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Rightly Dividing
the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
Established
November 2008 Published weekly on Friday
This
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men (and women) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1Timothy 2:3-4)
1 Corinthians (Lesson 31)
I want to take a
minute to welcome you to HBS. I also
want to acknowledge and thank each one of the regular students of God’s Word
for their faithfulness, and then encourage you to press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in
Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14 – Berean
Study Bible).
We’ve been studying
the subject of idolatry for some
time now (1 Corinthians 8; 9) and for good reason. Paul recently helped us understand this sin, which
is closely associated with the sin of unbelief, disqualified the Exodus
Generation – for with most of them God
was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness (10:5).
Without a doubt idolatry is the key theme in chapter 10. Our Apostle Paul highlighted this truth at
verse 10:14 when he commanded the Corinthians to flee from idolatry. Then in
verse 19 he added this comment: “What do
I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to
idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?”
However, few
Believers understand just how subtle the
temptation to commit this sin really is or what it essentially is. Pagan idolatry
did not begin with religious orgies or the superstitions and fear that
characterize it today. It began by
merely putting something before God. In
the Ten Commandments God warned His people not to do this saying: “You
shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus
20:3)
Idolatry is a major problem in America and the world-at-large. People are displacing God with idols or false gods of their own choosing at an ever increasing rate. Buddhism has Buddha and other gods; Islam has
Allah; Hinduism has 300 million different gods from which to choose; and while
Judaism’s god seems similar to the biblical version, Judaism’s god requires
little faith but a whole lot of works, and denies the existence of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God; the only way to the Father (John 14:6).
The list and
descriptions of false gods that
exist in the world today is almost
endless. Money is and always has been a false god. Power and fame are also false gods of this age.
There are now more CEO’s, executives, and celebrities than there were at
any time in history combined. But before
people begin thinking, “You’re not
talking about me… there are no idols in my life” Hold
up there, Pilgrim. I have more to show
you. I said this temptation is subtle; meaning: so
slight as to be difficult to detect or describe; elusive. Do you not know this is how Satan works? Thus, every Believer should be looking for idols in the home, the workplace,
and where they play and toss them!
The Idol of Convenience
The Scriptures
teach us Idolatry is a horrible
thing, as is the effect it has on God’s people.
For instance: Moloch (also
spelled Molech) was one of the false gods of the Canaanites Israel worshipped
during its periods of apostasy. This
cult required the parents to sacrifice their sons and daughters on the outstretched
hands of this false god which were heated to the point of being “white-hot.” The
children were literally burned alive (2 Chronicles 33:6; 1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings
23:10; Isaiah 57:5). Of course, the LORD
God had forbidden this activity (Leviticus 18:21).
If you’re thinking,
How horrible! I would agree. If
you’re thinking this couldn’t be happening today, I’d be disagreeing with you –
in part. Human sacrifice is not a thing
of the past. It takes place each and
every day here in America and elsewhere in numbers unimaginable. The Israelite children in the O.T. were
sacrificed to appease Moloch (a false god) in exchange for good crops that year
or some other favor they believed the idol
might bestow upon them and their family.
In the USA,
millions of unborn children have been aborted and others are being killed every
day. They are being denied the right to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness simply because of a choice someone else
made. Today, thousands of unborn
children are literally being sucked out of what should be the safest place in
the universe, the mother’s womb. Parts
of the baby are torn from their body while a powerful vacuum tries to pull the
child from the mother’s body. This
process is excruciatingly painful and real and the unborn child experiences it
until they finally die. The baby is then
dissected and some of its body parts are used for scientific purposes, i.e.
sold for profit, while the rest are bagged and discarded as if it were
unwanted garbage.
The vast majority
of these unborn children are being sacrificed on the altar of Convenience! Each year nearly 1.2 million American women choose
to end an unwanted pregnancy by having an abortion:
The #1 reason for
an abortion today is: their contraceptive method failed
The #2 reason: their inability to support or care for a
child
The #3 reason: they simply don’t want the baby
Let’s not overlook
the obvious here folks Satan has been working hard at destroying the institution
of marriage and the family since the LORD God joined the man and the woman together
in the first official marriage (Genesis 2, 3), and he’s been successful because
the tactics he employs work. Let’s face
up to the truth; we keep repeating the same sad mistakes, don’t we…?
One of Satan’s
schemes is to keep us busy as bees;
too busy to spend time with God and with our loved ones. The fact that we live in a fast-paced culture
is not accidental. Admittedly, it’s
challenging to raise a family in this environment. But, as Believers, we are commanded to train our children carefully and
strategically (Proverbs 22:6). Placing
our children in front of the T.V. set, while we “get er’ done,” doesn’t solve any
immediate problem; it creates larger problems.
