1 Corinthians 10
10
Church membership no guarantee of perfection
1The fact is, brethren, baptism and partaking of the bread and wine, and your membership in the Church of Christ show forth your status as the spiritually elect of God — but remember, you are not thereby perfected. There may yet come another falling away, as with those who were called in the old days in a similar manner to us. 2What though they were all under the cloud in the moment of revelation, and all passed through the sea, 3and all ate the spiritual manna 4and drank the spiritual drink which flowed from the rock. The rock is said to have followed them wherever they went. That rock means the Christ. 5Now mark and learn the lesson. Many of those original founders of our faith “were slain in the wilderness” (Num. 14:16). 6The perfect will of God was not fulfilled in them and thereby we can discern the truth about ourselves, for they are types. They teach us not to lust, as some of them “lusted” (Num. 11:4, 34). 7Yes, our fathers took part in that great piece of history, they witnessed that divine manifestation of God, and yet though part of all that, they were not all elect. There took place in their midst a corresponding reprobation and apostacy of some. They worshipped idols, and made an image to Jehovah, and made a pagan rite of his sacrifice. “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” (Exod. 32:6) 8They committed fornication, and 23,000 fell in one day. 9They tempted the Lord, and were destroyed by serpents. 10They murmured, and the destroyer fell on them. 11On us has come the fulfilment of history. What happened before is the type of that which happens now, what was written before was written for the guidance of those on whom these days have come. All that past is contained in the history that is being made. 12Therefore let us beware, beware of “lusting,” of “fornication,” of “idolatry,” of doubting and murmuring. If our eyes are not open to the significance of those warnings, we too shall fall, even though we think we stand. 13It is God alone that can save us; in Him there will always be a way of escape however hotly the temptation press in on us, for such temptation must needs come to those that are but human. 14But mark me, note what I say. 15Beware, O beware, of idolatry, of pagan feasts and rites. Study well my words. 16That cup over which we pronounce the blessing, 17and the bread which we break, assembling ourselves together for the purpose — 18have they anything to do with the rites observed by pagans, and can we who take this cup of the Lord fall into the error of idolatry? 19Certainly the image and the meat sacrificed to it are nothing — 20we know that. But the heathen sacrifice “not to God, but to devils.” (Deut. 32:17).
Pagan rites very different from the table of the Lord
21And to partake of the feasts by which these devils are worshipped is to lay yourself open to the strong influences that hang over such rites. Just as in that Israel which now bears the name of Israel after the flesh, the people who share in the sacrificial feast, share also in the Altar. Can we then, who take the cup of the Lord and partake of this feast, have anything whatever to do with the feasts of the devils? O beware of the subtle contaminating influence of idolatry! Our feast is a spiritual one; the words of blessing pronounced over the cup, and again over the bread, they mean our share in the blood of the Christ, our membership in the infinite body of the Christ, just as we all partake of the one loaf which is broken and given to all with the accompanying words of blessing, so are we all members of that one divine spiritual body. That is the meaning of our feast. Can such a feast as that have in it any taint of idolatry? Mark well the types I have spoken of, which the scriptures contain! Shall the table of the Lord (Mal. 1:7, 12) be polluted by you through intercourse with devils? 22Will you “provoke him to jealousy with strange gods?” (Deut. 32:16). What possible connection can there be between our spiritual feast and the table of devils? 23Granted — all things are lawful to those who are free and emancipated. But it does not follow that there is no danger, no destructive power lurking round things which in an absolute sense are harmless. 24Seek what serves the common good, seek what builds and edifies, seek not your own. 25You are of course at liberty to purchase whatever you please where meat is sold, and ask no questions about it. 26-27Similarly, you can dine with friends not of the faith, and eat whatever they set before you. That is our freedom. “Is not the earth the Lord’s and the fulness thereof?” (Ps. 24:1). 28But if your host inform you, “this meat was sacrificed to such and such a god,” then keep the rule of absolute abstention from idolatry. 29You may consider yourself free, and think that you partake of all things by the grace of God, 30and are able to give thanks therefore with a good conscience, but if you are really free, why should this action affect the conscience of another, and be misinterpreted? It is better not to eat of it where other people’s consciences are at stake. 31-32Seek not your own point of view, lean not to that, although you know yourself to be as free as Christ has made you in all such matters of eating and drinking, or whatever other things you may be doing, but seek the glory of the one God, seek to commend yourself to all men, whether your company be Jewish, Greek or those who are of the faith. O think not of yourselves, but of them! 33That is always my point of view, to please all in every way I can, that they may find salvation;
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Translated in 1916, published in 1937.
