism do? It united them with all that Moses stood for in Divine law and ceremonial and that is the first great underlying teaching of baptism. It is so easy to go through some external rite and never understand what that rite is really meaning. Here the whole nation of Israel, redeemed and brought out of Egypt, is linked with all that Moses stood for in law and ceremony. Mark you, this is the first baptism in point of time in Scripture. The first occurrence of the word is in the book of Job. But the first baptism was Israel coming through the Red Sea miraculously, and they had a similar experience of passing through Jordan on dry ground as they entered the promised land at the end of the wilderness wanderings (see Josh. 3:13-17; 4:22)."
- Dispensational Truth - Baptism by Charles Welch: https://levendwater.org/analysis/a1/baptism.htm: "This baptism was ‘unto Moses’, even as in its fuller sense, the baptism of the New Testament was ‘unto Christ’ but 1 Corinthians 10:1,2 prefigures the baptism of the spirit, not immersion in water, for as we have already seen the Scripture seems to go out of its way to impress upon us the absence of water at this time."
- The Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit by Merril F. Unger: "The Israelites were baptized into Moses by the cloud and by the sea. In this way they were separated from Egypt and Pharaoh, came under the leadership of the deliverer (Moses) and identified with him in hope and destiny. Likewise the believer, by being baptized into Christ by the Spirit, is cut off from the world of Satan, and identified with Christ, coming under Christ's influence and control, and made one in hope and destiny with Him".
- Ephesians 4:4-6: For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.
(3) ALL of them ate the same spiritual food,
- Spiritual food:
- This was the manna which God provided daily to the Israelites in the wilderness. For Christians, the true ‘spiritual food’ is the Lord Jesus Himself.
- John 6:30-42: They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.” Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
(4) and ALL of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.
- Spiritual water:
- Paul refers to the water that was made to gush from the rock that was smitten by Moses. Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:11. Christ has given us the water of the Word.
(5) YET God was not pleased with MOST of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
- YET (nevertheless in the KJV - Greek alla, which shows a strong contrast):
- Keith Krell: "The word “yet” (or “nevertheless”) emphatically brings out the contrast between how many were blessed (“ALL”) versus how many with whom God was not pleased (“MOST OF THEM”). This declaration is an obvious understatement of great proportions. Over two million people came out of Egypt, yet only two adults (Joshua and Caleb) were allowed to enter the Promised Land. The rest were “laid low”…as in six feet under! Literally, their carcasses were scattered across the wilderness. These individuals were tragically disqualified by death. They did not go back to Egypt and get “unredeemed.” The blood of the Lamb, which had taken them out of Egypt, was irreversible. They did not lose what they had, but they lost the reward God wanted to give them. The best example of this is Moses. Obviously, Moses was saved, yet on account of unbelief (Numbers 20:12; cf. Jude 5), he did not finish well. If this can happen to Moses, it can happen to you and me. We must humble ourselves and take God’s warning very seriously. 'It ain’t over ‘till it’s over.'" Compare to Paul's statement in 2 Timothy 4:7 - I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful."
- MOST of them (MANY in the KJV):
- Israel’s 40 year journey between Egypt and Canaan is a sobering illustration of the misuse of freedom and the dangers of overconfidence. The Israelites misused their new found freedom, fell into idolatry, immorality and rebelliousness, disqualifying themselves from receiving the Lord’s blessing.
- Scattered:
- Morris writes, “The verb katastronnumi lends a picturesque touch. It really means ‘to spread out’. Paul pictures the wilderness strewn with corpses. This is not simply a natural death. It is God’s sentence against the rebels.”
- They were God's chosen people, but He judged their unbelief. They saw the miraculous provision of God. They knew His will through their God-given leaders, yet still they acted in unbelief and rebellion.
- Psalm 95:7-11: for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today! The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did. For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”
- Hebrews 3:16-19: And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.
