14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
15 I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say.
16 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?
17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
18 Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?
19 What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?
V. 14 - “Therefore” - Based on what was just posited - Jesus, to whom belongs all glory, and the Holy Spirit who is in you - the following is what you should do:
“my beloved, flee from idolatry.” - This seems to be an odd jump - idolatry. Paul has been telling them that God will provide a way to escape temptation so they can remain faithful. I know that when I think of temptation I do not immediately think of idols. Temptation is to be lured by drink, or porn, or sexual impurity, or anger. I don’t usually think ‘disobedience’ when ‘idolatry’ is mentioned. Idolatry comes whenever you place something else in your life as more important that your relationship with God. Whenever there is a false god, whether Baal, or Asherah, Dagon, or politics, we can let our beliefs be attached to that in lieu of God. It is easy to see how a person could become addicted to sex or alcohol or power, etc. When those things become the center of your life God is displaced which is worshipping an ‘idol’.
Look back at the list in Romans 10:5-13. The lives of these people, the Israelites who came out of Egypt, who took over the land of Canaan, who lived under the judges, David, Solomon, and the rest of the kings, they can be examples of ‘what not to do’!
Do not let anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ have control of your life, your thoughts, your actions, your worship. Don’t let golf, or skiing, or football have more influence over your life than Jesus. Don’t convince yourself that going to the ‘right church’, and taking the ‘right communion’ or the ‘right baptism’ is what Jesus demands of you.
V. 15 - “I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say” - In other words - You know what I am saying is true. I don’t need to say more. A wise man will ponder on what I have just said, and then admit that I speak the truth.
Then Paul goes on to say, “On the other hand, let me reiterate.” In the next seven verses he poses five questions and answers them.
My first inclination was to consider this section to be about communion - the bread and cup we use to remind and remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us until He returns. And it is, but it is more. The reason I hesitate a little, is that it is a rapid switch of direction. He’s taught on idolatry, and persecution, and resisting temptation. I think Paul is not teaching about communion, but is using the celebration, instituted by Jesus Christ during that Passover, to teach about purity of faith and faith practices. He is not explaining the Lord’s Table, but is using it to teach what Christ did is Holy, Righteous, and Sacred. Even though we are not worthy of His Sacrifice He did it anyway.
What did we do to earn the salvation Christ offers? Absolutely Nothing! He did it because He loves all sinners, and wants none to perish in sin. He does not love you because you accept and believe in Him; He loves you in spite of your sin. When you accept and believe in Him, you receive all the eternal blessings He promises. No longer lost! No longer condemned to Hell. Communion reminds us of the price paid.
V. 16 - “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sha(ring in the blood of Christ?” - (First question.) When we take communion, and pray a blessing over the cup (representing Christ’s blood shed for you and me) do you dare take it lightly? Knowing that Christ’s sacrifice, his blood, is for you, don’t you realize that ‘blood’ has been ‘sprinkled on you’? Your sin is the reason the blood of Christ was shed. Your sinful blood is ‘included’ and cleansed in His righteous and holy blood. Do not denigrate that blood Christ gave up in His death on the cross.
“Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?” - (Second question.) This is ancillary to the first question. The communion bread is to continually remind that Christ died in the flesh (His body died on the cross) for you and me. (See: 1 Pet. 3:18) I am not saying that the wine and the bread miraculously become Christ’s blood and body (BTW: that is a doctrine of some Christian denominations, i.e., transubstantiation). Christ died so that we may live forever with Him.
The communion, Lord’s Table, is to remind us every time we partake. Christ was the sacrifice that takes away our sin. Offering a sacrifice to the Lord was vitally important to the Jewish worshipper. Sacrificing to gods were an important part of almost every religion. Each time, the sacrifice was made to ‘cover’ or make amends for sins committed. Only here did the God who saves us cover our sins. Not just for the people around Jesus, or those who came before, but for those of us yet to come, for all time! Salvation is offered to anyone who believes in Christ, and accepts Him as Lord and Savior. That is the reminder that is the Lord’s Table - Christ died for us; His body on the cross; His blood shed. He died, was buried, and rose to eternal life. Without the resurrection, Christ’s sacrifice is no sacrifice at all but an unfortunate death. I don’t see God making an unfortunate mistake, an unforeseen “Oops”.
V. 17 - “Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.” - We “share” in Christ’s sacrifice without needing to die a physical sacrificial death. There was only one sacrifice on that cross; there was only one resurrection from that tomb - Jesus Christ the Son of God. Accept and believe in Him - you will have the same eternal life with God the Father as does Jesus. It is not based on your doing, but on His. You share his eternal life. You receive His eternal life. Everyone who believes - we who are many - are God’s own family. See: Rom. 6:10; Heb. 7:27, 9:12, 10:2, 10; 1 Pet. 3:18; Jude 1:3.
V. 18 - “Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?” - (Third question.) Israel had an extensive cadre of sacrifices and offerings - read Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. ‘Sacrifice’ is mentioned 75 times in the Pentateuch. (See Note 2.) The instructions are fairly detailed of how, who, and what was involved. The Jewish priests (a division of the tribe of Levi - not all Levite men were priests who could officiate at the altar) first had to make a sacrificial offering for themselves before performing sacrifices for others. (See: Lev 4.) The Lord allowed some of the sacrifices and offerings - whether meat or bread - to be used as food for the priests and Levites. Remember, the Levites were dedicated servants of God. They did not have side gigs to earn money; nor were the priestly duties a side job.
