1 Corinthians | Chapter 10

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

“He who thinks he stands”

I. Intro

Paul has been addressing the reasons to limit our freedoms:

• In Chap. 8 Truth must always be balanced by love,
• In Chp. 9 Rights must be balanced by reward
• In Chp. 10:1-22 Opportunity must be balanced by servitude
• In Chp. 10:23-33 Freedom must be balanced by responsibility

The first two reasons dealt primarily with how our rights affect others, and it is for these reasons that the truth on a freedom must be balanced by the love of another who does not share our freedom. The same is true as Paul outlined in chapter 9 his rights as a servant of the Lord in the first 14 verses, then finished by saying the reward of laying aside those rights outweighed any benefits of insisting upon them. The rewards were seeing others saved and maturing in their relationship with the Lord.

In this section of scripture, Paul moves away from how our liberty can affect others to how it can affect us in ways that would disqualify us from service. In these 13 verses, Paul is going to use the O.T. stories of the nation of Israel as illustrations of three things we had better recognize about our flesh before we engage in any freedom we may have, as our freedoms and rights may end up disqualifying us for service:

• Vs. 1-5 The beginning does not guarantee the ending
• Vs. 6-10 Strength does not prevent weakness
• Vs. 11-13 Knowledge does not prevent ignorance

II. Vs. 1-5 The Beginning Does Not Guarantee the Ending

Vs. 1 Chapter 10 is tied to the last word and thought of Paul in chapter 9, where he spoke of “disciplining his body and bringing it into subjection, lest, when he has preached to others, he himself should become disqualified.” The athletic games held in Corinth every three years were second only to the Olympic games in Athens. The participants of the games were carefully watched for 10 months as every aspect of their training was observed. If they failed to train in the prescribed way, they were “disqualified” from participation. Paul is not speaking of losing one’s salvation, as these athletes weren’t stripped of their citizenship, only their right to compete for the prize. Apart from natural ability, an athlete has two primary things that will enable him to compete and win:

• Equipment: It is a well-established fact that the equipment that an athlete has both in training as well as the game itself gives him a greater chance of winning. It is for this reason that the golfer is hitting the ball further, the sprinter is running faster. The successful athlete quickly learns dependence upon the equipment if they are going to win.
• Discipline: As great as the equipment might be, both in training as well as the event, if the athlete does not discipline their bodies and life in training, they will not compete to win. Equipment and discipline will make an average or good athlete great and a great athlete unbeatable!

What does this have to do with our opportunities to engage in our freedoms, and how does that relate to our service? Well, Paul is not denying our freedoms, but he is speaking in terms of an athletic contest. If you are competing to win, then you will need to be absolutely dependent upon your equipment: “the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” You will also have to center and discipline your whole life around the desire to win the race. As far as equipment goes, Paul lists three pieces of equipment that we, as well as the Israelites who left Egypt, possess that are essential to victory, even though having them does not guarantee victory. Simply put, the nation of Israel started out their race with these three pieces of equipment, and so do each of us. Notice that five times in four verses, Paul says that “all” of the nation had these same three pieces of equipment. God does not shortchange us with the right equipment to live a victorious life—what I have, you have, and what you have, I have.