(6) These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did,
- Warning:
- Paul warns us that we too might fall into sin like Israel and be disqualified from our reward - will not finish our Christian lives well. In 9:24-27, Paul shared that he didn’t want to end up being disqualified from the prize of God’s approval:
- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
- Crave:
- The term "crave" (used twice) reflects the strong compound Greek term epithumeō, which is made up of the preposition "upon" and "to rush." It refers to a strong feeling or emotion overtaking and controlling the mind and heart of a person.
(7) or worship idols as SOME of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.”
- Worship idols:
- The particular idolatry which is referred to here is, the worship of the golden calf that was made by Aaron Exodus 32:1-6.
- They didn’t enter into the Promised Land, because they went back into idolatry, and the same thing could have happened to the Corinthians through their association with pagans and their practices.
- For you and me, idolatry is putting anything or anyone in God’s rightful place in our lives. Anything can become an idol.
- The issue with which Paul has been dealing in the last three chapters has involved the eating of meats that have been offered to idols. Many of the Corinthians took a very flippant attitude toward such idol worship. They realized that meat that had been offered to idols is not in itself bad, so they was a tendency to conclude that there was nothing wrong with a little idol worship, either. They concluded that they could associate with pagan rituals and pagan worship without being affected. There is an important principle here. It is that you are affected by those with whom you associate. What kind of people do you make your close friends? Who are the people with whom you surround yourself? Don’t think that you can join yourself to worldly people without their attitudes rubbing off on you.
- Proverbs 13:20: Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33: Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”
- SOME:
- Here and repeated for emphasis in verses 9 and 10 to contrast with the word ALL repeated in the previous verses. Paul is warning them and us that while ALL believers may be running the race, SOME will fall short and not complete their race and, in fact, only two in the case of the Israelites succeeded. Do we want to be counted with the SOME or the TWO (Joshua and Caleb).
- Why were so many of the Israelites disqualified in the wilderness? Paul lists several reasons:
- SOME of them craved evil things (10:6).
- SOME of them worshiped false gods and became idolaters (10:7).
- SOME of them acted immorally (10:8).
- SOME of them tried to test the Lord (10:9).
- SOME of them grumbled (10:10).
- Indulged:
- Their priority was their own pleasure, whether through food or drink or sexual immorality.
(8) And we must not engage in sexual immorality as SOME of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.
- SOME of them did:
- The sin referred to here was the seduction of the local Moabite women, referred to in Numbers 25:1-9.
- 23,000:
- In Numbers, there were 24,000 destroyed during that period in which God was dealing with His people, but in 1 Corinthians the apostle is stressing the fact that the very first day that the judgment began 23,000 died. The other thousand, of course, died later on.
- Numbers 25:1-9: While the Israelites were camped at Acacia Grove, some of the men defiled themselves by having sexual relations with local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshiped the gods of Moab. In this way, Israel joined in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the Lord’s anger to blaze against his people. The Lord issued the following command to Moses: “Seize all the ringleaders and execute them before the Lord in broad daylight, so his fierce anger will turn away from the people of Israel.” So Moses ordered Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death the men under your authority who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.” Just then one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman into his tent, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as everyone was weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle. When Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up and left the assembly. He took a spear and rushed after the man into his tent. Phinehas thrust the spear all the way through the man’s body and into the woman’s stomach. So the plague against the Israelites was stopped, but not before 24,000 people had died.
(9) Nor should we put Christ to the test, as SOME of them did and then died from snakebites.
- Test:
- The Corinthians had been guilty of testing God by reasoning that they had liberty and sought to push their liberty to the maximum limits. They wanted to see how much of the flesh they could enjoy without stepping over the line into the judgment of God. Their reasoning was that, since they were saved by grace, they could live as they pleased. They needed to learn that being a Christian means that you are to live as God pleases. There is a disturbing teaching going around today that says this is the age of grace and that we don’t have to worry about the judgment of God if we have believe in Christ. Paul counters such a teaching by showing how those who were identified with Moses and the rock who is Christ were judged by God and died in the wilderness.
