¹ Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. ³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. ⁶ After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸ and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

Paul changes his topic here from the previous passage on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to the resurrection of the dead. He reminds the Corinthian church that he had preached a resurrected Christ, that after Christ’s death on the third day he rose again and appeared to many witnesses, including Paul himself on the Damascus road on the way to Emmaeus. Paul removes any notion that after death there would be nothing else and proves this by Christ’s very own resurrection and those that are witnesses to this event.  

 ⁹ For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. ¹¹ Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

Paul, who is known well for speaking about the grace of God shown to him, again reminds the Corinthian church of God’s grace, giving God the glory for all the works of his hands. That everything he and the other apostles achieved, God did it all.

Paul states that God appeared to him last as if he was abnormally born, yet God’s grace was so great that even though Paul was persecuting the Christians at the time, God chose him to preach the gospel to all the Gentiles, and not to mention majority of the letters/books in the New Testament were written by Paul.

²⁶ What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. ²⁷ If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. ²⁸ If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

Paul instructs the Corinthian church on proper order when they come together as a congregation. In regards to speaking in tongues, one person should speak and the one who can interpret tongues should then tell the church what is being said. Otherwise, if no one in the church interprets tongues then the person who speaks in tongues should just do speak in tongues to God and himself and not to the entire church.

 ²⁹ Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. ³⁰ And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. ³¹ For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. ³² The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. ³³ For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.

In regards to prophecy, anyone who can prophecy should speak out to the church one at a time so that everyone can hear what is being said. Rather than having several people speak at the same time, so that there is order in their congregation. This goes for both speaking in tongues and prophecy when they are together.

 ³⁴ Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission, as the law says. ³⁵ If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their own husbands at home; for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in the church.

The women who didn’t understand what was being said in the church should wait until the church service had ended and they could ask their husbands afterwards or at home. This would prevent any disruptions during the service where women would speak amongst themselves at inappropriate times. 

 ³⁶ Or did the word of God originate with you? Or are you the only people it has reached? ³⁷ If anyone thinks they are a prophet or otherwise gifted by the Spirit, let them acknowledge that what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command. ³⁸ But if anyone ignores this, they will themselves be ignored.³⁹ Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰ But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.

Paul seems to address those in the Corinthian church who may doubt what he is saying. He poses rhetorical questions as if to target those who have prided themselves into thinking that they are ‘the’ church where all Godly things came from. However Paul then challenges their doubts about him by stating that anyone who is a prophet should ask God about what he is saying and then acknowledge whether or not what he has written is truly from God.

¹ Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. ² For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. ³ But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. ⁴ Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. ⁵ I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.

Continuing from the previous passage on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Paul exhorts the church telling them to always act out of love when using their spiritual gifts. He focuses here on corporate ‘church’ worship and in particular the gift of tongues and the gift of prophecy and explains how the purpose of each gift is different from each other. On one hand the gift of tongues is to edify oneself where the person speaking in the spirit of God speaks in a language unknown to them. Although that person is praying and uttering mysteries to God, in the corporate sense no one else in the church is edified unless they can interpret what is being said. Whereas the gift of prophesy is spoken in their native language so the whole church will be able to understand what is being said. Paul doesn’t discredit speaking in tongues, in fact he wants all of them to speak in tongues, however he would rather have them be able to prophesy so that the whole church will be edified.

 ⁶ Now, brothers and sisters, if I come to you and speak in tongues, what good will I be to you, unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or word of instruction? ⁷ Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the pipe or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? ⁸ Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? ⁹ So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air. ¹⁰ Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning. ¹¹ If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker is a foreigner to me. ¹² So it is with you. Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church.

It seems that by verse 12 the people in the Corinthian church were eager to learn and grow in the spiritual gifts, Paul emphasises the importance of building up the church rather than just having a focus on building oneself. He also describes what it’s like to speak in a tongue in verse 7-11. The speaker nor the hearer doesn’t know the language they are speaking, it will be a language from a foreign country to them. Though there is meaning in what is being said, no one else can understand, hence Paul’s focus on them being able to prophecy as well.

 ¹³ For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. ¹⁵ So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. ¹⁶Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer, say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? ¹⁷You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.

Paul now describes what it is like to interpret tongues. If you pray in tongues then you are speaking in the spirit of God but your mind will have no understanding of what you are saying. But if you speak in a tongue and also pray with understanding in your native tongue then those around you can also understand what you are saying. You would start by praying in tongues in a foreign language, then start to pray from your understanding in your native language.

 ¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. ¹⁹ But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. ²⁰ Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. ²¹ In the Law it is written: “With other tongues and through the lips of foreigners I will speak to this people, but even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” ²² Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³ So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind? ²⁴ But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, ²⁵ as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

Paul emphasises here that he is speaking in regards to corporate church worship and the gathering of people as a community. When they come together he would rather have them say something that people can understand. Especially if they as believers are coming together. Because prophecy is a sign for those who believe in God.

