Written by: Peter Hallsworth – Church Army
1 Corinthians 10 v 11-13
The things that happened to those people are examples. They were written down
to teach us, because we live in a time when all these things of the past have
reached their goal. If you think you are strong, you should be careful not
to fall. The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has.
But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you
can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape
so that you will be able to stand it.
Notes
Paul makes a case that Christians should resist idolatry, i.e., giving things
the worship that God alone deserves. In verse 7 he has referred to the golden
calf formed in response to the Israelites’ frustration in the desert.
God’s response to such idolatry was punishment. Although God has the
attributes of mercy and patience, He is also a God of justice and will in
the end punish all human efforts to live independently. We are thankful of
God’s determination to deal with sin because it was this that led to
his self-offering on the cross. God has provided us with a way out of the
temptation of idolatry; we can confess it and be forgiven through the forgiveness
that Jesus won through the cross.
The fact that God can tempt us is clear from the Lord’s Prayer: “lead us not into temptation”. In the Exodus story of the journey through the desert, God was putting the Israelites to the test. He had taken them away from Egypt by confronting and defeating all the “gods” of the Egyptians (Nile, childbirth, sky, bull, wind, fertility, sun, and Osiris, judge of the dead). Even in this spectacular defeat of the Egyptian “gods”, culminating in the passage through the Red Sea, the Israelites succumbed to the temptation to form their own god and go their own way.
Jesus has acted in history; He has performed an even greater deliverance than was demonstrated at the Red Sea. God has shown how the power of evil can be broken, in the events of the cross and resurrection. The question for us is: will we return to our previous “gods” when the going gets tough? E.g., will we seek comfort in material prosperity, or the challenge presented in the teaching of Jesus – God become man?
Prayer
Loving God, lead me away from temptation and deliver me from evil. Amen
1 Corinthians 10 v 14-17
So, my dear friends, run away from the worship of idols. I am speaking to you
as to intelligent people; judge for yourselves what I say. We give thanks
for the cup of blessing, which is a sharing in the blood of Christ. And the
bread that we break is a sharing in the body of Christ. Because there is
one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body, because we all share that
one loaf.
Notes
“We … are one body” - these words from Paul speak to us today
of one church, one people of God, one body with many parts. This does not speak
to us of uniformity - we are not all the same. It speaks to us of a unity that
is marked by diversity. Experience tells us that the church in different parts
of the world looks very different, sings different songs and presents a different
experience of being church. We should not be surprised; look at the variety of
God’s creation.
The “one-ness” of the church is not about liturgy or choice of hymns; it is more about the function of the church. Church has three vital components: community, outreach and worship. If one of these components is missing then you do not have a healthy church. Mission, of course, involves evangelism - the outreach of the church to those who are yet to come to faith. If the unifying elements of the worldwide church are worship, community and mission, then we might consider a church not engaging in evangelism as lacking in relational unity with the universal church!
Different contexts will mean different sorts of church - one size does not fit all. As the mission of the church reaches different cultures we will find that our ideas of church will change as we discover what it means to be Christians in different situations. Consequently, our understanding of what it means to be a Christian will be sharpened. Just like Peter when he met with Cornelius in Acts 10. He realised that God had no favourites, and our way of doing things is not the only way and may even prevent us from reaching others.
Prayer
Lord, help me to respond appropriately to the variety that you have given
to the world. Amen
1 Corinthians 10 v 18-22
Think about the Israelites: Do not those who eat the sacrifices share in
the altar? I do not mean that the food sacrificed to an idol is important.
I
do not mean that an idol is anything at all. But I say that what is sacrificed
to idols is offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to share
anything with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of
demons also. You cannot share in the Lord’s table and the table of
demons. Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? We are not stronger than
he is, are we?
Notes
Paul is making it clear to the Corinthian church that they cannot “have
their cake and eat it”. Some of the practices they engage in are simply
not in keeping with the Christian faith. This is not a return to the law for
Paul, but a recognition that within the Christian faith there are certain “no–no”s.