The priests were covered by the same sacrifices offered for the other believers, the people of Israel. The priests shared in the forgiveness from Lord, just as did the common people, leaders, and other Levites.
V. 19 - “What do I mean then? A thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?” - (Fourth question.) God specified that Israel would have no idols. The pagan religions in the nations and peoples around them had idols - physical images or statues or objects. An idol is not the god, but a representation, or perhaps the place of residence, of a pagan god. If the god is not Yahweh, our Lord, then the god is helpless and useless. Paul is saying a god of the people, a god who is not God (Yahweh) then the god is really nothing, therefore the idol is nothing important. If the god is not important, then items offered to it are basically unimportant.
You may say that it is important to the person offering the sacrifice, important enough for that person to make the effort and pay the expense. Unfortunately that proves nothing. On the other hand, committing to a wrong system of beliefs is ultimately important in that all is lost in that belief. You could be driving fast on the wrong road, but it will not get you to your destination. Kind of like, “I am lost but I am making good time.” It is futile effort in a lost cause.
V. 20 - “the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God” - This statement delves into an area which is relatively new to me. I used to think that the gods of Canaan, Egypt, Assyria, Greece, Rome, etc., were fabricated in the imaginations of those pagan people. Recently I have read a couple of books by Biblical scholars that make this statement by Paul a little clearer. “The Unseen Realm” (see note 3) and “When Watchers Ruled the Nations” (see note 4) both posit that the pagan gods were the rebellious angels - part of Satan’s minions who were defeated and cast from heaven. Demons are fallen angels.
From Vine’s Topical Dictionary: "Demons" are the spiritual agents acting in all idolatry. The idol itself is nothing, but every idol has a "demon" associated with it who induces idolatry, with its worship and sacrifices, (1 Cr 10:20, 21; Rev 9:20; cp. Deut 32:17; Isa 13:21; 34:14; 65:3, 11). They disseminate errors among men, and seek to seduce believers, 1Ti 4:1. As seducing spirits they deceive men into the supposition that through mediums (those who have "familiar spirits," Lev 20:6, 27, e.g.) they can converse with deceased human beings. Hence the destructive deception of Spiritism, forbidden in Scripture, Lev 19:31; Deut 18:11; Isa 8:19. "Demons" tremble before God, Jam 2:19; they recognized Christ as Lord and as their future Judge, Mat 8:29; Lk 4:41. Christ cast them out of human beings by His own power. His disciples did so in His Name, and by exercising faith, e.g., Mat 17:20. Acting under Satan (cp. Rev 16:13, 14), "demons" are permitted to afflict with bodily disease, Lk 13:16. Being unclean they tempt human beings with unclean thoughts, Mat 10:1; Mar 5:2; 7:25; Lk 8:27-29; Rev 16:13; 18:2, e.g. They differ in degrees of wickedness, Mat 12:45. They will instigate the rulers of the nations at the end of this age to make war against God and His Christ, Rev 16:14."
I will admit I have not thought much about pagan gods. They are not part of my experience, we don’t live in a culture where pagan god worship is prevalent. Mostly I’ve considered them as made-up stories by humans, because we all have to believe in something, don’t we. However, when we consider the Old Testament seriously, we know of many encounters of angels and humans. See: Gen 6:4; Num 13:33.
“I do not want you to become sharers in demons” - Basically, you cannot offer a sacrifice to a demon god, without worshipping that demon god. If worshipping Jesus and believing in Him means becoming part of God, then worshipping and offering sacrifices to demons means sharing with the demons the fate of the demons. What a contrast! Share heaven with Jesus, the Father and the Holy Spirit, or, share Hell with Satan! You must choose for yourself, and not I. When Job stopped to think about the relationships of people and their gods with respect to God, he was troubled, until he entered the sanctuary of God. Job says “Should God repay you on your terms when you have rejected his? You must choose, not I! So declare what you know.” (Job 34:33) We live under God’s rule, not our own. He does live under our rule or control.
V. 21 - “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons” - It is one or the other. You cannot do both. You cannot waffle between the two.
V. 22 - “Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy?” - (Fifth question.) God will not tolerate you worshipping Him and then turning on Him to worship a god. “Do not bow in worship to them, and doq not serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the fathers’ iniquity, to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me” (Exo 20:5) “Because the LORD is jealous for his reputation, you are never to bow down to another god. He is a jealous God.” (Exo 34:14) “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.” (Deut 4:24) “for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God. Otherwise, the LORD your God will become angry with you and obliterate you from the face of the earth." (Deut 6:15)
Sometimes we do something just to make our wife or girlfriend jealous, so they will pay more attention to us (or to see if they are paying attention to us). This is not a good tack to take with almighty God.
***Note 1: Paul is not making communion ‘holy’, making it a sacrament - a religious activity you must do or your faith is worthless and you are unsaved. He reminds us that communion (aka: Lord’s Supper, Lord’s Table, etc.) was instituted to continually remind us of His Death, His Body Broken, His Blood Shed for our sin.
Note 2: ‘Sacrifice’ - used 153x in the Old Testament, (61x in the Pentateuch after the exodus! ) And only 18x in the NT.
Note 3: “The Unseen Realm”; Michael S. Heiser; Lexham Press; 2015.
Note 4: “When Watchers Ruled the Nations”; Brian Godawa; Embedded Pictures Publishing; 2020.
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