Paul follows up his warnings with a declaration that there are no excuses for sin, and then He defines sin as idolatry. Finally, as he does for every problem the Corinthians were dealing with, he makes a beeline for the cross. Let’s read:
If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 14 So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 15 You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. 16 When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? 17 And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. 18 Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar? 19 What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods?
1 Corinthians 10:13-19
Question 1. How do we see, from 1 Corinthians 10:13-18, that we are without excuse for sinning and that we can always endure temptation when it comes?
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.
Today's passage teaches us that temptation is common to us all and reassures us that God is faithful; He will not allow the temptation to be more than we can stand but will always provide a way out for us.
Then Paul highlights the seriousness of sin by defining it as idolatry and warning us to flee from the worship of idols. Whenever we have an idol of any kind, we "feed it" through our sinful behavior. In other words, if we are sinning somewhere, we should check our hearts and lives for an idol that we are feeding, protecting, hiding, and worshiping. The way to live and grow in the gospel is to "flee from the worship of idols" (1 Corinthians 10:14).
For example, say someone has an idol of financial greed (Colossians 3:5). They want desperately to get ahead; their eyes are fixed on the promise of money, what it will buy for them, how it will change their lives. They keep their financial goals ever before them; they arrange their lives to keep that idol of top priority. If anything should happen to get them off schedule, they will respond sinfully, either through raging at God (“People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD” Proverbs 19:3) or by berating themselves or others. If they are Christians, they most likely do not support their church financially because they are idolatrous about their money. They are doing everything they can to “feed the idol.”
Destruction will come from this idolatry because behind every idol is a demon who destroys. “They stirred up his jealousy by worshiping foreign gods; they provoked his fury with detestable deeds. 17 They offered sacrifices to demons, which are not God…” (Deuteronomy 32:16-17). Satan’s role in the lives of human beings is to “kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10).
Only the cross has the power to break false worship, remove idols from our hearts, and restore true worship of the Living God, which is why Paul runs to the cross in this passage and says, “So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. 15 You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. 16 When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:15-16).
The message of the cross is the motivation for us to flee from idols. When we share communion, we are sharing in the blessings of the cross. When we drink the cup, we partake of the blood Jesus shed to atone for our sins. When we eat the bread, we feed on the body of Jesus, who was crushed as a sin and guilt offering for us (Leviticus 6:24-7:10).
If you currently have one or more idols, I urge you to stop and look at the cross! See what Jesus did for you! Look at the wounds in His brow, back, hands, feet, and side, receive His suffering done in love for you, and then turn wholeheartedly from idolatry to worship the crucified and risen Christ.
Question 2. What has been your experience with idols? Please share:
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.