- Snakebites:
- Numbers 21:6: So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died.
(10) And don’t grumble as SOME of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death.
- Grumble (Greek - gongyzo):
- In Numbers 14, they complained that they had been brought out of a land of plenty into a wilderness and wanted to return to Egypt.
- Numbers 14:22: not one of these people will ever enter that land. They have all seen my glorious presence and the miraculous signs I performed both in Egypt and in the wilderness, but again and again they have tested me by refusing to listen to my voice.
- Destroyed:
- The reference here is to the destruction of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram in the wilderness. They murmured against God and Moses, the servant of the Lord and Aaron, the high priest of Jehovah, saying, “You have gone too far! The whole community of Israel has been set apart by the Lord, and he is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than the rest of the Lord’s people?” (Numbers 16:3).
(11) These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
- Examples - Greek: “types” (tupoi):
- This warning is repeated from verse 6 to emphasize that it is possible for us to be tempted in these areas and to fall into sin.
- Israel is a type of the Christian. The exodus from Egypt is a picture of the conversion experience of the Christian. Just as all of Israel were under the cloud, so we have all come under God’s protection. Just as all of Israel passed through the sea, so we have all passed from the bondage of sin to freedom in Christ. Just as all of Israel were baptized into Moses, so we have all been baptized into Christ. Just as all of Israel ate the same spiritual food, so we have all been made partakers with the body of Christ. Just as Moses struck the rock so that all of Israel could drink from it, Christ was stricken and died for us so that we can partake of the benefits of His death. The goal of the Christian life is to win the race -- to enter into the Promised Land. But some fell short and are disqualified.
- Romans 15:4: Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.
- 2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
- Warn:
- Some of the Corinthian believers apparently believed they could get away with idolatry and sin without fear of losing their salvation. Paul is warning them that they were in danger of failing, like the Israelites, of entering into God's rest and His rewards for them.
- End of the age:
- Paul could say this because of the possibility of the Second Coming of Christ during the Acts period (Acts 3:19-26). This was dependent on Israel recognizing Jesus as Messiah, which they failed to do. As a result, at Acts 28:28, Israel was set aside and the message was sent to the Gentiles, who would hear it. Remember that Paul said in 1 Corinthians 7:29 that "The time that remains is very short." and in verse 31 that "this world as we know it will soon pass away."
(12) If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
- Think:
- The unbelieving scribes and Pharisees were certain of their salvation, but they were wrong. Just because we THINK we're saved doesn't mean we really are. How we feel about something does not determine how things really are.
- Morris: "The Corinthians were cocksure of their position. But then, so had the Israelites been, and they had reaped nothing but disaster. Let the self-confident take heed, lest he fall."
- Standing strong:
- The self assurance and arrogant pride of the Corinthian factions were a major problem. Self deception is a curse of religious people!
- Be careful:
- Hebrews 3:12: Be careful
then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that
your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from
the living God.
- Fall:
- Paul warns these “stronger” brethren, who were confident that they were spiritual enough to eat idol-meats and not fall, that they are the ones most likely to fall. Spiritual pride leads to over-confidence and over-confidence in one’s own standing and abilities sets one up for a big fall.
- The best example in the Bible of this is Moses. Obviously, Moses was saved, yet because of unbelief, he did not finish well. If this can happen to Moses, it can happen to you and me. We must take God’s warning very seriously. Some other examples of those in the Bible who fell short are Lot, Samson, Saul, Solomon, Jonah, Ananias & Sapphira and Demas.
- Numbers 20:12: But the Lord said to Moses and
Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to
demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will
not lead them into the land I am giving them!”
- 2 Corinthians 13:5: Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.
- Jude 1:5: So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later he destroyed those who did not remain faithful.
(13) The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
- Temptations (Greek - peirasmos):
- The Greek word translated “temptations” (peirasmos) can also be translated “testings.” Every temptation is a test; every test is a temptation.
