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.
1st Corinthians 10
10
CHAPTER 10
1Brethren, I will not, that ye unknow, that all our fathers were under [a] cloud, and all passed the sea;
2and all were baptized in Moses, in the cloud and in the sea;
3and all ate the same spiritual meat,
4and all drank the same spiritual drink; and they drank of the spiritual stone following them; and the stone was Christ.
5But not in full many of them it was well pleasant to God; for why they were cast down in [the] desert.
6But these things were done in figure of us, that we be not coveters of evil things, as they coveted.
7Neither be ye made idolaters, as some of them; as it is written, The people sat to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.
8Neither do we fornication, as some of them did fornication, and three and twenty thousand were dead in one day.
9Neither tempt we Christ, as some of them tempted, and perished of serpents.
10Neither grutch ye, as some of them grutched, and they perished of a destroyer [or of the waster].
11And all these things fell to them in figure; but they be written to our amending [or correction], into whom the ends of the worlds be come [or the ends of the world have come].
12Therefore he that guesseth him, that he standeth, see he, that he fall not.
13Temptation take not you, but man’s temptation; for God is true, which shall not suffer you to be tempted above that that ye may; but he shall make with temptation also purveyance, that ye may suffer [or sustain].
14Wherefore, ye most dearworthy to me, flee ye from the worshipping of maumets [or idols].
15As to prudent men I speak, deem ye yourselves [or ye yourselves deem] that thing that I say.
16Whether the cup of blessing which we bless, is not the communing of Christ’s blood? and whether the bread which we break, is not the part-taking of the body of the Lord?
17For we many be one bread and one body, all we that take part of one bread and of one cup.
18See ye Israel after the flesh, whether they that eat sacrifices, be not partners of the altar?
19What therefore say I, that a thing that is offered to idols is anything, or that the idol is anything?
20But those things that heathen men offer, they offer to devils, and not to God. But I will not, that ye be made fellows of fiends;
21for ye may not drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of fiends; ye may not be partners of the board of the Lord, and of the board of fiends.
22Whether we have envy to the Lord? whether we be stronger than he?
23All things be leaveful to me, but not all things be speedful. All things be leaveful to me, but not all things edify.
24No man seek that thing that is his own, but that thing that is of another.
25All thing that is sold in the butchery, eat ye, asking nothing for conscience.
26The earth and the plenty of it, is the Lord’s.
27If any of heathen [or of unfaithful] men call you to supper, and ye will go, all thing that is set to you, eat ye, asking nothing for conscience.
28But if any man saith, This thing is offered to idols, do not ye eat, for him that showed [this thing], and for conscience;
29and I say not, thy conscience, but of another [man’s]. But whereto is my freedom [or my liberty] deemed of another man’s conscience?
30Therefore if I take part with grace, what am I blasphemed, for that that I do thankings [or graces]?
31Therefore whether ye eat, or drink, or do any other thing, do ye all things to the glory of God.
32Be ye without offence to Jews, and to heathen men, and to the church of God;
33as I by all things please to all men, not seeking that that [or what] is profitable to me, but that that is profitable to many men, that they be made safe.
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Wycliffe’s Bible with Modern Spelling ©2017
Wycliffe’s Apocrypha ©2013, 2015
Wycliffe’s Bible © 2012, 2015
Wycliffe’s New Testament ©2001, 2011
Wycliffe’s Old Testament ©2001, 2010