Using video games as baby-sitters instead of engaging children in
constructive activities is also common but not helpful.
Case in point: there’s a car commercial circulating promoting
its Wi-Fi feature. Children, sitting in
the backseat, are being shown as “disruptive” in a non Wi-Fi automobile. But in the new car with Wi-Fi, once the
children are “isolated” with headphones and their electronic devices this
“problem” disappears. The parents enjoy
a quiet journey. Really? This looks like one of Satan’s schemes to
me. “Everybody
grab your own electronic device and stop annoying mommy and daddy and your
siblings” (2 Corinthians 2:11). What
happened to interacting with your children; playing car-games like I-Spy or sing-a longs? How about getting to know your children? There’s time for one more: it’s easy to snag dinner at the local burger-dump
on the way home from work. But the
blessing and the reward is in preparing a nutritious meal at home and enjoying
quality-time with your family around the dinner table. The
kitchen in our home was the friendliest room in the house, especially while my
mother was preparing the meal. I spent a
lot of time with her there, talking to her about all sorts of things, and when
I was old enough she allowed me to help her prepare the meals. I not only learned how to cook from my mother
but I grew very close to her through those intimate moments we shared in that
kitchen…
The Idol of Consumerism
Before a child
enters 1st grade they will have absorbed 30,000 advertisements,
primarily for T.V. ads. Little wonder,
then, that parents face a challenge in countering that negative influence. Our children wind up craving the coolest
toys, the trendiest clothes, the hottest sounds from their celebrity idols, and the latest electronic
gadgets. Parents feed this frenzy by
giving in to their children’s constant plea for “more.” Rather than teaching their children the
wisdom of saving and budgeting, and being content with what they have, parents
bow to the altar of consumerism, surrendering
to their children’s constant plea for more stuff, which only breeds greed and excess. Our children today know the price of their
toys but do not value them.
The Idol of Instant Gratification
In many Christian
homes today our children are so accustomed to getting what they want, when they
want it, they have no idea what postponing gratification means. They have become like us their parents. Please
hear me out. Don’t we “give-in” to our impulses? Don’t we
purchase items on credit simply because we want them now? Aren’t the children watching as their parents
give up when they fail to see rapid
results in dieting or in their exercise programs, studying to advance themselves,
or in saving for their future? Aren’t adults
prone to take short-cuts in decision making? Christians opting to engage in pre-marital sex
and deciding to live together instead of getting married are examples of this
principle, as is the current Christian divorce rate.
Therefore, let him (or her) who thinks he (or she) stands
take heed that he (or she) does not
fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).
********
Please
open your Bible at 1 Corinthians 10:16.
1 Corinthians 10
16: Is not the cup
of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread we break a sharing
in the body of Christ?
17: Since there is one
bread, we who are many are (what) one
body; for we all partake of the one bread.
18: Look at the
nation of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?
19: What do I mean
then? That a thing sacrificed to idols
is anything, or that an idol is anything?
20: No, but I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice
to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.
21: 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.
22: Or do we
provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not
stronger than He, are we?
23: All things are
lawful, but not all things are profitable.
All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
While
verses 16-17 don’t necessarily mention idolatry,
they are bordered on both sides by Paul’s wise counsel to avoid idol worship and those sacrifices and
ceremonies associated with them. Paul
contrasts “the cup of blessing which we bless” (v16) with “the things which the Gentiles sacrifice” (v20).
The cup of blessing
(v16)
- are not those who eat the sacrifices
sharers in the altar? (v18) The point Paul is trying to make with these two
comments may not make much sense to us today, but it made perfect sense to the
Corinthian church. Just as when
Believers come together to share in
the communion service commemorating the last Supper of the Lord, the pagan
banquets, given in honor of idols, spoke
of unity with demons – to dine at a pagan temple was to have fellowship at the altar of idols.
Is not the cup of
blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? The word sharing in the Greek language is Koinonia (pronounced:
koy-nohn-ee’-ah), Noun Feminine, and it means – fellowship or sharing. In
that part of the ancient world, to eat at the same table with someone indicated
friendship and fellowship with that individual.
Since you ate of one bread,
this made you one body, simply because
you both shared of the same food from
the same table.