• Vs. 1 “All our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea”: Presence of God! At the very start of the journey, every person of the nation experienced firsthand living under the cloud and passing through the sea. But what exactly is Paul referring to? There were two ways in which this young nation experienced the presence of God as they started out on their race to the land of promise:
  • Under the cloud: Guidance! This is a reference to Ex 13:21-22, where we are told that “the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way.” What is the point of this verse? Well, Paul is saying that straight out of the gate, God’s presence was their guide in going the right direction. Isn’t that the right piece of equipment? The moment you and I became His children, His presence came into our lives to guide us on the course of life. Of course, His presence is most often upon our hearts as we are in His Word, seeking His wisdom on how to live our lives.
  • Passed through the sea: Protection! The second part of this verse speaks of the Red Sea crossing in the 14th chapter of Exodus, then sung about in the 15th chapter. What was the presence of God in these two verses that Paul now speaks about, that each of us have also experienced? The presence of God in our lives has not only been our guide on the race of life; it has also served us by protecting us against those who would try to take us from the race. Just as the presence of God was with the nation of Israel as they fled their enemy Egypt, so too has the presence of God served us in protecting us from our Enemy!
• Vs. 2 “All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea”: Identified with the Person of God! This phrase is an interesting one, as we cannot think of Moses having a baptism. The key to understanding this is to look at what the nation was baptized into, “Moses,” and by virtue of this, was also “in the cloud and in the sea.” So the question is, what was Moses’ experience with the cloud and the sea that makes the nation baptized into Moses and not the cloud and the sea? Baptism in scripture always has to do with identity, thus Paul is saying that because of the relation of another, “Moses,” they were identified with Him. So they got the same guidance Moses got, they received the same protection Moses got. In other words, they benefited in their identity based on the relationship of another. Folks, that’s grace, and it is exactly our situation as the Father sees us in His Son Jesus, and our relationship with the Father is based completely upon the Son! So not only do we have the presence of God guiding us and protecting us along the race, we also are identified with the “Winner” of the race, so that in Him we have already won!
• Vs. 3-4 “All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ”: Refreshed by the provisions of God! These two things, “spiritual food and drink,” are a reference to chapter 16 & 17, which deal with God’s miraculous provision of manna and water from the rock. These provisions were designed to refresh them along the journey, providing the sustenance they needed to survive the race. We too have been provided with the Holy Spirit, who daily refreshes our spirits along our race as well. It is interesting to me that both food and drink are used as types of refreshment we have in the Word of God. I’m reminded of what Jesus said concerning the Holy Spirit in John 14:26, “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” Are we not refreshed by the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God as we hunger and thirst for more of Him? The cool part of this refreshment is that we do not have to go and look for Him as He is always following us!

Vs. 5 Not to be a bummer, but Paul uses the truth that we, like Israel, started our race with:

• The Presence of God, guiding and protecting them along the journey
• They were identified with the person of God based on the relation of Moses
• They were regularly refreshed by the provisions of God

Yet the startling truth is that this kind of equipment in the beginning did not guarantee the ending. In Numbers, we are told the startling truth that 600,000 men, counting the women and children (around 2 million), left Egypt. And how many entered the land of promise? Only Joshua and Caleb of the original 2 million crossed the finish line; all the rest did not finish the race—even Moses and Aaron were unable to continue to run even with such a great start. Christian, let us not forget that the race is not a sprint; it is a marathon, and along our course, there will be many things that will come along to get us to leave the race.

• Yes, running the race with us will be the presence of the Lord to guide us and protect us.
• Yes, our running is based on the victory of another, which if we keep on the course, will ensure our victory.
• Yes, along the many miles of the race, we will be constantly followed and sustained as we run.

But those three pieces of equipment alone will not ensure our victory apart from personal discipline!

III. Vs. 6-10 Strength Does Not Prevent Weakness

Vs. 6 That brings us to Paul’s next statement dealing with our flesh and freedoms: “Vs. 6-10 Strength does not prevent weakness.” Paul’s point here is that we can look at the 1 million 999 thousand who failed in their race as an example of what caused them to not finish. Remember, they “all” had the same equipment Paul has told us. So why did only two finish the race? Well, what they were strong in became their weakness, and he will show four ways they were strong yet failed because they thought they were strong and did not need to discipline their lives in these areas.

• Vs. 7 “Become idolaters”: These were a people whose sole reason for leaving Egypt was to worship the true and living God, and not the false gods of Egypt. They were strong in worship; they were the generation that was fleeing idolatry, only to find themselves disqualified to finish the race because they fell into the worship of other things. What happened? Well, they sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. They just wanted a little time off from having God at the center of their hearts. Just a little break in training to eat and drink, a little R & R. Physically, I can tell you right now what keeps me at the gym 4 days a week: the reality that if I stop one day, I will just stop altogether.
• Vs. 8 “Commit sexual immorality”: They were strong in personal piety; they had witnessed the immoral lifestyle of the Egyptians, and they had lived separately from them, dwelling in Goshen. But times change, you know? In Numbers 25:1-9, they were enticed by the Moabite gals, and 23,000 of them died in one day, and overall, 24,000 died. Don’t we know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Any freedom that lessens our view of sin and weakens our new heart’s resolve to reckon the old man to be dead must be avoided, no matter how popular it has become with our fellow runners!
• Vs. 9 “Tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted”: They were strong in their faith and trust of God. This story is found in Num. 21:6-9, and we are told that the nation had cried out to the Lord to enable them to defeat the Canaanites and rout their cities, and the Lord was their strength. But in verse 4, we read that as “they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.” So much was their discouragement that they who had just trusted in the Lord’s hand to deliver the Canaanites failed to trust the Lord to provide their sustenance, and they “spoke against God and against Moses: ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.’” They had been so dependent upon God one moment, and the next they failed to trust that God’s way was better than their wants. We can take no time off from our absolute and only hope in God’s provision for us. Yet many of us would rather live so as to not need the Lord to sustain us, so that we don’t need to trust in Him alone.
• Vs. 10 “Some of them also complained”: Finally, they were strong in their submission to the Lord. When God had them move each day, they moved; when He had them gather manna, they gathered just what they were supposed to. The life of the nation was dependent upon their complete obedience towards the Lord. When they failed to do so, they failed to survive. Yet it was often this very area of the lack of obedience seen in their grumbling that caused their disqualification. Whatever freedom we may pursue that lessens our desire to obey and submit our lives to the Lord must be avoided at all costs.