He quotes Isaiah 28 when Paul tells the church to stop thinking like children but to think like adults. He says this because in the book of Isaiah the purpose of God using people of foreign countries to speak to the Israelites was because they did not believe in God. God wanted them to listen so he would bring people of foreign nations to speak to his people, yet they would not listen. In the same sense, speaking in tongues for the Christian church is a sign for those who don’t believe in God.

¹ If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Paul continues from the previous two passages on the gifts of the Spirit and introduces love, which is above all else. That although we can have all the gifts given to us, and be able to do amazing things with these gifts, if we don’t have the love of God then everything is meaningless and in vain.

Just like Abraham was propelled by his love for God and produced the fruit of faith, we also produce fruits of the the same Spirit: tongues, prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, faith, etc but love should be the forefront of why we do these things for other people.

 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Paul describes love with a list several attributes: patience, kindness, contentedness, humble, servant heart, honourable, slow to anger, forgiving, truthful, protecting, hopeful, and persevering. These are the attributes every believer in the Corinthian church should uphold while serving their brothers and sisters with their spiritual gifts. Without showing these attributes of love there is no point to exercising their gifts.

 ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.

Love never fails. No matter what the Christians do, if they go out with an intention to love then they won’t fail to accomplish their goals. If they go out with the intention to prophecy, to speak in tongues, or do great acts but without the intention to love then they may fail in what they do.

Paul continues to talk about the other gifts and how temporary they all are compared to love. All of them will pass away, be stilled, will eventually cease, but love lasts forever because love completes everything. And God completes everything.

¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Paul gives an analogy of a child who grows up to become a man in the process putting away the former to develop into maturity. In the same way, we only see in part just as a child, but when God makes all things known to us then we will know Him completely.

 ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

The three remaining gifts Paul seems to group together in importance. Faith in God with what was promised, hope in God with things unseen yet revealed, and the everlasting and abounding love of God, which is the greatest of all three gifts and all other gifts mentioned in this passage.

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Continuing from the previous passage Paul gives this analogy of a human body for the Corinthians to show them how the body of Christ is one and not divided amongst themselves. It doesn’t matter whether they were Jewish or if they are Gentile, God is not partial to anyone but accepts them all into his kingdom. All of them were baptised into the same Holy Spirit although each of them may have different gifts. Paul doesn’t want them to be confused with idolizing different gods for each of the different gifts they received, but that all the gifts came from the same one God.

 ¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body. ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Paul describes the different parts of the human body in likeness to how the church ought to view each other. Although they are all different, they all need each other to become a functioning church. They are all dependant upon each other and carry each others burdens and joys as he mentions in v26 if one suffers all suffer with it, and if one is honored everyone rejoices with it. Everyone has a place and are all important in God’s church. 

 ²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

Paul goes through a list of different types of people in the church and gives them a hierarchy depending on the type of work they would be doing. First are the apostles, second prophets, teachers, miracles, healing, helping, guidance, and tongues. All of them have a place and are all important to the working of the church. In verses 29-30 Paul poses these questions asking if everyone in the church were apostles, prophets, teachers etc. In the case that they all have acquired the same gifts they should all then desire the greater gifts.

¹ Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

It seems that in the church there may have been people who claimed to be in the Spirit of God yet they would curse the name of Jesus. Paul corrects this by saying that no one in the Spirit of God would say such a thing, neither can no one say that Jesus is Lord unless they have the Holy Spirit within them. Our dependency on knowing God is through God and not through our own effort.

 ⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

Paul makes it clear that although there are different gifts, service, and works to God that are presented amongst the believers, it is the same Holy Spirit that does all these things. Paul probably had to tell them this because of their past in which they worshipped false idols of different gifting. Instead Paul says that God is one, and all these gifts are from the same God not many different gods.

 ⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Paul gives an account of the different types of gifts from the Holy Spirit for the good of the church. Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing between spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. The Holy Spirit gives these gifts to each of the believers to whom He chooses to give the gifts to. So not everyone may have the same gifts, some may very well have more than one gift, and its possible that all may have the same gift. It is all dependent on God but the emphasis of this passage is that all these powerful gifts are given by the same Holy Spirit and not many different gods.

¹⁷ In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸ In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹ No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. 

In regards to the Lords supper Paul considers the celebration that the Corinthian church introduced was doing more harm than good. There were divisions amongst them in regards to the celebration of the Lords supper, which Paul outlines in the next several verses.

²⁰So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat,²¹ for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. ²² Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

Paul reveals that some in the church had food to eat while others didn’t, that those who were rich would eat together and neglect those who had none, and they would do this to humiliate those who had nothing.

