1 Corinthians 10:14-33

¹⁴ Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 

In closing Paul’s previous passages on food sacrificed to idols and dealing with Jews and Gentiles, he calls upon his Christian friends to judge for themselves the things that he has just spoken about and what he is about to affirm. Paul calls them “sensible” people, being completely competent to judge reasonably.

Acts 15:10 “Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.”

¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.  ¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? ¹⁹ Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ²² Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

The cup of thanks and the bread that they break is the command that Jesus gave at the last supper to remember Him by. In doing this Christians fellowship with one another to the Lord and the work of the cross.

Luke 22:19 “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Luke 22:20 “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

And in the same sense those who offer food sacrifices to an idol on an altar, although the idol itself is nothing, in essence they also fellowship with one another. This is what Paul doesn’t want them to be partakers of because in reality they fellowship with demons. It is a great contradiction to be partakers of both the Lords supper and also sacrifices made to an idol. So Paul warns them to stay clear of partaking with those who offer sacrifices to demons.

²³ “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. ²⁴ No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. ²⁵ Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, ²⁶ for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”

Although this passage is in regards to food Paul makes this similar argument in 1 Corinthians 6:12 on sexual immorality. That although as free Christians have the rights to do anything, Paul says that not everything is beneficial or constructive to them as a person or a church. The exercise of their freedom shouldn’t be a stumbling block to anyone else around them, hence in verse 24 Paul states that they should seek the good of others not their own.

In verse 25 Paul suggests to them that they should eat whatever they want that is sold at the market, knowing very well that whatever is there belongs to the Lord anyway. Though they shouldn’t bring up the weak conscience of others as he mentioned in 1 Corinthians 8:7 as this would cause them to stumble.

Acts 10:15 “The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

 ²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. ²⁹ I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰ If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? ³¹ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³² Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— ³³ even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Paul gives the Corinthians a rule of how to properly deal with the issue of sacrificial food and the company of others. He would have them put the other persons heart first before their own. To do this they are not to participate in the meal if they have said they offered it as a sacrifice to an idol because this will affect that persons conscience. They shouldn’t participate even if they know that the idol is nothing and even if they thank God for it. Paul’s concern is always for others.

1 Corinthians 8:7 “But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.”

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