These all but two out of the two million were not picked off the course in areas of weaknesses, but rather in areas of personal strengths. It was because they thought they needed not to train as diligently in the areas of their strengths that they were susceptible to being disqualified in their service and race. Our spiritual lives are just like our physical bodies, “Just because a certain muscle is strong doesn’t mean that you don’t have to continue to exercise it!”

IV. Vs. 11-13 Knowledge Does Not Prevent Ignorance

Vs. 11 This brings Paul to his final truth concerning dealing with our flesh and freedoms: “Knowledge does not prevent ignorance.” Paul says here that these things happened as examples to teach us, but the truth is that just because we know something is true does not prevent us from being stupid at times. Paul starts out in verses 11 and 12 by giving us two things we need to consider as we deal with our freedoms in light of our flesh:

• Vs. 11 “Upon whom the ends of the ages have come”: The stories Paul has just used dealing with the Israelites as they left Egypt are examples for us to train us. Train us for what? Well, he says it right here: the ends of the age. What? In other words, Paul is telling the Corinthians and us that before you look at that freedom, you better realize that you are in a battle, and that freedom may very well cause you to end up a casualty. We have an enemy who will stop at no trick, exhaust every freedom and right to ensnare us. That is why the author of Hebrews, in the 12th chapter, verse 1, says, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
• Vs. 12 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”: The second thing to consider is before you engage in that freedom or liberty is more personal than just that you are in a battle. This verse reveals something much more profound than just being in a battle protecting a land or even a way of life. What this verse reveals is that you and I are the target, we are what the enemy wants! Christian, Satan cannot take our souls, but he can render us ineffective in reaching others! Before you go after that freedom, you better realize that what you are about to partake of is not some innocent thing that has no eternal effect. Oh, it may not affect you, but it may very well have an impact upon others that would be reached through you! Paul would say to these same Corinthians in his 2nd letter to them 12:10, “I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Vs. 13 Finally, Paul gives three things about this war, this battle where we are the target:

• “No temptation has overtaken you”: The weapons against us are all the same! Satan has not developed new ammunition; it is the same stuff he has been using since Adam and Eve fell. He is not using some new bait to hook us and trap us in the flesh. Isaiah 54:17 reminds us of this powerful truth: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” Paul reminds these same Corinthians in his 2nd letter 2:11 that “we are not ignorant of his devices.” We know what he will appeal to, as John tells us in his letter 2:16, based on “all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world.”
• “Except such as is common to man”: You are not alone! Let me just say that this is one of Satan’s greatest weapons—to tell us that we alone are being attacked and that God is being unfair. We are all going through the same battle; we are prone to the same ammunition. If you are not in a trial yet, you soon will be, and it is for this reason that we might bind ourselves together in unity. All the more that we ought to do as Paul sent Timothy to the Thessalonians to “establish you and encourage you concerning your faith.” The author of Hebrews writes in 10:25 that they should not “forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
• “But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”: God alone is faithful, even when I am not! Two great truths come out of this:
  1. He alone is enough: I don’t need God plus something else; the truth is all I have ever had is the Lord. He alone is the only one who will never leave me or forsake me. He is the only one large enough to handle my problems and caring enough to take all that I can give Him. So I’m back to what every athlete must have to run the race to win: dependence upon the only equipment we need, “the Lord.”
  2. I don’t trust me: It is God that will make the way of escape even as he tests my endurance and stamina. Thank God for His discipline and testing as it strips away all human support and trust in ourselves. He is always my only way of escape. He is my ever-present rock to whom I run. This is where the second aspect of what every successful athlete must have comes in: the discipline to realize that you are weak and must depend upon the only source able to keep you in the race to win.

