Eating Meat Offered to Idols
September 18, 2019
Commentary
Paul returns to the subject with which this letter began – the eating of meat offered to idols. In expressing their Christian liberty, some of the Corinthians were living dangerously close to idolatry. Paul says that it is true that an idol is nothing, but the ones behind every idol are very real (v. 20). It is not possible to be in fellowship with the Lord and demons at the same time.
Paul gives advice in three areas (vv. 14-30):
1. Concerning meat in the temple (vv. 14-22)
2. Concerning meat in the marketplace (vv. 25-26)
3. Concerning meat in the home (vv. 27-30)
His advice on today’s passage concerning the meat offered to idols in the temple is that even though there is freedom to eat it, they needed to be careful that they didn’t participate with demons. He compares the worship at the Lord’s Supper and the unity of the Christians to their participation in the body and blood of Christ.
Paul’s point in these verses about the Lord’s Supper was like that made earlier (5:6-8). The collective worship of Christians at the Lord’s Supper expressed the unity among the members as they participated (fellowshipped in the blood and body of Christ). The one loaf of bread, of which all partake, pictured their unity as members of the one body of Christ.
Application
Even though I have liberty to eat anything, I need to be careful when I am in other countries not to eat things and do things that will offend the Christians.
1 Corinthians 10:14– 22 (NET)
14 So then, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I am speaking to thoughtful people. Consider what I say. 16 Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread that we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share the one bread. 18 Look at the people of Israel. Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? 19 Am I saying that idols or food sacrificed to them amount to anything? 20 No, I mean that what the pagans sacrifice is to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take part in the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Or are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we really stronger than he is?