The law, Jews believed, was the way to gain a right standing before God. That
had certainly gone out of the window, but it did not pave the way for an “anything
goes” lifestyle. One cannot serve both God and money - or demons, whatever
manifestation they take in our world today. Our union and allegiance in Jesus
Christ means that we are bound in relationship to Jesus and each other, and
our actions are limited by that allegiance. The Corinthians were involved in
idolatrous practices and this certainly did not strengthen their allegiance
to Jesus!
This Bible reading introduces the question of modern idols. What are the idols of this age that draw our worship away from the one true God revealed most clearly in Jesus Christ? The one that I think of almost immediately is materialism. Most of us struggle with Jesus’ words regarding the acquisition of things: “don’t worry about tomorrow” (Matthew 6 v 34); “your father in heaven knows you need them” (Matthew 6 v 32). Many of us struggle with our guilt because of the stark contrast between the poverty of the two thirds world and our obvious wealth. However, it must be wrong to introduce a new legalism and induce guilt. What we perhaps need to learn is how to live appropriately in the light of the existence of the poor. The real issue is about not seeking security in wealth but in the person of God.
Prayer
Father, help me to find my security in you alone. Amen
1 Corinthians 10 v 23-26
“We are allowed to do all things,” but all things are not good for
us to do. “We are allowed to do all things,” but not all things help
others grow stronger. Do not look out only for yourselves. Look out for the good
of others also.
Eat any meat that is sold in the meat market. Do not ask questions to see if
it is meat you think is wrong to eat. You may eat it, “because the earth
belongs to the Lord, and everything in it.”
Notes
Please notice the quotation marks in the first verse. The writer, Paul, is
not agreeing with this statement but quoting it. Apparently this was a slogan
that was “doing the rounds”. Paul is challenging this by commenting: “but
all things are not good for us to do”. The emphasis here is on actions
that help others to grow stronger.
There is a temptation within the Christian life to become inward looking. Many retreats are organised in order to build up the inner life and many books are written to help improve the life of the individual Christian. There is much good in this. The church as a whole can be inward looking, seeking to build ecumenical links, pursuing unity and giving priority to the fabric of the church building. There is much to commend these actions.
However, Paul’s teaching here encourages the individual to behave in an appropriate manner that helps others grow stronger. Therefore, he is encouraging us to live our lives so that others may grow stronger – to behave in way that we would hope others would behave towards us. So, as we gather for worship on a Sunday and find the offering of worship not to our taste, maybe there is another dimension to this situation. Possibly others are being made stronger through this choice of worship style. There are many other applications we could mention!
“Church is the only society on earth that exists for the benefit of non-members,” says former Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple. So churches are called to share their life and hope with those who are “not yet members”. The church, as well as the individual, is an outward looking body seeking to build up others in the life of God.
Prayer
Lord, help me to live for others as well as myself. Amen
1 Corinthians 10 v 27-30
Those who are not believers may invite you to eat with them. If you want to
go, eat anything that is put before you. Do not ask questions to see if you
think it might be wrong to eat. But if anyone says to you, “That food
was offered to idols,” do not eat it. Do not eat it because of that
person who told you and because eating it might be thought to be wrong. I
don’t mean you think it is wrong, but the other person might. But why,
you ask, should my freedom be judged by someone else’s conscience?
If I eat the meal with thankfulness, why am I criticised because of something
for which I thank God?
Notes
Here again, as previously, Paul is placing the emphasis on acting with due
regard to building up those we come into contact with. If I offer thanks
to God for the food I eat, even if it has been offered to idols, then surely
that is OK? Paul says yes and no (perhaps he was an Anglican after all!).
The issue of the food was an indifference, both it seems to Paul and God,
but the same could not be said for others.
This situation that Paul describes has modern parallels. We might accompany friends to a party where there is plenty of drink. We might recognise that drinking alcohol in itself is not wrong but in some circumstances could give the wrong messages. If our friends are easily tempted to drink to excess then perhaps it might be reasonable to personally abstain from drinking. If we are influential with our friends then this action might give a powerful lead. This denial of personal freedom is for the sake of building up other people.
