Corinthians 11:3-16 Christ Our Covering!

Corinthians 11:3-16 Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.  Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.  And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head — it is just as though her head were shaved.  If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.  A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.  For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;  neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.  For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.  In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.  For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman.  But everything comes from God.  Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?  Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,  but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.  If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice — nor do the churches of God.

As we approach today's scriptures, let us keep in mind that Paul is raising questions that have more to do with cultural practices and appearances than spiritual matters of the heart.  But he is reminding the Corinthians of God's desire for order and respect within the church so that their actions do not distract from the Good News of the gospel of Christ.  When our children were growing up, we told them there was an order of responsibility in our home: Dad was the big boss, then Mom was boss number two.  Mom was followed by the children in order of age if the parents were absent from the home, starting with Christine, the oldest, down to Daniel, the youngest.  This frustrated Daniel, and he wanted to know who he was the boss of, so we told him he could boss Patches the cat.  This was somewhat face-saving for Daniel but not too satisfying for sure.  As it is with every organization or business, there is a head, someone at the top.  In the vernacular, we say: the buck stops here.  In the church, Paul states clearly: the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.  This division establishes order and respect, but it does not mean the man is superior to the woman or of more worth.  We also know when Paul instructs women to submit to their husbands, he told men, Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.  (Ephesians 5:25-28)  Doubtless, Paul wanted men to cherish their wives, and in our verses today, Paul maintains that men and women are interconnected: In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.  Most importantly, everything comes from God.  Therefore, while Paul instructs the church on acceptable behaviors, he reminds them of foundational truths.

The matter of hair and head covering comes from the cultural realities in the middle eastern world of Paul's day.  As Paul says at the end of this section, we have no other practice.  Paul was talking about practices.  Head coverings and hair length meant specific things to the people of Corinth.  When Paul speaks of a woman dishonoring herself by praying with her head uncovered, it is just as though her head were shaved, everyone reading this would have known he was referring to women of dishonor in their society.  If a woman was unfaithful to her spouse or if she was arrested as a prostitute, her hair was cut very short or her head was shaved.  This punishment marked her as a woman worthy of rejection and disrespect.  Hair was considered a covering, a veil that was a woman's glory in the society, but males generally cut their hair.  A woman's hair was a badge of honor and a sign of respect for God.  Paul also refers to angels because of the belief that angels or ministering spirits were present in church services.  The people would not want to offend or to disrespect God's representatives.  In all these directives, Paul follows the practices and customs of the church, instructing men and women to commit to these accepted guidelines.  In doing this, he makes assumptions such as stating: Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory?  One might question Paul's thinking.  What is it in the nature of things that makes long hair a disgrace to a man?  But because this idea was firmly established in the church dogma, long hair on a man would have been a disgrace, and that was the very nature of things in the Corinthian church and in the other communities where Paul preached.  He wanted the brothers and sisters to follow proper customs and not to offend in any area.  We will see this desire from Paul a little later in this letter: Let all things be done decently and in order.  (1 Corinthians 14:40)  Paul wanted the outside world to see a consistent message of light and Christ-like behavior in the church.  Any instruction he gave his brothers and sisters he gave in love with the hope of advancing the cause of Christ, with the purpose of seeing souls saved.  He wanted believers to follow the words of Jesus: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:16)

