Episode 194 - "Flee from idolatry" - 1 Corinthians 10:14-22

1Cor. 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Once again, we have a section that begins with “therefore.” So, I want to review a little bit in order to discuss what it is “there for.” In our last episode, Paul warned the Corinthians about the Israelites during the exodus and how they reverted to idolatry, sexual immorality, and debauchery in general. We concluded that episode with a promise of hope that God will not allow us to be tempted by anything that we cannot possibly bear and that he will “make a way of escape.” (v. 13)

In light of the example of the idolatrous Israelites, and the cultural pressures in and around Corinth, Paul is giving them counsel on how to best live a life honoring to the Lord. He says, therefore . . . “flee from idolatry.” (v. 14) He had previously written about the issue of meat offered to idols and Christian liberty. There’s nothing intrinsically evil about the meat itself, he argued. One has not sinned if they ate meat and later found out that it had been sacrificed to idols. So now in verse 19 he says, “What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?” His answer is “no.”

But there are a few problems that come with it. One is that a fellow Christian may have a past struggle, and their spiritual immaturity evokes conviction or some internal conflict regarding the food. Paul says it’s best to abstain so as not to cause that weaker person to “stumble.” In our culture, a believer who has no conviction about having a glass of wine with dinner might investigate whether a dinner guest had a problem with alcoholic beverages. Maybe they were a recovering alcoholic. Offering them wine at dinner might create a serious and destructive temptation for them. Paul is advising them (and we can learn from this ourselves) to use discernment in order to do what is good and best for others.

Another problem that Paul brings up in this section is the motives of those who offer food to idols. Paul says that people who do such things are not worshipping the true God. He is basically arguing that in worshipping inanimate things made of stone, wood, and clay, they have been deceived and are actually worshipping demons. Paul’s point is, “Don’t participate in that! Flee from it, and it won’t be a temptation.” (My interpretation)

I could think of things that people do that may not be wrong in and of itself. However, it can become an idol to some. People commit their money, time, energy, attention, and overall devotion to it, and it consumes them and distracts them from dependence upon the Lord. One’s job could become an idol. How people use their time and money for leisure may become an idol. Many other things can have the same effect on our lives as statues that people worship. When we devote ourselves to these things over the Lord, they become idols. We need to identify these things and flee from them.

We need the wisdom to discern what can potentially lead us away from honoring the Lord and flee from it.