1 Corinthians · chapter 10 of 16
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1 Corinthians 10 warns the Corinthians with the example of Israel in the wilderness: though all received God's blessings, many fell through idolatry, immorality and grumbling. Paul calls them to flee idolatry, reminds them that God is faithful and provides a way out of every temptation, and concludes that everything must be done for the glory of God, without giving offense.
Paul has spoken of giving up rights and disciplining oneself so as not to be disqualified. Now he backs that warning with the history of Israel. The Corinthians felt secure because they had been baptized and shared in the Lord's Supper, but Paul shows that spiritual privileges guarantee nothing if idolatry is tolerated.
Paul recalls that our fathers in Israel were all under the cloud, all passed through the sea and all were baptized into Moses. All ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink, from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Yet with most of them God was not pleased, and they were struck down in the wilderness.
These things happened as examples so that we would not desire evil. Do not be idolaters: the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Let us not indulge in sexual immorality: twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. Let us not put Christ to the test, as some did and were destroyed by serpents. Do not grumble, as some did and were destroyed by the destroyer. Let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to people, and God is faithful: with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
So Paul commands them to flee from idolatry. The cup of blessing and the bread that we break are a participation in the blood and the body of Christ, and since we are many we are one body. What pagans sacrifice they offer to demons, and one cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.
Paul returns to freedom: all things are lawful, but not all build up. They may eat what is sold in the meat market without asking, and what an unbelieving host sets before them; but if someone says it was offered in sacrifice, they should not eat it, for the sake of conscience. Whether they eat or drink, they should do all to the glory of God, giving no offense to anyone.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
What happened to Israel took place as an example so that we would not desire evil as they did. The Old Testament history is not just an ancient story: it is a lesson for the church.
Whoever thinks he stands must take heed lest he fall. Spiritual security does not depend on having received privileges, but on remaining in God's faithfulness.
No temptation is more than common to people, and God is faithful: he does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear, but provides the way of escape too. It is a promise of concrete help.
Whether we eat or drink or do anything else, all must be done for the glory of God. It is the final measure for Christian freedom: not only what may be done, but for whom it is done.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: The rock was Christ, according to Paul. — 1 Corinthians 10:4
Answer: As examples for us, so that we would not desire evil as they did. — 1 Corinthians 10:6
Answer: Twenty-three thousand. — 1 Corinthians 10:8
Answer: He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability and will provide the way of escape. — 1 Corinthians 10:13
Answer: A participation in the blood and the body of Christ. — 1 Corinthians 10:16
Answer: Do it all to the glory of God. — 1 Corinthians 10:31
1 Corinthians 10 is both a warning and a promise. It warns that anyone can fall, even someone who has been in the church for years, if they trust in themselves. It promises that God provides a way out of every temptation, so there is no reason to resign ourselves to there being no remedy.
For a small group, the chapter suggests practical questions: what competes with God in our lives? how do we protect others' consciences? do we live so that ordinary things glorify God? The Lord's Supper also reminds us that we are one body and that our divisions contradict what we celebrate.
1 Corinthians 10 ends with the invitation not to be a stumbling block and to seek the good of many. Chapter 11 turns to another matter of worship: how the Corinthians behaved in their gatherings and especially at the Lord's Supper.
Paul reads Israel's history in the light of Christ: the rock from which Israel drank in the wilderness, in the Exodus account, is a picture of Christ, who sustained his people. He does not say Israel understood this at the time, but that the New Testament reveals its full meaning.
Paul affirms it on the basis of God's faithfulness, not the person's strength. The way out is not always easy or obvious, but God does not allow a trial that cannot be endured with his help. Often the way out is to flee or to seek support in the community.
Paul distinguishes between eating meat from the market without questioning it, which he allows, and taking part in a banquet in the idol's temple, which he forbids. If someone points out that the meat was sacrificed, he abstains for the sake of conscience. It is the same principle of love as in chapter 8.