- As with Job, God sometimes allows trials, tribulations and tests to come to us to reveal our character, to show our loyalty, to demonstrate His power, to develop our faith and dependence on Him and to help us to grow and manifest Christ’s character in us.
- When temptation arises, people usually respond in one of three ways:
- The primary method for dealing with temptation in to simply give in to it. Many people live by an “If it feels good, do it,” mentality. They live like animals, doing everything they can to gratify the flesh. Nearly all lost people live like this, but sadly, so do many Christians!
- Others struggle against temptation daily. They spend all their time fighting temptation in their own strength. They fight and fail over and over, because no one can overcome his sin nature alone. If we could defeat the power of sin on our own strength, then it would have been pointless for Jesus to die for us. This type of person hates what he does, but he goes on doing it because he (or she) does not have the power to stop.
- Finally, there are those who overcome temptation through the power of Jesus Christ. They turn their temptations into triumphs.
- Matthew 4:1: Then Jesus was
led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there
by the devil.
- 1 Thessalonians 3:5: That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless.
- Hebrews 4:15: This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.
- Way out ... endure:
- There is a way out that we can use to keep us from sinning. Jesus was our example. Every time He was tempted He quoted the devil a Scripture. Stand against the devil, quote the Word to him, and he will flee from you. There is a way out, even if we sin, and it is found in 1 John 1:9.
- 2 Peter 2:9: So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.
- 1 John 1:9: But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
(14) SO, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.
- SO ... Flee:
- Paul's answer to temptation is simple - FLEE!
- Literally, the command is to keep on fleeing from idolatry. It was a temptation they would face continually, because there were a thousand temples and idols scattered around Corinth, most of them to the Greek goddess of sex.
- As in Corinth, we are living in a highly sexualized, sinful society, with temptations constantly thrown in our face with other people, our politicians and even many religious leaders telling us to succumb.
- Paul gives us three reasons why we must flee idolatry:
- Because we are identified by a ceremony (10:15-18).
- Because idolatry is demonic (10:19-21).
- Because idolatry makes God jealous (10:22).
- 1 Corinthians 6:18: RUN from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
- 2 Timothy 2:22: RUN from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
- Worship of idols:
- "Idolatry" in the Old Testament was the image and worship of pagan gods. In our day it is anything that replaces God in our priority structure As Jesus said, where your treasure is there will your heart be. God is more often an afterthought, if even that. The book of 1 John closes with "keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts" (cf. 1 John 5:21).
- An idol is any false god, object, idea, philosophy, habit, occupation, sport or anything else that has our primary concern and loyalty, and as a result decreases our trust in the Lord Jesus, our focus on him, our loyalty to him. Obviously, any practices that are inherently immoral or illegal or destructive are dangerously idolatrous. But there are many neutral things and even things that are potentially good that really can become immorally idolatrous. Drinking alcohol can lead to drunkenness. Work can turn into workaholism. Involvement in gangs can lead to victimization or criminal activity. Parental respect can border on ancestor worship. Patriotism can become the idolatry of the state. TV-watching can replace productive activity. The desire for clothing and shelter can become materialism. Taking medication can become addiction. If anything besides God gets our best thoughts, energy and feelings, we're idolaters.
(15) You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true.
(16) When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ?
- Lord's Table:
- 1 Corinthians was written during the Acts period before Acts 28:28, before the present age of grace began. After Acts 28, and the revelation of the Mystery, we enter into a calling where shadows give place to the reality of the fullness of Christ - Colossians 2:16-23: So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it. You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.
- In verses 16-22, Paul sets two tables side-by-side. The Lord’s table around which the Corinthians gathered every week to commemorate Christ's death, burial and resurrection by partaking of the symbols of the bread and the wine. Some of the Corinthians felt free to sit at another “table,” the table which is served as a part of a heathen ritual, at which idols are worshiped, and to which sacrifices were made. The things which were eaten at this table had been sacrificed to the idol, or they were at least a part of the heathen ritual.
- John 6:54-58: But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”
- 1 Corinthians 11:29-30: For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself. That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
(17) And though we are many, we ALL eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.