My
mother wisely instructed us, when we were quite young, to choose our friends
carefully. She often repeated these
phrases: “Birds of a feather flock together” and “If you lie down with
dogs, don’t be surprised when they share their fleas with you. “ I wasn’t smart enough to decipher the importance
of her words at 10 years of age but life taught me their meaning soon
enough. If you hang around with the
“wrong people,” even if you’re not doing anything wrong, people’s perception of
you may be negative simply because you decided to partner with them. Paul is basically saying the same thing,
choosing to eat at a pagan temple dining hall was not as innocent as it
seemed.
The cup of blessing
Paul
speaks of was the third and last cup
presented at the end of the meal at the Passover ceremony accompanied by a
prayer of thanksgiving for blessings
received from the LORD God. This is the
cup Jesus Christ used to institute the Lord’s Supper and the one interpreted as
“the new covenant in My blood” (Matthew
26:27-28; Luke 22:20).
Many
people in the church today are familiar with the term Koinonia Groups, which are small groups that encourage fellowship amongst Believers and sharing, of course. Turn in your Bible with me to the book of
Acts at chapter 2:42 and we’ll find an example of this teaching: They
were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to (what)
fellowship (Koinonia), to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
In
using this word, Paul speaks of the fellowship
all true Believers experience in Jesus Christ, saying, “God is faithful, through whom you were called
into fellowship (Koinonia)
with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (1
Corinthians 1:9).
Is
not the bread we break a sharing (Koinonia) in the body of Christ? Likewise, the sharing of bread brings
true Believers into profound fellowship with Jesus Christ and His Passion. Since
there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all
partake of the one bread. Today
we go to the store to purchase a loaf of bread or two, but there is no “loaf of
bread” in the Greek language. It is just
Eis Artos, “one bread” – (Strong’s
Greek #740) – Jesus said: I am the bread (Artos) of life; (John 6:35).
This
is an important distinction. At the Last
Supper, Jesus broke off a piece of bread from one loaf of bread and gave it to each one of His disciples, and
they shared it from the same table.
At
communion services today your church may use crackers or wafers instead of sharing a single loaf of bread but you
all share the same table of the Lord. I attended communion service where one loaf
of bread was taken around the congregation by the pastor. He broke off a small portion and handed it to
each person before moving on. It
was a small assembly, so this was possible.
I also attended communion service where the pastor opted to use Oreo
cookies in place of the usual cracker.
We questioned him about this change of pace and he said it didn’t matter
what agent we chose to use at the Lord’s
Supper, what mattered was the state of one’s heart during the observance.
When
we eat the bread and drink from the cup this act unites us; it
should remind us that God means for us to be one body, as He intended (Romans 12:5, 15). What does this mean? It means what affects one Believer affects us
all just as when you stub your toe you feel the pain all over your body (1
Corinthians 12:26-27). Paul is also saying our participation in the table of the Lord puts every true
Believer into a unique fellowship with Christ Jesus and His Passion. Our sharing in this commemorative observance
should remind us that He suffered terribly, He died on the cross for our
benefit; He shed His blood for all mankind, for all have sinned (Romans 3:23). But, bringing this a bit closer to home, Jesus died for you; therefore,
this is very personal.
What
do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed
to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? They sacrifice to demons and not to God… In other words,
Paul’s saying, “Let’s be real.” “By my
reasoning an idol means nothing to a Believer.” “Likewise, the meat offered to an idol is meaningless.” Awhile back
Paul stated there is no such thing as an
idol in the world… (1 Corinthians
8:4). He’s not saying the idol or false gods are actually
demons. But he does mean to say Satan
uses mere blocks of wood, stone, and other subtle
means to take advantage, to deceive,
and to enslave those folks who are blind
to his tactics (2 Corinthians 4:1-4).
Paul wants these Believers to know whether they are aware or not, idol worshippers are glorifying demons (evil spirits) in their
sacrifices and God has spoken; He doesn’t want Believers participating in pagan
ceremonies for they have been set apart (sanctified)
unto Him (1 Corinthians 1:2).
Without the lost letter it’s difficult to surmise, but the Corinthians may have
held a couple of viewpoints on this subject, which caused Paul to respond:
1) The Corinthians
thought: “Since an idol is just a hunk
of wood or stone, it doesn’t matter what we eat or where we eat.” Paul answers this by agreeing with them, in
part, when he said an idol is
nothing in itself (8:4), but explains that Satan waits to take advantage of man’s ignorance and self-serving worship
(1 Peter 5:8).
2) The Corinthians
thought: “As long as we participate in the Lord’s Table, we are safe in Him.” Paul’s response to this notion is this act
disgraces the Lord’s Table when they fellowship with idols (1 Corinthians 6:16).
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. Paul’s not saying
this is a physical impossibility, but he is saying Believers should refrain
from doing this. Believers were solemnly
bound to serve and to obey the Lord Jesus Christ; hence the word “Lord;” they
had devoted themselves to Him (Romans 12:1-3).