1 Corinthians 10
10
Warning Against Idolatry
1For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,#10:1 Or brothers and sisters that our fathers were all under #See Ex. 13:21 the cloud, and all #See Ex. 14:22passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and #Ex. 16:15, 35; Deut. 8:3; Neh. 9:15, 20; Ps. 78:24 all ate the same #Ps. 78:25; 105:40; John 6:31spiritual food, 4and #See Ex. 17:6all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for #Num. 14:29, 37; 26:64, 65; Ps. 106:26; Heb. 3:17; Jude 5they were overthrown#10:5 Or were laid low in the wilderness.
6Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as #Num. 11:4, 33, 34; Ps. 78:18; 106:14they did. 7#ver. 14 Do not be idolaters #Ex. 32:4 as some of them were; as it is written, #Cited from Ex. 32:6“The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8#See ch. 6:18; Acts 15:20 We must not indulge in sexual immorality #Num. 25:1 as some of them did, and #[Num. 25:9; Ps. 106:29]twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We must not put Christ#10:9 Some manuscripts the Lord to the test, #Num. 21:5; [Ex. 17:2, 7]; See Ps. 78:18 as some of them did and #See Num. 21:6were destroyed by serpents, 10nor grumble, #See Num. 14:2 as some of them did and #Num. 14:29-37 were destroyed by #Ex. 12:23; 2 Sam. 24:16; 1 Chr. 21:15; Ps. 78:49the Destroyer. 11Now these things happened to them as an example, but #See Rom. 4:23 they were written down for our instruction, #See Rom. 13:11on whom the end of the ages has come. 12Therefore #Rom. 11:20; [2 Pet. 3:17]let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. #See ch. 1:9 God is faithful, and #[Dan. 3:17]; See 2 Pet. 2:9he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
14Therefore, my beloved, #ver. 7flee from idolatry. 15I speak #[ch. 8:1]as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16#ch. 11:25; Matt. 26:27, 28 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? #ch. 11:23, 24; Matt. 26:26; See Acts 2:42; 20:7The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one bread, we who are many are #ch. 12:12, 13, 20; Rom. 12:5; Eph. 4:4, 16; Col. 3:15one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18Consider #Rom. 1:3; 4:1; 9:5; 2 Cor. 11:18 the people of Israel:#10:18 Greek Consider Israel according to the flesh #Lev. 3:3; 7:15; [Heb. 13:10]are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that #See ch. 8:4an idol is anything? 20No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice #Deut. 32:17they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21#[2 Cor. 6:15, 16] You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and #[Deut. 32:38] the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and #[Isa. 65:11]the table of demons. 22#Deut. 32:21 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? #Eccles. 6:10; Ezek. 22:14Are we stronger than he?
Do All to the Glory of God
23 # ch. 6:12; See ch. 8:9 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24#ver. 33; ch. 13:5; Phil. 2:21; [ch. 9:23; 2 Cor. 12:14]; See Rom. 15:1Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25#ch. 8:7Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26For #Cited from Ps. 24:1; [Ex. 9:29; 19:5; Deut. 10:14; Job 41:11; Ps. 50:12]“the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, #Luke 10:8eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29I do not mean #[ch. 8:9-12] your conscience, but his. For #[ch. 9:19; Rom. 14:16]why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that #Rom. 14:6; 1 Tim. 4:3, 4for which I give thanks?
31So, whether you eat or drink, or #Col. 3:17; 1 Pet. 4:11whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32#ch. 8:13; Rom. 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:3 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to #[ch. 11:16]; See Acts 20:28the church of God, 33just as #ch. 9:22; [Gal. 1:10] I try to please everyone in everything I do, #See ver. 24not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
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