Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

1 Corinthians 10

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10:14

After a long pause, I return to my study of 1 Corinthians, picking up with unassisted review of 1 Corinthians 10:14-22. Here Paul warns believers about the influences of idolatry, and he uses the Israelites in the wilderness (vv6-11) as an example.  Paul does not want us to succumb to such temptations and he points us to God as faithful (v13) in His ability to help us escape idolatry in our efforts to flee.  A line-by-line review of the text for today:

• v14: leaning on God, we should flee from idolatry
• v15: as a setup to the verses that follow - vv16-22, Paul appeals to our powers of reason to follow his thoughts using once again the Israelites as an example
• v16: the communion we share - eating of bread and drinking of wine (see 1 Corinthians 11) - is something where we share in the body and blood of Christ
• v17: "because" there is only one bread, all who partake in the bread are of the same one body
• v18: likewise, those in Israel in the wilderness who ate the sacrifices are all of the same body
• v19: many Corinthians felt that because idols were not real allowed them to be sinful with regard to eating food offered to idols, implicitly embracing idolatry
• v20: Paul warns us to avoid to idolatry by partaking in pagan worship through close association with others that do so
• v21: Paul is even more clear by stating that we cannot worship both God and demons - be clear about the choices you make and how they associate you with idolatry/sin
• v22: avoid provoking/testing God - He of course reigns and will deal with us harshly lest we provoke God like the Israelites in the wilderness did

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - providing me with the full armor of God to protect me in my battle against sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings and grace. My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

1 Corinthians 10

I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? 1 Corinthians 10:20b-22

I continue my study of 1 Corinthians.  I am assisted in my study by the Christ-Centered Exposition Series commentary for this book.  Today my focus is a review - unaided by the commentary - of 1 Corinthians 10:14-22.  Here, Paul uses a series of rhetorical questions to admonish the Corinthian Christians for their participation in idolatry (see also posts 07-OCT and 08-OCT where I left off before my pause).  In v14, he gets right to the heart of the matter (idol worship) - don't do it! He then, starting in v16, constructs his argument against idol worship by comparing communion, or the Lord's Supper, to idol worship.  In v16, Paul asks rhetorically whether partaking in the Lord's Supper is participation in the blood and body of Christ.  In v17, he answers his own question in the affirmative.  In v18, Paul then includes Old Testament sacrifice and worship of God in his argument, sharing how with OT testament (see Leviticus 1-7) worship and sacrifice, the priests participate "in the altar" as believers do with the Lord's Supper.  In vv19-20, Paul then pivots to idol worship and foods sacrificed to idols - writing that the Corinthians' attitudes towards idol worship is NOT something that is meaningless to God and their Christian freedom is not intended to allow them to worship idols.  Idol worship is sinful and it breaks the first two of the ten commandments.  Paul then concludes the text for today by sharing how you cannot worship both demons/idols and God - we do not want to provoke a jealous God because we are not stronger than He is and we invite His wrath (that led to the death of so many Israelites as depicted in scripture). 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - despite my sin.  Thank You Jesus.  Please help me overcome and turn from my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.

Genesis 39

But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. v39

God wants us to be set apart or to be holy, but there are often circumstances where we are "trapped" and God wants us (with His help of course!) to flee from sin.  We cannot just allow sin to consume us.  

In the case of Joseph, God is clear - flee from sexual immorality.

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18

Learn and memorize scripture - be able to test what is being said and done against God's word.

Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22

When we need an escape, call out to God for help.

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he 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." 1 Corinthians 10:13

My Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God, full of love, patience, and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus.  I am undeserving of such grace.  I often fail to give grace to others.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.