Order in the life of a Christian brings glory to God because an orderly life allows people to see who we are and what we have to offer.  When Christians engage in disrespectful behavior according to societal standards, their actions and reactions often prevent others from seeing Christ in them.  Mom once worked at a bank where she made friends with a Christian lady who was friendly and supportive to her.  But as their friendship developed, Mom learned that this person was not well-liked by other employees.  They resented her know-it-all attitude and superior way of taking charge.  She made others feel they were incompetent.  She did not give out compliments and often expressed criticisms, even complaining to the boss about the errors of co-workers.  Mom prayed for her friend to have a change of heart.  Mom hoped to lead by example as she tried to show Christ's love to the staff and to the customers.  This woman was a paradox.  She talked about Jesus to Mom one moment, but with the next breath she found fault with the minor mistakes of others.  Jesus talked about us bearing fruit.  By their fruit you will recognize them.  Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?  Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.  (Matthew 7:16-17 & 20)  Mom cared for her friend, and she was silent when her friend was critical or Mom tried to say something positive about the person in question.  But she could not change the heart of her friend.  Only God can change a heart, and we have to bring our hardened hearts to him to be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We have to listen to the voice of the Lord to recognize our need of him, to allow him to shape us and to change us into the image of his Son.  Just before Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord, God looked over the earth, and He was grieved.  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  (Genesis 6:5)  Yes, that is the unrepentant, impure heart of the lost.  But praise the Lord, we have a message of truth and hope.  We will follow the outward practices of our church and culture that indicate we are upstanding people, committed to our faith, but our hope is built on Jesus Christ and his righteousness.  Serve him today.  HE IS YOUR COVERING.  

     

1 Corinthians 11:1-2 Follow As I Follow Christ!

1 Corinthians 11:1-2  Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.  I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.

We cannot help understanding what Paul means when he says for us to follow his example as he follows the example of Christ.  Other translations state his words slightly differently.  The KJV says, Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.  In the NASB, we read, Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.  Of the three, the last probably comes the closest to Paul's message to yield totally to Christ in another passage where Paul describes the mind of Christ: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  (Philippians 2:5-8 NKJV)  Paul willingly followed Jesus into situations of danger and bodily harm to carry the "Good News" wherever the Holy Spirit led him.  And he was proud of the church in Corinth for holding fast to the teachings of Christ he had passed on to them.  Paul served as a spiritual father to this church.  As a teacher and a leader, he wanted them to follow him in the truth and not to be lead astray.  As we studied last week, Paul warned them against the sins of their forefathers: idolatry, sexual immorality, and the like.  He encouraged them not to seek their own good but the good of others and whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  (1 Corinthians 10:31)  Now, just as he has told them that God will not tempt them beyond what they are able to resist, he says, follow my example and I will lead you in the paths of the Lord because I am following him.  Paul desires for the church to follow him in his single-minded pursuit: But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 3:13)  He says, come along, stay on the path of righteousness, keep your eyes on the prize.

Paul knew there were many temptations to distract and to discourage the Corinthians.  He also knew they had some church problems that probably had affected the morale of the congregation.  Therefore he reminds them to stick to sound doctrine.  He knows they know the truth of the gospel, and he brings their past achievements of receiving him to mind.  At the beginning of his letter, he says, My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you.  (1 Corinthians 1:11)  There is boasting going on in the church, and Paul has to tell them if they are going to boast, to boast in the Lord only.  Now Paul is preparing to bring additional instruction to the church, but before he does, he encourages them in their faith.  He tells the church, you can trust me; I will not lead you astray.  And he goes on to say, I am proud of you for remembering me and for keeping my teaching.  He is laying a foundation of trust and faith with the Corinthians.  He knows that he needs their trust and their confidence if they are to receive his words of correction and exhortation in the Lord.  When Paul gives instructions to his spiritual son, Timothy, we see his understanding of what makes a good leader or teacher in the body of Christ: And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.  Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.  (2 Timothy 2:24-26)  Just as Paul admonishes Timothy not to quarrel and to practice kindness and gentleness, Paul follows his own words when dealing with the church in Corinth.  He asked Timothy to follow him as he followed Christ with the goal that their actions would lead people to know more of Christ, to repent of their sins, and to escape the snares of the enemy.  This was also Paul's desire for the Corinthian church.  He loved them as a father loves his children, as Christ loves the church.

Paul used the concept of imitation to express how we grow in our love for others as we follow the Lord.  Paul believed he was a spiritual father, and he accepted that responsibility.  Earlier in this letter, he told the Corinthians, Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.  Therefore I urge you to imitate me.  (1 Corinthians 4:15-16)  Many of us have or have had people who were mothers or fathers in the Lord, people who led us to a deeper walk with Jesus.  These people reveal to us what it means to yield to the Lord.  They offer encouragement when we need help, and they point us to Jesus, reminding us of his Word: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebrews 12:2)  When you get as old as we are, most of your mentors have gone to be with Jesus, and you have to build yourself up in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Usually there is no Aunt or special sister or brother in the Lord who sends you an encouraging letter anymore.  But God is faithful: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  (2 Peter 3:9)  We have a Savior, Christ the Lord, who promised never to leave us or to forsake us.  Paul was a spiritual father, a teacher, a leader, a brother in the faith.  He could tell others to trust in his love for them.  He could ask them to imitate his walk with Jesus as he imitated Jesus.  But Paul would not have stopped there: he would have said, look to Jesus; He is Lord of All!  Christ is our everything.  Today, dear brothers and sisters in the faith, what is holding you back from complete surrender to the Lord?  What is keeping you from following Jesus wholeheartedly?  In Christ we are free from our sins and safe in him forevermore.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (Romans 8:35 & 37-39)  Trust him!  Live for him!  Follow him!          

1 Corinthians 10:31-33 Do All For God's Glory!

1 Corinthians 10:31-33  So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.  Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God — even as I try to please everybody in every way.  For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Paul succinctly distills the Christian mission and message in the above focus when he tells the Galatians I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.  As Christians, we are to portray and implement Paul's summary of his life goal in everything that we do, and we do it all for the glory of God.  We should seek to do good for all people that they too might find Christ as their Savior.  If we live for ourselves and only for those who love or respect us, the message of God's desire that all should be saved will never be seen by this world.  Peter writes of God's desire for the world: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  (2 Peter 3:9)   Our daily goal as we get out of bed should be to help someone else, to make someone else's day better, to do good to all we meet, and to share the Good News.  If we champion something else in our lives other than those purposes, we are living primarily for ourselves, our own self-interests.  As we read the Bible, we see that God demands action, a change of direction: What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  Can such faith save him?  Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.  If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  (James 2:14-17)  When we see Jesus' life, we see a servant of God the Father.  He said He always did what his Father directed.  He desired to please his Father and fulfill his plans.  He and the disciples walked thousands of miles to do God's will, to serve the people, to do good to them.  Jesus did everything for the glory of God.  Paul asks the Galatians to live in a manner that brings glory to God.  He has already told them, Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.  (1 Corinthians 10:24)

What does this kind of life demand from us?  The Christian's daily walk is servanthood.  Our authority to direct our lives has been given to another: God.  I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)  If we understand this, we live as He desires, revealing God's face to the world, his nature, his love.  Remember, from the beginning we were created in his likeness, with the ability to express his light and life.  However, when we accept Christ if we hold onto the old nature, sin and darkness will overshadow the light of Christ.  There is no life in our sinful nature, but IN CHRIST we have an eternal nature of truth and righteousness.  Now, how do we truly express God's life and go beyond the cliches and aphorisms that we so easily use?  Do we say God is love or love your neighbor as yourself without living out those words that are so easily said?  Do we reveal the love of God in our actions and reactions, and do we serve as one who loves his or her neighbors with God's love?  God chose us and loves us with an everlasting love.  His love is not based on reciprocation.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  (1 John 4:10-11)  We must try to implement this love by loving and serving our neighbor as ourselves.  We smile at people, ask how they are, encourage them.  We tell people who serve us that they are doing a good job.  We show interest in other people's lives and not just our own.  Personally, we usually tell people who serve us in restaurants that they served us well.  We want them to know we love them with God's love and want to bless them.  Usually, we see smiles and positive reactions to our words, and they want to look out for our best interests.  We do not seek reciprocation; we want to bless and to affirm them as hardworking and capable people.  We do this with the lawn care people at our condominium.  Most of them do not speak much English, but Dad hugs them and tells them they are greatly appreciated.  He calls them his heroes, for regardless of the weather, they are out there every Friday taking care of the condominium grounds.  Now, we do not know if they know what heroes means, but they are heroes.  We want good for them, and Mom helps Dad pick out small gifts for them at Christmas.  They always stop a moment to wave at us when we pass by.  How many people out there are your heroes, working hard, trying to make a living; but do they know you appreciate them?  We can turn our words into life-changing power by our actions.

Why do we so often talk to you about servanthood?  Paul says he is a servant of God.  Paul describes himself in Romans 1:1: Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.  Likewise in Titus 1:1, Paul states, Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ for the faith of God’s elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness.  Peter describes himself similarly,  Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.  (2 Peter 1:1)  Numerous other Bible passages refer to servants of God.  Breakfast companions, we are servants of God as we image God here on our earthly journey.  Yet we must ask ourselves whether we are displaying God or ourselves.  This is an important question for each of us.  James tells us clearly, do not tell me your belief, show me.  He is clear on this subject:  What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  (James 2:14 & 17)   Even the devil knows there is a God; however, he does not serve God, but desires to destroy him.  We who are IN CHRIST must reveal God, for the world is looking for him.  We have been set free from the enslavement of sin and death; consequently, we should show our freedom, our salvation, by treating people well and serving their needs above ours.  They will not change their lives towards God unless they see changed lives in action.  We are not an ideology, a philosophy, a different way of living: we are the representation of God himself, the body of Christ.  We have an obligation to perform God's will, not our own.  If we go our own way, we are nothing but a different way of living, a different idea: we have nothing to give the world but our perspective of how to live.  But, if we perform the will of God through our actions, we have real life to give to the world.  They will listen to us, they will see Christ in us, and they will want him as their Savior.  We do not have to walk thousands of miles to please God.  We do not have to preach on the street corner of some major metropolis to please God.  No, all we have to be or do is to get up in the morning with a steadfast purpose to do good to others, to love them, to help when needed, and to share Jesus with them that they may be saved.  God will put the rest together in people's lives in his perfect time.    

1 Corinthians 10:23-29 Consider Others Better!

1 Corinthians 10:23-29  “Everything is permissible” — but not everything is beneficial.  “Everything is permissible” — but not everything is constructive.  Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.  Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”  If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.  But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake — the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours.

Today's verses provide a principle for Christians to follow: Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.  This attitude separates us from secular thinking, especially the absolute part of the statement: NOBODY.  All of us must seek the good of others.  None of us should seek our good above the good of others.  Of course this kind of Christianity separates most of us most of the time, for our lives tend to revolve around our self-interests.  If someone else's needs come into conflict with ours, they lose the battle.  Basically, humans protect themselves.  But this isn't God's nature.  We see God's thoughts on human nature after Noah's ark lands on dry land.  Before the flood God was disappointed with men because of their corruption and violence.  Therefore, He destroys them and all living things except for Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark.  Now, you would think mankind would start over by seeking goodness, righteousness, and acceptance with God.  However, we learn the nature of man by listening to what God says: Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it.  The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.   (Genesis 8:20-21)  As God saw, man's inclination was to seek his own good above the good of others.  He will not love his enemies.  Jesus said, If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?  Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?  Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  (Matthew 5:46-48)  Jesus asks the Jewish crowd to be perfect, to love as God loves: He sends the rain on the just and the unjust.  God blesses both groups of people: the ones who love him and the ones who despise him.  We are to be as He is.  But we often do not reflect God: we tend to seek our own way, placing ourselves in the forefront of our lives.  How can we fulfill Paul's dictate: Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others or Jesus' command: Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect?

A fallen creation needs a Savior, one who pleases God, One who can set us free from the consequences of sin, our self-willed nature.  Of course that is Jesus Christ and his work on the cross.  He alone pleases God.  He alone sets us free to live a life where “Everything is permissible” — but not everything is constructive.  Jesus made us right with God because He is our perfect substitute for our sinful lives.  He is perfect; we are not.  His love never quits; ours does.  He is long-suffering; we tend to judge too quickly.  We want revenge; He wants restoration.  Our inclinations tend to lead to separation and violence.  Separation, violence, suspicions are part of our personal, national, and world environment.  We confirm God's thoughts about the human condition: every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.  However, the Christian condition should be oriented toward fulfilling God's purpose of loving others.  As John wrote: This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.  Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  (1 John 4:10-11)  We are to be servants of the Most High.  Because of the Holy Spirit in us, we should reveal the love of God, putting the needs of others above our own needs.  Paul tells the Corinthians to place the weak brethren's needs above their own.  “Everything is permissible” — but not everything is beneficial.  Yes, we might have escaped the corruption of the world because of Christ' work.  Yes, we might be in right standing because of Christ's sacrifice, but we need to think of others above ourselves.  As Paul wrote in another letter: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  (Philippians 2:3-4)  Paul warns the church not to let their place of righteousness and their freedom IN CHRIST hurt their fellow believers.  Instead, they should take on the work of a servant, faithfully serving the weaker brethren for the cause of Christ.  But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake — the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours.

We who are alive in Christ have his divine nature and the privilege of loving others in his name.  We have escaped the corruption of the world through his mighty power in us.  Therefore, we should live as He would live in all situations.  We read in 2 Peter 3-4:  His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.  He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.  We know how Jesus would act in difficult situations because we have knowledge of how he acted when he was on Earth.  We know He showed love to people and died for all, even for his enemies.  Peter says because we have his divine will and since we have escaped the corruption of this world, we should put on Christ in every situation.  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  (2 Peter 5-7)  These characteristics of Christ should be put on our lives, like clothing on our bodies.  If we put on Christ in all situations, we will seek to implement the following words: Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.  The weak in faith will find strength from our actions and attitudes.  They will see that our lives are pictures of peace and mercy.  They will want to emulate the lives of those who love them beyond their own well-being and needs.  During a particularly hard time in her own life, God allowed Mom to help a neighbor lady who had cancer with daily chores and to take her to Seattle to doctor appointments.  At first the woman would not let Mom talk about Jesus at all.  Later on after a relationship developed, before this very hard woman passed, Mom was able to pray with her.  She told Mom, "I know God loves me because He gave me a friend like you."  God loves through us.  Today, may we all follow Paul's teaching for the good of others with the Holy Spirit's help.   

1 Corinthians 10:15-22 Seek the Lord!

1 Corinthians 10:15-22  I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.  Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ?  And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?  Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.  Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?  Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?  No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.  You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.  Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy?  Are we stronger than he? 

Paul tells the Corinthians they cannot go their own way, participating in the devil's world and God's world, and then expect God to overlook their waywardness.  They cannot serve other gods, go to their temples, offer sacrifices on their altars, and then claim to serve the one true God.  He reminds them that God considers them one people, just as He did the chosen children of Israel.  God delivered the children of Israel out of slavery because of the blood of lambs placed around their entryways.  As God's chosen, they all experienced the same blessing as one people when God caused them to escape Egypt, the land of slavery.  They saw the sea divide to let them cross and then come together to swallow up Pharaoh's army.  They all saw the water coming out of the rock and the flocks of quail that met their need for meat.  They all experienced the cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night that represented God's constant presence.  Yet sin separated some of them from the body of the Israelites, and because of that, they died in the wilderness under God's judgement.  Paul warns the Corinthian Christians not to separate themselves from the body of Christ and his efficacious blood by associating themselves with other gods.  Even though they might know these gods are not real, they should not tempt the living God with such capricious acts.  He reminds them they are one IN CHRIST; and all participate in the one loaf, Christ's body and the one cup, Christ's blood.  As part of the living God, they are the body of Christ; therefore, they should not separate themselves from this body by participating in the temple rituals of other gods.  If they do so in a thoughtless manner, God will deal with them strongly.  He warns them: Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy?  Does our freedom IN CHRIST make us wiser than God, able to do things that are detestable to him, that Christ would not do?  Are we stronger than he?   As the prophet reminds the people of God when he speaks of God's covenant: Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts.  Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.  “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  (Isaiah 55:6-9)

Paul knows what the believers are calling freedom is really a disguise to do what they want and not what God wants.  Once we free ourselves from obligations to live in godly obedience, serving God with our whole hearts, all kinds of activities of the flesh will become attractive to us.  We will excuse every kind of behavior under the guise of our freedom IN CHRIST.  Paul refers this attitude back to the Israelites when they were in the wilderness.  He reminds the Corinthians that all the Children of Israel experienced the same blessings as one people.  All were chosen, all were under God's hand of blessing, but their waywardness, their sin, separated them from their oneness, their purpose to serve the one and only God.  Sin focuses on differences that separate and divide rather than unity.  The people sang a song with Moses when God took them across the sea.  “I will sing to the LORD, for he is highly exalted.  The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea."  (Exodus 15:1)  Yet some immediately started to grumble about their lack of necessities: water, food, shelter.  They lost trust in Moses; they lost trust in the miracles.  They lost trust in the cloud by day and pillar of fire at night.  So, they complained against the God who delivered them.  Others separated themselves by indulging in sexual deviancy and promiscuity.  Some separated themselves because they wanted leadership roles; they grumbled about Moses and Aaron's leadership.  Almost all of them separated themselves from God and his authority by serving the golden calf.  All of these acts of waywardness, of self, caused them to come under God's judgement.  Sin separates, godliness unites under God's authority.  The Children of Israel were all chosen to be delivered, but not all of them finished the course of oneness in faith, believing God would take care of them.  In fact, of the original people God delivered, only Joshua and Caleb finished the course.  Even Moses was disciplined because he struck the rock in anger, rather than speaking to it, causing water to flow.  God wanted his chosen to honor his authority in all situations.  

The wilderness served as a place of testing and refining by fire for the Children of Israel.  All of them had to believe that God was with them at all times, that He knew their circumstances and would provide.  All of them had to understand they must live their lives under God's authority and not their own.  We read in the Word: All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.  (Proverbs 21:2)  God knew the people's hearts were far from him.  He wanted each one to trust in his provisions, his plans and purposes.  The Israelites were chosen because of God's work and not their own work.  Consequently, they had to serve God with thankful and loving hearts.  We who are in Christ are one body.  We cannot do our own thing without regard to the other members of the body.  We are obligated to each other in how we live.  Paul tells the church at Ephesus about the fullness of the body of Christ: Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  (Ephesians 4:14-16)  The Corinthians could not eat the offerings given to other gods no matter how strong they were as Christians, even if they knew emphatically these other gods were not gods.  Even if they served the one and only God devotedly, they could not violate the one loaf, one cup principal.  They were all in this together, connected to every other believer.  Sin is an instrument of death that separates the body and destroys life.  Paul warns the Corinthians to stay away from self-will and self-indulgence: the pursuits, desires, and lusts of the sinful nature.  He recounts the Israelites' experiences in the wilderness so the Christians will understand that God desires them to reflect his image, as one people, with one goal: eternal life.  Anything other than this oneness will mar the holiness and perfection of God revealed through his children.  WE WHO ARE ALIVE IN CHRIST MUST SERVE THE BODY OF CHRIST BY BEING FAITHFUL TO EACH OTHER, BY CARING FOR THE NEEDS OF OTHERS, BY WATCHING OVER THE CONCERNS OF THE WEAKEST AMONG US.  TOGETHER WE WILL PORTRAY THE IMAGE OF GOD TO THE WORLD.  LET HIM, THE LIVING GOD, BE HONORED IN EVERYTHING WE DO.