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Timothy: I Corinthians 10:14-22
The People of God Avoid Idol Worship

Dear God, my Beloved Father, I respectfully offer my praise and gratitude to You. You are the Almighty God and my Father in Heaven. Each day, I find peace and contentment in Your love and grace. My heart always turns to You, honoring and glorifying You as I learn about the wonders and marvels You have created in the world around me. I eagerly await the coming of Christ so that I may have a complete understanding of Your creative work and experience the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth during the Thousand-Year Kingdom. I believe that at that time, Your people will comprehend the profound truths within Your Eternal Living Word, for Your Word is truth, encompassing Your desires and works. I humbly ask for new strength and grace from Christ for my physical body, and seek enlightenment from the Holy Spirit for my spirit. I am thankful to the Triune God.

Father, I now present my reflections on I Corinthians 10:14-22 as follows:

14 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

15 I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say.

Verses 14 and 15: Once again, Paul advises the people of God to abstain from idol worship. External idol worship involves offering sacrifices and bowing down to idols. Internal idol worship involves having faith in idols and having reverence for them. Idols can be physical images made by human hands, but they can also be an idea, a preference, a desire, or the pride of a person. Anything that someone desires, honors, and relies on more than God becomes an idol. Paul sees the people of God in Corinth as wise because they have the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so he urges them to carefully consider the teachings he imparts to them.

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

Verses 16 and 17: The blessed cup refers to the cup of grape juice, symbolizing the blood of Christ. The unleavened bread that the Church breaks together represents the body of Christ. The holy blood of Christ was shed on the cross to cleanse sins, and the body of Christ was broken to bear the punishment of sins for those who believe in His redemptive sacrifice. The Church is called the body of Christ, so the unleavened bread also symbolizes the Church. The pieces of bread broken from one loaf signify each individual in the Church as a partaker of Christ. Therefore, the people of God cannot allow their bodies to participate in idol worship or eat sacrifices offered to idols.

18 Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?

Verse 18: Paul uses the expression “Israel after the flesh” to refer to those Israelites who are not part of the Church. According to the Old Testament worship rituals, they were allowed to partake in the sacrificial meat when they offered their peace offerings to God. The sacrificial meat was placed on the altar, with a portion burned as an offering and a portion shared with the one making the offering. By eating the sacrificial meat, they partake of the altar in worshiping and serving God. The people of God partake in the communion of the grape juice and the unleavened bread in the Holy Communion, thus partaking with the cross. The cross is the altar on which Christ offered His body as the redemptive sacrifice for humanity. Partaking with the cross means sharing in the suffering of Christ. However, those who eat sacrifices offered to idols are partaking of the demonic altar, honoring and serving the idols.

19 What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing?

20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

Verses 19 and 20: In reality, idols are nothing but empty and futile, as they are products made by human hands according to human imagination. Therefore, all the sacrifices offered to idols are also meaningless. However, behind the idols are demons, meaning that demons inspire the making of idols and are worshiped through them. In fact, demons can perform some miracles through idols to deceive humans. Thus, idol worship and the consumption of sacrifices offered to idols become acts of worship and sacrifices to demons. Those who worship idols or eat sacrifices offered to idols become participants with demons. Demons refer to Satan and the angels who rebel against God.

21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

Verses 21 and 22: The people of God must absolutely not eat the sacrifices offered to idols when they know that they are such sacrifices. To eat knowingly means to participate in communion with the idol. Anyone who does so provokes the anger of God by daring to defile their body, which is the Temple of God. No one can resist the wrath of God. In the case where the people of God unknowingly eat sacrifices offered to idols, there is no issue.

Dear Father, please help each of Your people understand what idols truly are and what it means to participate in worshiping them. May You help each of Your people detest all forms of idols and demonic altars, including those dedicated to the dead. May You empower each of Your people to firmly refrain from eating sacrifices offered to idols. If possible, may they also avoid entering places of trade or amusement that involve images or demonic altars. I thank You, Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
05/15/2023