1 Corinthians 10:14-22

“When Liberty Becomes Idolatry”

I. Intro

Paul has been dealing with the second of the questions the Church at Corinth had regarding liberty or freedoms that were not specifically mentioned in scripture. Their big issue was dealing with meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Corinth was a Greek-Roman city steeped in idolatry. The worship of Venus (Greek) or Aphrodite (Roman), the goddess of love, was just one of many idols in Corinth that was tied to all social interaction in the city. Those mature believers recognized that the meat purchased at the temple meat market was not possessed and really had no significance. Yet, there were younger believers who had just come out of idol worship and were stumbled by those who purchased the meat. So the greater question was, “How far should you and I insist upon our personal freedoms that are not specifically mentioned in scripture?” Paul gave the following guidelines:

• In Chap. 8, truth must always be balanced by love,
• In Chp. 9, rights must be balanced by reward,
• In Chp. 10:1-22, opportunity must be balanced by servitude,
• In Chp. 10:23-33, freedom must be balanced by responsibility.

The point of “opportunity being balanced by servitude” is what Paul is dealing with here, and he has just spoken on the truth that our freedoms may cost us the race. That which we are free to pursue can be that which disqualifies us (9:10) for the prize. He then went on to reveal, through the illustrations of Israel’s exodus, three truths that we need to understand to avoid disqualification:

1. Vs. 1-5 The beginning does not guarantee the ending: Using the examples of Israel, Paul gave three glorious pieces of equipment that would ensure victory to each and every runner. Yet those pieces of equipment did not alone guarantee victory if, in our liberty, we chose to ignore the discipline necessary to run to win.
   • Running the race with us will be the presence of the Lord to guide us and protect us.
   • Our running is based upon the victory of another, which, if we keep on the course, will ensure our victory.
   • Along the many miles of the race, we will be constantly followed and sustained as we run.
2. Vs. 6-10 Strength does not prevent weakness: Paul went on to explain that what Israel was strong in became their weakness because they failed to remain disciplined in their practice, instead thinking that they needed not continue to practice in the areas of their strengths.
3. Vs. 11-13 Knowledge does not prevent ignorance: Finally, Paul revealed that we are in a battle and that freedom may very well cause us to end up a casualty. Paul went on to give us four truths concerning this battle and how our liberty can affect our victory:
   • We are the target; we are what the enemy wants!
   • The weapons against us are all the same!
   • You are not alone!
   • God alone is faithful, even when I am not!
   1. He alone is enough!
   2. I don’t trust me!

II. Vs. 14-15 When Overtaken, Retreat

Vs. 14 Having just left off dealing with these four truths, Paul links them with this section of scripture with the use of the word “therefore.” Yet with that said, this section deals with two things that the above section did not mention: idolatry and communion. The question for us is to discover the correlation between our freedoms that can disqualify us and idolatry and communion. In verse 13, as Paul stated, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Since we are what the enemy wants and the weapons he uses against us have not changed and, in fact, are common to us all, God has made a way of escape. Yeh so? Well, look again at verse 14 and ask, “What is the way of escape?” “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” Several things ought to stand out to us in this verse:

• My beloved: Here we see that those being overtaken in temptation are still dearly loved ones. One of the things that we often feel when we are being overtaken is that we are somehow disqualified from being a believer. Not so, as Paul calls them dearly loved ones.
• Flee: When you are being overtaken by temptation, RUN! But run where? Well, that’s simple: run away from the liberty (freedom) and to the One who has made the way of escape, the Lord.
• From idolatry: Here is what I find interesting: Paul has linked together two things that, I believe, based on the context, are synonymous with each other. Remember, Paul was speaking of pursuing our freedoms and finding out that those freedoms would disqualify us, becoming instead a temptation. Here we see that he calls those same liberties that overtake us in temptations “idolatry.” Do you see that?

