Being as the Children of Israel Were

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Salvation by Works

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This chapter goes back and takes up with where chapter 8 left off. In chapter 8, he condemned them for associating, in a social way, with pagans and eating, with them, food that had been offered to idols. Here he warns the Corinthians about assuming false security based on works.

The Jews assumed their security on the basis of being the ancestors of those who had been the benefactors of God's many blessings. Their ancestors had all been under the "cloud", the means that God used to guide then for 40 years while they wondered in the wilderness, and they all had passed through the Red Sea safely when God parted it for them and had escaped the bondage of Egypt. They had been sustained by manna from Heaven and drank from the "Rock" from which God sent water. This was symbolic of the "body broken" and the "shed blood" of Christ which we, as Christians, partake of the covenant.

All of the Children of Israel had received all of these gifts from God and had observed all the sacraments but not all of them pleased God. It is wrong to assume that blessings from God are a sign of His approval. Many of them never saw the Promise Land, they were "overthrown" in the wilderness. Their works did not save them.

Worldly

In these verses, Paul warns the Corinthians that their sins were similar to those of Israel. Notice the sin that he was talking about about. It was the sin of desiring worldly things, i.e. idolatry, fornication, liberties and complaining. "The People sat down to eat and drink and rose up to dance." Now there was nothing wrong with eating and drinking but these things became their goal in life and consumed all of their energies and devotion. In Numbers 21, the people got tired of manna and wanted steak. In Corinth, the people got tired of spiritual food and desired worldly things. Paul warns against this.

Idolatry. In Numbers 25, the people of Israel came into Moab. They attended the sacrifices to Baal and bowed down to the gods of Moab. As judgment, God brought a plague upon Israel and 23,000 Israelites died. The People of Corinth attended the feasts of the pagan gods of Corinth and as judgment, God allowed 24,000 of them to kill themselves by over indulgence and by snakebite.

What about today? We indulge ourselves in worldly affairs and often kill ourselves in the process. At the very least, we separate ourselves from the "joy" of our salvation and from communion with God.

Fornication. In Moab, the men of Israel went into the daughters of Moab. In Corinth, fornication was an accepted way of life. Paul says that carnal desires get a hold on us through indulgence and once they prevail, we have allowed then to take over our bodies. What about today? We have greatly laxed our morals and now accept things that, a few years ago, would have been condemned. Paul warns against this trend, he says that we have no way of knowing where this kind of complacency will lead us.

Liberties. Taking liberties and tempting God. The Israelites tempted God and provoked His wrath and He sent fiery serpents amongst them and thousands died until God provided a way to escape. A bronze serpent was set upon a pole and Moses held it up and those who looked upon it were saved. The Christians in Corinth tempted God by their attending the pagan feasts. Paul warned that the "old serpent" still exists today. Tempt Christ, and He will turn you over to him for the destruction of the body that your soul may be saved in the day of the Lord.

Murmuring or complaining. After the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, things got a little rough. The people begin to complain. They said to Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt just to die in the wilderness?" They complained about the manna that God had provided for them. This angered God, and Paul warns that we should never scoff at God's provisions. In Corinth, they were murmuring against Paul, some against Apollos, some against Peter. We just finished dealing with five things that they accused Paul of doing (chapter 9). We must be very careful in our complaining of God's provisions, one talent is better than no talents.

Pagan Temples

Here Paul gives them more reasons why they should not associate with Pagans in Pagan Temples. In the R.S.V. Paul says, "Shun the worship of idols." In the K.J. he says, "Flee from idolatry." Keep away from having any part of idolatry. Do not tempt yourselves or your brother. Do not witness that way, "I believe that I am talking to sensible men, able to judge rightly what I say."

Then Paul uses the Lord's Supper to make his point. "Is it not a sacred rite whereby we hold communion with Christ?" In the partaking of the Lord's Table, are we not professing to be His guests and His covenant people? Because there is but one bread and one cup, we become one in Christ in the partaking of this supper. Might this not also be true if you partake of food offered to idols?

Consider the practice of Jews. Those who were allowed to partake of food sacrificed at the alter of God were judged as worshipping God. Might not those who partake of food offered to idols be judged as worshipping idols? Paul was not implying that food offered to idols amounted to anything one way or another, but, as those who partake of the Lord's Supper become pardoners with Christ, they, by partaking of food offered to idols, gave the appearance of being pardoners with the pagan gods.

Paul did not want them to give the appearance of worshipping idols. You cannot worship God and manna. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. God is a jealous God. Israel found out that they could not worship idols without provoking the wrath of God.

Food

Paul ends this series of lessons the same way that he started it, proclaiming their freedoms in Christ. There was nothing unlawful about food, only the false witness that they might give if they ate food offered to idols. Paul says that all things are lawful. By this Paul means that we are under Grace not under the Law. We are saved by Grace, not by the observance of the Law. Therefore, observance of the Law neither accounts for salvation or for condemnation.

"All things are lawful but not all things are helpful." Therefore the "rule of thumb" is, whatever liberty you take for yourself, ask yourself these questions.

1. Will this be helpful to me or to someone else?
2. Will this be harmful to me or to someone else?

If it is helpful and constructive, no one, either Jew, Greek of Gentile, can take offence. Therefore, "Eat whatever is sold in the market place without raising any question on the grounds of conscience, take it home, cook it, eat it, and if it is biologically good, who cares if it was offered to idols, for the earth is the Lord's and everything in it."

Also, if an unbeliever invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is placed before you without raising any question of conscience, what you don't know about its past usage, will not hurt you.

However, if someone tells you that the food had been offered in sacrifice to an idol, than you should refrain from eating it. Now, what's the difference? Isn't it the same food as it was before you knew that it had been offered to idols? Yes, but out of consideration for the man who informed you and for the sake of conscience, do not eat it. Also it may cause a weaker brother to fall. We must not seek our own liberties or freedoms at the expense of our brother.

Well, I don't know if I like that or not. Why should my liberties be limited by another mans weakness? Why should I be condemned for eating perfectly good food for which I give thanks? Because, Paul says, "We should try to please all men." Paul truly believed that we should subject all of our freedoms for the sake of others. We should be imitators of Paul as he was an imitator of Christ. This he did that some might be saved.

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