- One body:
- The Corinthian Christians were “united” and dedicated to Christ in the communion which was true of the Israelites, that they were one people, devoted by the service of the altar to the same God (verse 18).
(18-20) Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar? What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? NO, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons.
(21) You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too.
- Too:
- The two are totally incompatible. Paul is trying to make it very clear that you must be on one side, or the other. You can not ride the fence. Remember that Paul is telling them to break away from all connection to the worship of Aphrodite.
(22) What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?
- Rouse the Lord's jealousy:
- Deuteronomy 32:21: They have roused my jealousy by worshiping things that are not God; they have provoked my anger with their useless idols. Now I will rouse their jealousy through people who are not even a people; I will provoke their anger through the foolish Gentiles.
(23) You say, “I am allowed to do anything” - but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything” - but not everything is beneficial.
- You say:
- This goes back to the subject begun in chapter 6:12, about how to balance Christian freedom and responsibility. Verses 23-33 address the strong brother.
- Not ... beneficial ("edify not" in the KJV):
- Freedom may easily be abused. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean that we should. Furthermore, none of us lives on a island. Our choices impact other people. That means we have to stop and think, “How will other Christians feel about the choice I am making?” That doesn’t always mean we won’t do it anyway, but we do have to stop and ask.
-
Earlier, Paul had addressed the issue of Christian liberty, and had said that "all things" were lawful for him, but not all things were beneficial ("profitable"; 6:12). Now he went further and clarified that "profitable" (beneficial) means beneficial for others, not just self. Thus he sought to bring the rights-conscious Corinthians to their knees.
- That word "edify" means to build up or strengthen. It's a word from the vocabulary of the construction of buildings. Paul uses it in his letters to describe the strengthening of Christian character in ourselves and other people. So when we're faced with a decision about a particular practice, first we've got to ask ourselves if we have the right to do it. I would say if it's not forbidden by Scripture, absolutely we have the right. But the next question has to be whether it's profitable and edifying-will it build people up, both ourselves and others? And again, if the answer is yes, then we can participate with full abandon.
(24) Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.
- Others:
- Romans 15:2: We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord.
- Philippians 2:4: Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
(25) SO you may eat any meat that is sold in the marketplace without raising questions of conscience.
- SO: In conclusion.
- Meat ... in ... marketplace:
- Hampton Keathley IV: "Paul concludes this section by warning them that, although it is permissible to eat the meat sacrificed to idols (unless it offends your brother), it is not permissible to partake in the religious feasts given in that deity’s honor (10:14-22). And he urges them to only partake in those things which edify and glorify God (10:23-33)."
- The meat of animals offered in sacrifice would be for sale in the marketplace as well as other meat. Paul says that it's fine to buy and eat, bit they were to abstain from going to the feasts of the idols in the temple.
(26) For “the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
- The earth is the Lord's:
- This is quoted from Psalm 24:1: The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.
- Acts 10:9-16: The next day as Cornelius’s
messengers were nearing the town, Peter went up on
the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But
while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the
sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four
corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles,
and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill
and eat them.” “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never
eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and
unclean.” But the voice spoke again: “Do not call
something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same
vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet
was suddenly pulled up to heaven.
- 1 Timothy 4:3-5: They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.
(27) If someone who isn’t a believer asks you home for dinner, accept the invitation if you want to. Eat whatever is offered to you without raising questions of conscience.
- Home for dinner:
- It is assumed that the feast is to take place in a private house, not an idol temple.
- Accept the invitation:
- Albert Barnes' Notes: "Jesus accepted such invitations to dine with the Pharisees; and Christianity is not designed to abolish the courtesies of social life; or to break the bonds of contact; or to make people misanthropes or hermits. It allows and cultivates, under proper Christian restraints, the contact in society which will promote the comfort of people, and especially that which may extend the usefulness of Christians. It does not require, therefore, that we should withdraw from social life, or regard as improper the courtesies of society."