What great insight this gives us concerning that which is considered idolatry. We often think of idolatry as a statue or some artifact that people worship. Yet here we see that Paul broadens the definition to include a liberty that we may pursue, that we become overtaken by. By definition, “Idolatry is anything or anyone, whether that is an object, idea, philosophy, habit, occupation, or sport, that lessens my desire for and loyalty towards trusting in the true and living God.” The stark reality is that all humans are created for worship, and in fact, all humans regardless of ethnicity, education, and environment, are worshiping something or someone—the only question is what! Furthermore, those that worship the true God cannot be worshiping something or someone else alongside Him. Jesus told us exactly this in Matt. 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” I’m afraid that a lot of folks today have an attitude like the fellow in the movie The Mummy who had every religious symbol around his neck to ward off the advance of the Mummy; if one doesn’t work, try another.

Vs. 15 So Paul says, “I’m speaking to you as believers (wise men), so you can judge the truth of this yourselves!” You and I have freedoms in Christ that we can pursue that, in our initial pursuit, appear to be harmless; some, in fact, seem to be beneficial, even spiritual. Yet they may become objects that we become more excited about than spending time with the Lord. That, to me, is the truest test, “What is my favorite thing to do? What do I spend most of my time thinking about?” Then that is what I’m worshiping; it is the love of my life, my master passion! This causes us to look outside of those obvious sins, doesn’t it? I like what Paul says here though, “Judge for yourself what I say.” I’m not here to say that what you have as a liberty is wrong, I don’t know. All I can ask of myself is, “Does this freedom consume me?” “Have I been bought by that which I have purchased?” How will you know? Well, what do you spend most of your time thinking on, excited about, looking forward to? That will indicate what you worship!

III. Vs. 16-20 Dance with the One That Brought You

Vs. 16-20 Paul is going to bring into the conversation about our freedoms and how they can become idolatrous the thought of communion. It is important that we remember that this all came from their question dealing with eating meat that was sacrificed to idols. Not many of these believers were in any danger of going back to the worship of idols as the non-believers were practicing. What they were in danger of was a much more subtle form of idolatry. You see, all social life in Corinth revolved around idol worship. As we have already discussed, they had the best cuts of meat. Furthermore, they had the best restaurants with the best music and entertainment. Simply put, these temples were more than just worship—they were pure entertainment. And it seems as though some of these Corinthian believers were using their freedoms to engage in the public social activity of the temple without worshiping the god that the entertainment was centered around. Is that not relevant today with all of the world’s entertainment? How are we Christians to balance being in the world but not of the world? Well, Paul gives two pieces of advice:

1. Vs. 16-18 Relationship: Here Paul gives us three things about our relationship with the Lord as seen in communion that may cause us to not pursue a freedom which takes us away from Him. Here is where I’m going with this: we often think of Christianity as boring and the things of the world as fun. This is caused by the fact that we don’t view our faith as primarily a relationship with the most interesting, captivating Person who has ever been. Think of it this way: perhaps the freedom you have and enjoy doing is playing softball. I mean, you would rather skip eating than miss playing in a softball game. But what if the person you most wanted to meet and spend time with was coming to town just to spend a few hours with you, but they could only come during the time when you were to be playing? And no, they weren’t able to make it to your game! You had to choose the game or spending time with the person; well, if you are like me, there will always be another game. You see, we always sacrifice the lesser for that which we consider the greater. Now you can see our problem: we don’t view our faith as a relationship. So Paul gives three things to remind us as it deals with communion.
   • Communion: “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?” The first thing that Paul does is remind them that the central part of their faith is fellowship with Jesus. We don’t have rules and regulations; we are blessed through the sacrifice of Jesus to have fellowship with the Creator of everything. Our Father is our Maker, and because of Jesus, we are not only known by Him—we know Him personally. Why would we ever want to pursue any liberty that would get in the way of the blessing of fellowship with the living God? At the very core of communion is the realization that because of Jesus’ work, we have entered into a relationship with God, who loves us and wants only the best for us. To know Him is to be blessed beyond anything that pursuit of our freedoms could ever gain us.
   • Celebration: “For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.” The second point that Paul brings up is that along with communion reminding us that we have a relationship, it is also a celebration. Dare I say the word “party”? Every aspect of our Christian life is a celebration. Hey, wait a minute, the trials we go through aren’t any fun! Well, James puts a different twist on this, doesn’t he, when he says (1:2-4), “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” No, the trial is not fun, but what it will produce is glorious!
   • Change: “Observe Israel after the flesh: Are not those who eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?” Finally, Paul reminds us that often the freedoms that we pursue are not permanent and give us no lasting change. Communion reminds us that we have become partakers of the person of Christ and thus we share in a life-altering condition that will last for all eternity. Here is the way I look at it: “If what I had was so great in the world, why did I leave it?” So why go back after anything that would rip me off?

