1 Corinthians 10-11:1

1 Corinthians 10:1–11:1 ESV

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 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. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

Paul begins this chapter calling out,

I. Examples of Israel’s Idolatry (10:1-6a, 11)

We know that because of

1 Corinthians 10:6 ESV

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

Do you think he is shifting topics or is he still carrying on the theme of Christian Liberty?

Notice,

1 Corinthians 10:29 ESV

I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience?

See what he is doing? Paul is continuing the theme of Christian liberty. He is still addressing those areas in the life of the believer which the Scriptures do not speak to. He wants the church to know that when it comes to these matters of conscience there are really three things to consider.

How does it affect others?

How does it affect you?

Does it bring glory to God?

Throughout this chapter you will see Paul pointing to examples, exhorting the church, and reminding the church of these three questions, considerations or principles.

Let’s start by looking at how he points to the example of Israel’s idolatry to address Christian Liberty.

Notice first of all the purpose and flow of Paul’s argument.

1 Corinthians 10:1 ESV

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,

He uses his common phrase, I do not want you to be unaware. We know he uses this throughout his letters when there is false teaching or misunderstanding of doctrine going throughout the church. Paul’s purpose for his letters are to encourage, instruct, exhort, and edify the church. So often he says look I want to make sure you understand these important doctrines, or truths. These things are vital to the life and health of the church. Christian liberty is no different.

We remember from chapter 9 that the Corinthians overconfidence, and abuse of their liberty was destroying the unity of the church and potentially leading others into sin.

So in the opening of Chapter 10 Paul says, hey I want you to understand how even your forefathers have fell into this trap of abusing the spiritual blessing and freedom given them by God. Then he lays out their good gifts God had given them.

A. All Israel were under the cloud.

that our fathers were all under the cloud

What cloud is Paul referring to? The glory cloud, the cloud through which God lead them by day, and turned into a fire by night. The cloud that provided them divine guidance and protection throughout their journey in the wilderness.

Think for a moment about the spiritual blessing and privilege that was. The Israelites experienced God the Father like no other people in their day. They were able to follow Him in the day, he provided light and protection to them by night that they might be an obedient separate people.

Not only did God provide his people divine guidance he provided them divine protection. Paul reminds the church,

B. All Israel passed through the sea.

What does he say next?

And all passed through the sea

Paul is pointing them back to the Exodus. He is pointing to the time in history when Israel was about to be captured by their Egyptian enemy when all of the sudden God parted the sea, God opened it up where they could walk across on dry ground. He enabled Israel to escape the Egyptians by allowing them to pass through the sea and then drowning the enemy in the midst of the sea.

Paul continues to remind them,

C. All of Israel were baptized into Moses

And all were baptized into Moses

Now we don’t need to try and read water baptism into this statement, but what is baptism? What does baptism do?

It identifies us with Christ. We are following him in obedience, and publicly united with Christ. This is what is meant by Paul saying that Israel was baptized into Moses.

Leon Morris writes,

1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary 1. A Reference to History (10:1–5)

Probably we are to think of Moses as a type of Christ. Just as baptism in one aspect brings people under the leadership of Christ, so participation in the great events of the Exodus brought the Israelites under the leadership of Moses

John MacArthur explains it this way, The Israelites were baptized into Moses in the sense that they identified with him as the Lord’s appointed leader over them. There was solidarity between the people and Moses.

They are both stating the same thing a little differently. This baptism into Moses was the Israelites commitment and identification to God’s leader, to the one who pointed us to a greater leader, a greater mediator, as Hebrews says a greater Moses!

Not only did God lead, protect, and provide a spiritual leader, he also provided spiritual sustenance for Israel.

D. All of Israel at the same spiritual food

all at the same spiritual food

What did they eat? Manna and Quail that divinely dropped from heaven! Do you see the way God the Father cared for his spiritual children? Even providing them food to eat.

Paul continues,

E. All of Israel drank the same spiritual drink.

all drank the same spiritual drink.

There is nothing needed that God did not provide Israel. Paul says from a glory cloud, to crystal clear water the Israelites were taken care of like no other people. They had privileges and liberties like no other living people group.

But Paul is about to point them to their greatest privilege. Notice his last point,

F. All of Israel drank from the Spiritual Rock, that Rock was Christ.

English Standard Version Chapter 10

For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.

Morris and MacArthur both point to an old Jewish legend that a rock travelled with the people of Israel providing them water whenever they needed it. Paul doesn’t specifically mention that but the illusion is there and the Corinthians would have understood it.

However, we know from the OT Scriptures that whenever Israel would get to point of thirst, there would always be a Rock there would always be source of living water. And Paul say’s this Rock was Christ. The pre-existent Son of God. Before the Incarnation Christ was. The people of Israel did not have the indwelling Spirit as we do as the New Testament people, but they did have the eternal Son of God who was a source of life for them as well. What a privilege!

But how does Paul end this list of divine blessings and privileges?

1 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

All that God had given them they continued to rebel, they continued to reject God’s law, to break God’s commands, therefore they displeased God and were overthrown in the wilderness.