 ²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Paul recounts what Jesus did on the day of his betrayal, Jesus showed the disciples what was to happen to him by symbolically representing the body and blood of Christ that was to be given up for them. They were to continue to break bread and drink from the cup from this day forward to remember the very moment of his death.

 ²⁷ So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹ But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. ³²Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

Paul tells those who partake in the Lord’s supper that when they do, they should do so in a worthy manner because of the Lord’s suffering for their sins, they should examine in themselves areas of repentance to bring to God. In this way they won’t just be celebrating a feast without considering the reason for it and what was endured for them. Those of them who aren’t recognizing the body and blood that was shed for them bring judgement on themselves when they partake in the meal. It shouldn’t be taken lightly or considered as just another meal, but should represent to the one eating and drinking that they are in communion with God due to Christ’s suffering. Evidently, the appearance of sickness, weakness, and falling asleep in their faith, was now amongst them because of their improper use of the Lord’s supper. However Paul states in v32 that although they were judged by God in this manner, they are being disciplined so that they know how to properly approach his supper.

 ³³ So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. ³⁴ Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.

Paul concludes that all people attending the church at Corinth should partake of the Lord’s supper together, not leaving anyone out, or dividing amongst themselves between rich and poor, those who have and those who don’t have food.

¹ Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. ² I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.

Paul praises the Corinthian church for keeping hold of the traditions of Corinth that Paul had passed onto them to keep. Many interpret this to say that Paul isn’t talking about traditions as in generational traditions but rather that Paul was praising them for holding onto his decrees and teachings that he passed onto them. I’m going to disagree with most interpretations and say that Paul was in fact talking about generational traditions due to the nature of this passage, which is to do with head covering for women (a tradition in the church of Corinth).

³ But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. ⁴ Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵ But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. ⁶ For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

Paul shares his knowledge and understanding on head covering in relation to their tradition, that if a woman’s head is uncovered with a head-covering of some sort (probably a scarf/head piece) it is then traditionally believed to be a disgrace to her. But a man shouldn’t cover his head because he was made in God’s image.

 ⁷ A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. ⁸ For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; ⁹ neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. ¹⁰ It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels. ¹¹ Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹² For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

Paul here refers to the book of Genesis when God made Adam and Eve. He created Adam the father of all the living, first, and from Adam’s rib he created Eve the mother of all the living. And in verse 10 Paul states that it’s for this reason a woman should have a sign of authority over her head. The head covering was to be that sign. This also represented or signified the spiritual authority of the church. God is head over the church (both men and women), and man is head over the woman (as pertaining to husbands and wives, fathers and daughters). Not only this but it was to be of some benefit to the angels who minister to the believers of God. Of what benefit isn’t made clear.

Hebrews 1:13 “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”

 ¹³ Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴ Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵ but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶ If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

This practice of head covering was only done in the church of Corinth and not in any of the other churches. It had been a tradition that was passed down from the previous generation so was a custom that Paul held in respect to them as a people but not as a rule of thumb for worshipping God. Hence why he tells them to judge for themselves whether they think its proper or not. The other churches didn’t follow this practice, therefore if anyone in the church were to argue about this, then it should be known to them that it isn’t practised in any of God’s churches.

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.”

¹ For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 

Paul gives the Corinthians a warning from Israel’s history which is recorded in the Old Testament during the time of Moses once they fled from Egypt. He reminds them that God was with the Israelites when he parted the red sea, and also via a cloud which guided their journey.

Exodus 13:21 “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.”

Exodus 14:22 “and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.”

² They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵ Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

In following Moses they had all been figuratively “baptized” when they went through the sea and in the cloud. Essentially this means that they accepted Moses as their leader, whilst also having the Lord Jesus with them throughout the whole ordeal spiritually guiding them. This wasn’t the John baptism or the Holy Spirit baptism that is mentioned in the New Testament because baptisms of that kind had no existed yet until John came preaching in the wilderness.

 ⁶ Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷ Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” ⁸ We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹ We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰ And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. ¹¹ These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. ¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

However, none of the Israelites from that generation never saw the promised land due to their defiance, grumbling, and rejection of God at certain times during their walk. It was only Joshua son of Nun, Caleb, and the next generation of Israelites who saw the promised land God had promised Abraham. Therefore, Paul warns the Christians in Corinth to continue to abide in Christ and to do what He says, to stand firm in their faith, and when it comes to temptation to set their eyes on God, so that they too can see their heavenly place.

Paul also reveals to them that there is no temptation that they will experience that God hasn’t been able to overcome and provide a way for them to endure such things and reject evil. God himself provides that escape for the Christians, just as Christ had accompanied Israel out of Egypt and provided a way for them.