Therefore they could not or should not join in the worshipping of demons.
The cup of demons –
in
the feasts in honor of false gods, wine was poured out as a libation, or drank
by the worshippers. The custom of
“drinking toasts” at these feasts or celebrations arose from the practice of
pouring out wine, or drinking it in honor of the pagan god. A prayer to the idol usually accompanied this act and the worshipper expected the
false god to grant them their desire. From
that custom the habit of expressing a sentiment or proposing a toast, uttered before drinking wine or some other “spirit,”
has been derived and continues to this very day. But here’s the thing - who’s this prayer
being offered up to; the god of wine, the god of the air, or the god of the feast?
It certainly is not the one true
God. Therefore it is considered immoral
behavior and unacceptable to God, which is why Paul said: You
cannot drink the cup of the Lord at the communion table and the cup where a
prayer is offered to a false god.” Would
you mock the table of the Lord,
scorning the Lord’s Passion and the cross?
Or do we provoke
the Lord to jealousy? This is another
rhetorical question from Paul. Please
turn with me to Deuteronomy 32:21a in your Bible and I’ll show you what Paul is
talking about here. The nation of Israel
had a bad habit of angering God and
making Him jealous. They were persistently displacing the LORD God with false gods even though they knew this was a major
sin; to which the LORD God responded: They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have
provoked Me to anger with their idols.
Similarly,
some of the Corinthian Believers were unwise in deciding to fellowship with demons.
Their participation in the ceremonial dinners at the pagan temples provoked the Lord to jealousy. Here’s the thing – the Lord has sole right to
our devotion and worship and the right to be offended if Believers opt to
fellowship with demons (1 John 2:15). Put another way, if a man is dating a woman
and is serious about this relationship, what would happen if he decides to take
up the same kind of relationship with another woman? What will the first woman think? What will she say? The man cannot simply say to her, “Well, don’t
I spend time with you too…” expecting all to be well and good. She will be offended, don’t you think; won’t
she be angry and jealous?
Are we stronger
than He? Paul offered this
comment because the Corinthians believed themselves to be spiritually strong,
and therefore they could handle eating at pagan temples. But Paul wants them to know they are not stronger than God and by this means to
say Believers should not expose themselves to the effects of His ire, as did the
Exodus Generation (10:5), for they too provoked
His righteous anger and
displeasure and were disqualified.
23: All things are lawful, but not all things
are profitable. All things are lawful,
but not all things edify.
Lest
we forget this divisive assembly of Believers was arrogant and boasting of
their spiritual knowledge, in effect saying, “I know my rights,” and asking the question, “Since I know an idol is nothing; what’s the harm?” They were asking the wrong question, my
friends. They should have asked, “What good can come of this?”
Paul
wants these Corinthian saints (and us) to know just because something is
permissible doesn’t mean it’s beneficial.
The practical, spiritual test is will this thing, whatever it is, edify the Believer and the body, the believing community, for they
are one. Our liberty
in Christ Jesus must not harm or hinder
another Believer or group of Believer’s for whom Christ died (Romans 14:15; 1
Corinthians 8:9).
The
next verse indicates how Paul chose to put all he just said in one sentence:
24: Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.
Paul
is saying, there’s no room for arrogance
and selfishness in a Believer’s life:
For not one of us lives for
himself (or herself), and not one
dies for himself (or herself); for
if we live, we live for the Lord; (Romans 14:7-8).
Just
because I understand something I’m currently doing is not going to harm me does
not necessarily mean it’s good for me or for others who may be watching. Quietly declaring, “I know my rights” to no one in particular, or what I know I’ve permitted
for myself (let’s say it’s having a couple of beers with friends at our
favorite place on Friday night) is not the standard by which I judge my
behavior. I need to consider my brother
and sister in the Lord and if you want the truth I need to consider the unsaved
as well; what impression am I leaving with them?
Jesus
Christ put all of mankind first and Paul is telling us we are to consider
others; it’s not always going to be about us.
Therefore, before you act consider is what you’re about to do likely to
cause another person to sin? For Paul
has given us this command: Do nothing from selfishness or empty
conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than
yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also
for the interests of others. Have this
attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:3-5).
Simply
said, mature Believers put the spiritual welfare of others to the forefront,
especially when their example has a greater influence on another person’s
life-choices. The first example that
comes to mind is believing parents and their children. I don’t think I need to expound on this
except to say most people are aware children learn quite a bit from mom and
dad; their good habits as well as their bad habits.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved
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