- Unbelievers may invite us into their homes, and we have complete freedom to eat with them, whatever they put before us, remembering that Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10-11). But, if we are legalistic, uptight, self-righteous, self-protective Christians - "holier than thou" types - our non-Christian acquaintances won't want anything to do with us. We're not even going to get invited to their homes, depriving us a chance to speak to them about Christ. But, if we live a life of freedom and openness, that will attract them to Jesus.
(28) (BUT suppose someone tells you, “This meat was offered to an idol.” Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you.
- Someone:
- Paul is raising a hypothetical situation in which a Christian has been invited to a non-Christian's home for dinner and another Christian is there as well who is uncertain about eating such food. Paul does not suggest that the uncertain Christian should be persuaded to go ahead and eat it anyway. Instead, we are to avoid if we causing the other Christian to violate his or her conscience - causing him or her to sin as far as they are concerned. Today, this principle would perhaps apply to drinking wine at a party where you know a fellow Christian there believes such is wrong or struggles with alcohol.
(29-30) It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it?
(31) SO whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it ALL for the glory of God.
- SO (Greek - oun):
- Keith Krell: "Paul is now ready to summarize this entire three-chapter unit (chapters 8-10). Paul’s use of the word “then” (oun) in 10:31 is intended to draw his discussion on the food issue to a conclusion. As a general principle, believers should do everything “for the glory of God” - and Paul particularly mentions here (understandably) eating and drinking. To do something for the glory of God means to reflect God’s glory in the way we live. Verses 31-32 again talk about the purpose of our freedom in Christ. “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God.” The aim we ought to have in using our liberty carefully and selflessly is to glorify God. These two verses wrap up everything we’ve been looking at in the preceding verses. We’re to use our eating and drinking to bring glory to God, not to cause conflict, to honor a demon, or to undermine the faith of weaker brothers and sisters. Paul’s desire was to live out his freedom in Christ, partly because of its evangelistic potential for the sake of the Gentiles and the Jews who didn’t yet know Christ, and partly so he could have an influence on the church of Jesus Christ as an apostle. His concern was having an attractively inoffensive lifestyle of freedom. Paul spoke earlier in the letter about the fact that the gospel in and of itself is offensive to some people (1:18, 23). But he didn’t want his own life to bring offense to the gospel in the eyes of anybody, Christian or non-Christian. The real fear here was that legalism, being controlling, would somehow be the offense that would keep people from the Lord Jesus. His desire was to try to live without offending in any direction, always thinking of both honoring Christ and affecting other people in how he lived. And Paul always looked in both of those directions. That’s what Paul is talking about with regard to the purpose of our freedom in Jesus Christ."
- Whatever you do:
- J Vernon McGee: "A believer is to be guided in his conduct by the effect it has upon others. He is to be guided by 3 considerations:
- His actions should glorify God (verse 31).
- His actions should not offend others (verse 32).
- His actions should follow Christ (11:1)."
- The glory of God:
- The phrase “the glory of God” is equivalent to the honor of God and to lead others by our example to praise, embrace and believe on Christ.
- Ray Pritchard (President, Keep Believing Ministries & co-host of Today's Issues on American Family Radio): "The most common Old Testament word for “glory” is kabod, which can mean heavy. The word was used in Genesis 31 for animals heavy-laden with gold. The word also refers to the shining light of God’s presence. That glory was the cloud by day and the fiery pillar by night that led the people of God through the wilderness. Later, it was the light that filled the tabernacle and the temple. Exodus 24:17 tells us that God’s glory was like a consuming fire on the top of Mount Sinai. Thomas Watson, the great Puritan preacher, called glory “the sparkling of Deity.” When we pass into the New Testament we meet a Greek word - doxa, from which we get the English word doxology. The Greek word has the idea of honor, dignity, and reputation. That last word - reputation - brings us very close to the meaning of “glory” in 1 Corinthians 10:31. To live for God’s glory means to live so that God’s reputation is enhanced, not diminished. How does this apply to us today? People watch the way we live. And they draw conclusions about our values from what we do and what we don’t do, where we go and where we don’t go, the things we say, the jokes we tell, the songs we sing, the books we read, the shows we watch on TV. All of those things send a message about our ultimate values. People are watching you all the time. So live in such a way that God is glorified. In so doing, you will create many opportunities to share the gospel. J. S. Bach carved the words Soli Deo Gloria on his organ at Leipzig to remind him that all his music be composed and performed for the glory of God. That’s why the initials SDG appear at the end of his compositions - To God Alone Be the Glory! What does it mean to “do all for the glory of God?” Here are three answers:
- Seek to offend no one.