1 Corinthians 10:21-33

“The Liberty of Love”

I. Intro

Paul closes out his words dealing with, “How far should a person insist upon our personal freedoms that are not specifically mentioned in scripture?” In doing so, he gives us greater insight into the true liberty of love. As I was reading this section, I came up with four questions we ought to ask ourselves when we are faced with a particular freedom that is not specifically mentioned in scripture:

1. Vs. 19-20 Do we have a biblical right to participate in this freedom?
2. Vs. 21-23 Will this freedom build me up or tear me down?
3. Vs. 24-30 Will this freedom cause others not to be built up?
4. Vs. 31-33 Can I do this freedom in a way that glorifies the Lord?

The right answer to these questions could save us from becoming entangled and trapped by a liberty that has become an idol that we worship. Last week, Paul introduced his readers to two things to consider prior to pursuing a freedom:

• Is this freedom going to end up as an object of worship in your heart?
• Will this freedom in any way weaken your relationship with the Lord? A relationship that is symbolized by communion, where constant fellowship, a joyous life, and consistent personal spiritual growth is what we ought to be regularly experiencing.

II. Vs. 19-24 Running To & Not Just Running From

Vs. 19 Paul wanted to guard against any misunderstanding that the Corinthian Church might have concerning his words about idols, so he lets them know that the “objects” that people worship have no power, and neither does that which is offered to the object. He had already established this truth back in chapter 8:4-6: “We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”

Vs. 20 So what’s the problem with going ahead and reading tarot cards or your horoscope, if they don’t mean anything anyway? Here is the answer: “It is not that these ‘objects’ have any power, but rather that what is behind every false thing we worship is Satan.” So as a person partakes in this liberty and we get caught up in thinking upon it all the time, we have been pulled off the worship of the only One who is worthy of our worship. John wrote in 1 John 4:3 that “every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”

Paul’s point, then, is dealing with separation from that which the world worships but not from the people of the world. Because of the Corinthians’ reasoning that since an idol is nothing and that which is offered to nothing, they began to party with the non-believers at the temples. So Paul reminds them that at the very core of their relationship was separation:

• Separation to the Lord
• Separation from the world system

I believe that we Christians often make the same mistakes in dealing with our freedoms, as we are at either end of the spectrum:

• Insulation: The word means to separate from an energy so that what it produces will not be transferred to another. Sometimes Christians will try to be so relatable to fit in with the people of the world and be relatable that we insulate ourselves from the fellowship with the Lord. Being friends with non-Christians is never to be apart from remembering that we are in fellowship with the Lord.
• Isolation: Here the idea is the opposite, and it is when we isolate ourselves from the people of the world because we fear contamination. Our mission is to reach the world.

The challenge is how to be in the world but not of the world! Communion reminds us that only through Jesus is this possible. You will recall that Jesus ate and drank with sinners all the while not participating in their sin.

Vs. 21-22 Paul brings his readers to two thoughts as it deals with our liberties and becoming trapped by them:

• Vs. 21 You cannot live a divided life: The first idea here centers on fellowship. Picture a dinner party to which you are invited as a guest and friend to attend. At one table is Jesus, and you have been invited to sit at His table and fellowship with Him. Yet at another table is Satan, who has invited people to eat with him, and you get up from Jesus’ table and go over and sit down at Satan’s table. Jesus’ half-brother James put it this way (4:4): “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Paul links what is behind all false forms of worship to the devil. No matter how benign the object of our worship may be, behind it is Satan, who wants the adoration, and if he can’t get it, will settle for God not having it.
• Vs. 22 You’re only ripping yourself off: The idea behind God being jealous is not the same as dealing with humans. When you or I are jealous, it is based on insecurity, which, of course, God cannot have. So how is He jealous? Well, His supreme desire is for us to receive His love and care, but when we pursue the worship of anything other than Him, we are unable to receive the benefits of His love. In other words, He is jealous on our behalf, even if we don’t realize that we are not experiencing the fruits of His love and care.