In Paul’s day it would have been difficult to check whether the meat had been offered to idols. Similarly, in a church situation today, church treasurers cannot put too much effort into tracing the origin of money taken up in the collection. However, if a member of their congregation points out that that the money was stolen, the result of some dodgy activity, or even resulting from a lottery win, then the treasurer might want to reconsider whether to accept the money. For many of us, this is not a matter of indifference at all - it is a matter of interpretation - but for the sake of the objector, it might probably be wise to not accept the money.
Prayer
Loving God, give me your loving wisdom to live this life you have given me
for your glory. Amen
1 Corinthians 10 v 31-33 & 11 v
1
The answer is, if you eat or drink, or if you do anything, do it all for
the glory of God. Never do anything that might hurt others—Jews, Greeks,
or God’s church— just as I, also, try to please everybody in every
way. I am not trying to do what is good for me but what is good for most people
so they can be saved.
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Notes
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” This is a
very important verse. James also tells that we should not aspire readily to be
teachers. These two should be held together because they speak of an important
Christian truth. God did not just send the “truth” as a set of binding
rules and regulations – God actually sent himself. The word of truth could
not just be left as words on a page; for God, it had to become flesh. The truth
needed to be seen in action.
James tells us that the teacher will be judged more strictly. Why? Teaching is a speaking profession and James goes on to warn of the dangers of the tongue. Although it is only small in stature compared to the rest of the body, like a tiny spark it has the potential to start a forest fire. Teachers need to be careful about the words they choose to employ.
Paul was a respected teacher, and he was saying to the Corinthians that his teaching was worked out through action. Follow my example, he says. Like Jesus, Paul’s words became flesh. In this way, there was little chance that his words may be misunderstood since his life echoed his words.
The challenge for those who teach is great. Teachers have responsibility, and their words are not sometimes heard because their lives are saying something different. Teachers have a responsibility to admit their struggles as they grapple with the truth of scripture. In this grappling, as the word becomes flesh, much learning can happen. This struggle is worked out through the help of others – we should not try to make it on our own. It is not just a nice metaphor that the church is called the body.
Prayer
Lord, help me to live a life of truth in action. Amen
1 Corinthians 11 v 2-10
I praise you because you remember me in everything, and you follow closely
the teachings just as I gave them to you. But I want you to understand this:
The head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is the man, and the
head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered
brings shame to his head. But every woman who prays or prophesies with her
head uncovered brings shame to her head. She is the same as a woman who has
her head shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her
hair cut off. But since it is shameful for a woman to cut off her hair or
to shave her head, she should cover her head. But a man should not cover
his head, because he is the likeness and glory of God. But woman is man’s
glory. Man did not come from woman, but woman came from man. And man was
not made for woman, but woman was made for man. So that is why a woman should
have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
Notes
“The head of a woman is the man” is probably one of the most
controversial sentences in scripture – particularly if you are a woman!
This and other examples from scripture have been used by some to argue that
women, in some way, are somewhat “second class”; that man is the
head and women are something “less”. The problem with that view
is the word “head”.
In the English language the meanings of “head” can mean someone
with power and authority, as in the headmaster or someone who “heads
up” a team. In Greek, the word for “head” can also mean these
things, but the word used in this example is “kephale”. The meaning
of this word is “physical head” or “source, source of life”,
but it is never used to imply authority or power.
Paul is simply saying that man is the source of life for women, as Adam was
for Eve. Ephesians 5 v 23 tells us that the husband is the head of the wife
as Christ is the head of the church. Again, “kephale” is used for
this relationship. So, as Christ is the head (or source) of the church, so
husbands are to be heads of their wives. Husbands are to be loving, serving,
self-giving and sacrificial in their headship. There is no hint of authority
and power unless we believe that Jesus exerts that particular form of headship!
Some may argue that what I have argued is a “modern”, less traditional
outlook. John Chrystomum, an early church father, apparently made a strong
statement about the use of the word “head” in the context of our
passage. He said that if it was used to denote power and authority then those
responsible were “heretics”. Maybe he had a modern outlook too!
Prayer
Lord, help me (men) to be head in the way that you intend. Lord, help me (women)
to be gentle as I seek to understand some difficult teaching in your word about
the role of women and wives. Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text
taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright
1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes