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.
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