First Corinthians 10 Part 7 Are You Having Fellowship With God Or With Devils?

Temptation must be viewed in the context of idolatry.

1 Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 

The temptations Paul refers to are viewed as, small and of moderate duration. Our temptations or trials are not as difficult in comparison of those endured by the Israelites. 

Paul gives us hope that our trials and temptations can be resisted and overcome. God will not suffer us to be tried above the strength He gives us. 

The word "temptation" is of great interest to us. It is an experiment, attempt, trial, proving or testing, our fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy of our Christian walk.

It refers to an enticement to sin, temptation, whether arising from our own desires or from outward circumstances.

Temptation is a mental state by which we are enticed to sin or to a lapse from the faith and holiness.

Temptation may also be adversity, affliction, trouble sent by God to test or prove our character, faith, or holiness.

As a trial or temptation comes, God will provide us with sufficient strength to resist it. As we enter a trial or temptation, God will make an exit point for us. 

God will with the temptation make the deliverance, or way out. Satan is never permitted to block our way out of temptation.  

Should an upright soul land in temptation or trials he is assured that there is a way out from God just as there was a way in. 

Essentially this whole chapter is centered upon teaching us about the dangers of idolatry and all that accompanies such sin.

Thus, the spirit guided truth from Paul about temptation must be viewed in context of the dangers connected with idolatry.

I think we must keep a simple definition of idolatry in focus as idolatry today looks different than it did centuries ago.

An idol can be any inanimate thing such as vocational skills, education, wealth, property, hobbies, that we give more passion and attention to than we give to our Great God.

An idol can be any animate thing such as husband, wife, children, grandchildren, friends or other relationships that we give more passion and time to than we give to our Great God. 

The two commandments from God show us what our priority must be.

Exodus 20:1-6  And God spake all these words, saying, 2)  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3)  Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4)  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5)  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6)  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 

Here are the first two from the Ten Commandments that God gave to us. 

The first four deal with our relationship with Jehovah and the last six deal with our relationships with each other. 

The phrase "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" doesn't just refer to an idol like a statue. 

It refers to all those things I mentioned before, anything or anyone that receives a higher priority than what we give to God.

Jesus summarizes God's law by telling us to love God and love others.

Mark 12:28-31  And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29)  And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30)  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31)  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 

Jesus said that the whole of God's law is summed up by loving God with all of our being, heart, soul and mind. 

It is loving our neighbors by showing the same level of care for them that we have for ourselves.

We are urged to flee idolatry in all its forms and variations.

1 Corinthians 10:14-15  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 15)  I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. 

The Corinthians highly valued their wisdom and various gifts even though their use and motivation was wrong.

Remember, some Corinthians felt free to eat meat offered to idols and did not care if that caused a weaker brother or sister to stumble.

They were proud that they had special "wisdom" obtained by only a select few. They boasted about having spiritual gifts that others did not have. 

Their pride and arrogance caused divisions and discord in the church at Corinth.

Paul is basically saying that "since you Corinthians are so wise you surely see the evil of idolatry and will flee from it."

Communion is a sober remembrance of Jesus blood and body given to save us. 

1 Corinthians 10:16-17  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? 17)  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.  

We who partake of this sacred cup by commemorating of the death of Christ, are made partakers of his body and blood. 

The perfect, complete sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is the basis of our fellowship with God. 

In like manner those Corinthians who ate meats from an idol's feast, are also participating with the idol to whom the sacrifice was offered. 

For we are made partakers of one bread, or loaf. “By partaking of one broken loaf, the picture of Christ's broken body, who is the only true bread that came down from heaven, we are joined into one body, becoming members of Christ and with one another.”

If you eat meats offered to idols, you are not communing with God.

1 Corinthians 10:18  Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? 

Paul refers to Jews who still make sacrifices and eat the meat as the law commanded. 

They are still trying to be right with God through the old covenant which is done away with by Christ's perfect sacrifice for sin.  

Paul seeks to lead his converts at Corinth away from all temptations to idolatry. 

All who join together in celebrating the Lord’s Supper are partakers of that one bread. This is proof that they are Christians, and have fellowship with Christ.

All the Israelites who offer sacrifices, and partake of those sacrifices, give proof thereby that they are Jews. 

In like manner, they who join in eating things offered to idols, give proof that they are in communion with idolaters, and that they have fellowship with the demons they worship.

Paul's Spirit guided argument is very sobering. We must remember our definition of idolatry and diligently search our heart to make sure that we have not allowed anyone or anything to become an idol in our lives.

If we find that we have permitted some form of idolatry, we must confess and forsake that sin, and seek the cleaning and forgiveness promised by our Father (See 1 John 1:7 to 2:2).

Why idolatry is a sin and must be removed from our lives. 

1 Corinthians 10:19-20  What say I then? that the idol is anything, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? 20)  But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 

Paul's conclusion is that an idol is nothing. An idol has no power or influence. Things offered to idols are nothing. 

Yet, as the things sacrificed by the Gentiles are sacrificed to demons and not to God. 

Those who partake of them have fellowship with demons and those who profess Christianity cannot have fellowship both with Christ and the devil.

Idolatry has to do with the God to whom we have given our heart.

1 Corinthians 10:21-22  Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. 22)  Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? 

Paul makes it very clear. A Christian cannot drink the cup of communion remembering Christ's blood shed for us, and also drink the cup of the devils celebration.

A believer in Christ cannot eat the bread that reminds us of Jesus' body broken for us and also eat meat offered to idols.  

Matthew 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 

Jesus teaches us that we cannot serve two masters, and those at Corinth who ate meats offered to idols were in effect, serving two masters.

Eating food offered to devils is giving legitimacy to that idolatrous practice. 

The apostle asked two rhetorical questions.

Do we provoke the LORD to jealousy, knowing how He judged Israel's idolatry?

All idolatry is represented as spiritual adultery. Idolatry is giving a heart to Satan that should be devoted to God. 

God is represented as being jealous, because of the infidelity of those who have covenanted to give their hearts to him.

We know God will judge any idolatry in us. This is an inescapable conclusion based upon Israel's history.

Are we stronger than God? The obvious answer is "No, we are a feeble, frail finite people."

We have learned much more about idolatry and we must remember that the Spirit of God caused these truths to be recorded for us.

We must hear and heed what God is saying to us about idolatry.

We must be like the Hebrews who rooted out all leaven from their homes during Passover, because leaven is a picture of sin and its subtle, corrupting influence. 

Let us ask the LORD to search our hearts so that He might expose any idolatry in us.

May the Spirit of God guide us as we digest these truths about idolatry and its application in the modern world.

Bob