- Please everyone if possible.
- Seek the salvation of as many as possible."
- Doug Goins (A Balanced Life): "Spurgeon was a giant in nineteenth-century expository preaching and evangelism. He was a prodigious writer. He developed a seminary and Bible college. He was an amazing man of God. But one thing Spurgeon loved was cigars, which sort of unsettled some American Christians. (To his defense, this was 120 years ago, when nobody knew about the link between cancer and tobacco. Hopefully he would live his life differently today.) There is a story about how one of his seminarians came into his study, and there was Spurgeon with his Bible and Greek lexicons, just immersed in the Word, puffing on a big cigar. And it was so unsettling to the young man that Spurgeon looked at him and said, "My young friend, can you smoke a cigar to the glory of God?" The young man couldn't say anything, and Spurgeon said, "Well, if you can't do it to the glory of God, then leave them alone." But when the British tobacco industry took Spurgeon's picture and used it to advertise tobacco, he stopped smoking and never smoked another cigar, because he didn't want his freedom to affect young people. To me, that's a wonderful example of the balance, the freedom that is controlled by love for the other, seeking the good of the other."
(32) Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God.
- Jews ... Gentiles ... church of God:
- John Karmelich: "Paul divides the world into three groups: Jews, Greeks (i.e., anyone not Jewish, who is not saved) and the church of God. We should act in a way that does not cause anyone to stumble, whether they come from a Jewish background, non-Jewish background or if they are Christians! The idea of "stumble" is to avoid some behavior that people think is wrong for Christians to do! If a non-Christian thinks it wrong for Christians to say, drink alcohol or watch a certain movie, we should avoid doing that act even though we know it is permissible. The point is about acting in a way that does not cause a potential Christian or a naive Christian to stumble!"
(33-11:1) I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
- 11:1 seems to go with chapter 10, not 11. Paul's evangelistic motives and actions parallel the life and teachings of Jesus. As Paul mimicked Him, the believers at Corinth were to focus on (1) the good of the he church and (2) the salvation of the unbelieving world.
CONCLUSION:
John Karmelich: "Verse 31 is a good summary verse of the last three chapters. The point is whatever we do, we do for the glory of God. Whether we eat or drink or "not eat or drink", the question of the moment is our actions pleasing to God by the choices we make? Our life involves making decisions every day. The first question with those decisions is not whether or not an action is permissible. There are some clear cut "black and white" issues for Christians. Such issues are not the focus of this chapter, but they do exist! These issues include things that could lead us into idolatry and things that can cause us to sin in the first place. The issue of the moment is "gray areas". If we are not sure whether we should or should not do something, we need to ask ourselves if doing that, or not doing that "gives glory to God". If such an action could cause someone to sin, then we need to give up our rights to do that act."
NOTES:
- Except otherwise noted, the scripture version used is the New Living Translation, Tyndale House Publishers,Inc., Wheaton, Illinois.
- Disclaimer: Source material for this study has been gleaned from many different sources. If you want further study, I have attempted to acknowledge these sources at http://1corinthiansblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/1-corinthians-references.html
- Index to all our 1 Corinthian studies are at 1corinthiansblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/index-to-1-corinthians.html
- Index to all our studies are at oakview-bible-fellowship.blogspot.com/