Vs. 23-24 Paul now begins his summation of these three chapters, along with some practical illustrations of how the Corinthians could practice their freedoms concerning what they eat and with whom they ate.

First off, “all things are lawful to me” is to be understood in the context of things not expressly forbidden in scripture, in other words, the gray areas of Christian living. In our freedoms that we may pursue, Paul says two things need to be considered as it relates to your personal walk with the Lord:

• “But not all things are helpful”: The word here means beneficial, and in the context of our freedoms, it deals with our spiritual growth and maturity. If we look at it from the standpoint of constructing a building, you could say, “Some things are not suitable for building!” If you have ever gone to build something and tried to find wood, then you will understand what Paul’s point is. You can choose any piece of wood you want, but if it is warped, then it will cause you problems in your building.
• “Not all things edify”: Secondly, Paul says that not all things build. I suppose all of us could wear the shirt that says “under construction.” We need to consider our freedom in light of our construction, Paul says, and that we ought to pursue freedoms that cause us to be edified.

Vs. 24 Next, Paul speaks from the point of view of our freedom’s effect upon others. So even if you could answer “Yes” to the above questions concerning your personal freedom, if the answer is seeking your “own” at the expense of another, then you need to lay aside your liberty for their sake. Paul wrote to the Philippians something very similar when he said in Phil 2:3-4, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

III. Vs. 25-33 Separated to Christ Yet Not Separate from People

Here Paul gives some practical illustrations of how this would work out. First, notice that he gives two different scenarios:

• Vs. 25-26 Private: The first one is just you with your liberty having already answered the above questions. It is for your own conscience’s sake; if the Lord has not told you that you should not partake of it, then eat it without asking any questions. Verse 26 is from Psalm 24:1, and it was the blessing said over a Jewish meal. Do you get what Paul is saying? He says ask God’s blessing over the food and enjoy! We Christians can run around trying to legalize every aspect of our Christian walk as it relates to our liberty. All this produces in us is a self-righteous pride that is based upon what we avoid because of our “special relationship” to the Lord. I’m always amazed to see what we Christians avoid when God has placed no such hindrance upon our liberty. Can’t listen to any music, can’t wear short sleeve shirts, have to become a member to partake in communion. If you are in private and God has placed no restriction on your freedom either personally or scripturally, then do it for the glory of God.
• Vs. 27-30 Public: Here Paul lays out several possible scenarios:
  • Vs. 27: You’ve been invited to dinner at a non-believer’s house, and they don’t say anything about where the food came from—then don’t ask any questions, just eat. Notice that Paul is not speaking about going to the temple restaurant, as he already covered that. He is speaking of going over to their house for dinner, and they are not a Christian.
  • Vs. 28: You’ve been invited over, the food has been placed in front of you, and they say, “Hey, did you know that this meat was offered to Venus?” Well then, don’t eat it and offer the Lord’s blessing on the rest of the food, and eat and enjoy. Here we see liberty operating within love for the other person. In other words, your freedom is not as important as the other person’s salvation or growth in Christ.

Vs. 29-30 Here we see that Paul seeks to make sure that these Corinthian believers avoid two common mistakes:

• Loving Christ but excluding those that He loves
• Loving people but excluding Christ who loves us

Vs. 31-33 Finally, Paul leaves the readers with the great purpose of every Christian and how to practice it:

1. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Our chief aim in life, no matter what we are doing or saying, is to glorify God. Everything we do is to be done to glorify Him and to place Him above all else. Yes, but how is this to be practiced?
2. “Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God.” Our conduct is not to be a stumbling block to the religious (Jews), who are seeking the Lord but do not fully grasp the truth. Neither is our conduct to stumble those who are indifferent towards the things of God (Greeks). Finally, our conduct should do nothing that would slow down the growth towards Christ from the Church. Now Paul has already established in the first chapter that this does not mean that we ought to change the Word of God, as it will be a stumbling block. What Paul is dealing with is our freedoms not causing others to stumble.
3. “Just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” So how am I not to cause any of those to stumble? Well, by not seeking your own profit but rather the profit of others so that they might be saved—that is what Paul means by pleasing all men in all things.
4. 11:1 “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” Finally, Paul finishes by saying that in behaving this way, we are imitating Jesus and are an example of the way He lived. This phrase ought to forever replace the words we say to others, “Don’t do as I do, do as I say!” Instead, we ought to be able to turn to each other and say, “Hey, imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ!”