Leon Morris notes,

1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary 1. A Reference to History (10:1–5)

Paul’s verb katastrōnnymi adds a picturesque touch; he sees the wilderness as strewn with bodies (‘their corpses littered the desert’, JB). This is not simply natural death. It is God’s sentence against the rebels.

Even with all of the good gifts God had given them, Israel continued to run back into rebellion. They were not satisfied with graciousness of God, they always wanted more, they either wanted to go back to Egypt for the fruits and vegetables, they wanted to create idols for their own worship, they wanted to grumble against what God had given them.We will even see they turned God’s good gift of sexuality into a sinful game they played.

Why did Paul go here? Why did Paul remind the church of Israel spiritual blessings and sin?

1 Corinthians 10:6 ESV

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

Just in case we needed one more purpose statement from the apostle,

1 Corinthians 10:11 ESV

Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.

What Paul is about to do next is intertwine examples of Israel’s idolatry and sin and provide the church with,

II. Exhortations in Light of Israel’s Idolatry (6b-28)

This then is our second main point of Chapter 10, Paul’s Exhortations in Light of Israel’s Idolatry.

Let’s Follow Paul’s exhortations,

A. Don’t desire evil.

What does he write in,

1 Corinthians 10:6 ESV

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.

B. Don’t be idolaters

1 Corinthians 10:7 ESV

Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”

He returns to this one in,

1 Corinthians 10:14 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

C. Don’t be sexually immoral.

1 Corinthians 10:8 ESV

We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.

D. Don’t put Christ to the test

1 Corinthians 10:9 ESV

We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents,

What do you think Paul means here do not put Christ to the test?

Context is helpful.

What is the previous sin Israel is guilty of? Sexual immorality.

What is usually the question asked about Sexual sin? How far can I go?

Following Israel’s example of sexual immorality, Paul exhorts the church, don’t test the Lord. In other words when it comes to sin, don’t see how far you can go. Don’t see how close to the edge you can get before you go so far as to receive the judgment of God!

E. Don’t grumble

1 Corinthians 10:10 ESV

nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.

Here is one, I don’t think we take seriously enough. Over and over Scripture warns against grumbling against God. I think we can look around this week and see instances in our own lives where we have grumble in our own hear against God or out loud.

We forget when we grumble we are attacking the sovereign goodness of God. And it is clear in the pages of Scripture it is to be avoided, repented of, and will bring down the judgment of God.

F. Don’t be overconfident in your spiritual maturity.

1 Corinthians 10:12–13 ESV

Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Paul say’s, look here,

Don’t think you are above falling into temptation,

Don’t think you are stronger than you are,

Don’t think you are able to stand against the flesh, the world, and the devil by yourself!

However, recognize,

All temptation is common to man,

God is faithful,

God will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, (in Christ, by the Spirit) why did I add that?

He (God) will provide a way out. What is this way, I am going to step out on the a limb here and see if you all agree. This way God provides is his, Holy Spirit illuminated Scriptures! If Jesus used them in the desert to defeat Satan’s attack on Him, why would they not be sufficient when we are faced with temptation?

Remember to keep in view the context here.

What started this whole three chapter lecture from Paul?

Eating meat sacrificed to idols! Those who were “spiritually mature” were saying look idols are nothing, we serve the One true God therefore we have no problem eating meat sacrificed to idols.

Remember what was going on in Corinth. Idol worship where feast full of idolatrous meat was consumed but also where sexually immorality was rampant. Do you see how all this is tying together.

Paul is saying, look don’t desire evil, don’t be sexually immoral, don’t grumble about you having to put others interest before your own when it comes to Christian liberty, don’t put Christ to the test, and don’t think you are so strong that your meat eating might not turn into you falling into immorality! It happened to Israel and it could happen to you if you do not take heed to their examples.

He goes on to exhort the Corinthians,

E. Don’t participate with the demons.

1 Corinthians 10:14–22 ESV

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 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. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Paul say’s because of all of these truths from the lives of God’s people, FLEE FROM IDOLATRY!

Notice what Paul now does,

He reminds the Corinthians of the Lord’s table. He reminds them that the are participants in the blood and body of Christ.

He goes on to say that this meat the pagan’s sacrifice they offer to demons not to God! So what is his final statement in verse 20?

I do not want you to be participants with demons!

Then verse,

1 Corinthians 10:21 ESV

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.

Do you think this might curb your appetite for meat sacrificed to idols? Not only could it cause you or others to fall. But it might cause you to participate with demons. And what two questions does he close with in verse 22?

Shall we provoke the Lord to Jealousy? No

Are we stronger than he? No

Paul provides another exhortation,

F. Don’t seek your own good before the good of your neighbor.

1 Corinthians 10:23–27 ESV

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.

Verse 23 is one worth remembering, when we consider our Christian liberty, one other question we should always ask is, is it helpful?

Sure what we are doing may not in itself be sinful, but is it helpful to me and others? Is it beneficial for building up and strengthening others in sanctification? When we think of these gray areas like that all the sudden many of them become clearer.

Especially when we follow Paul’s final exhortation,

G. Don’t offend another’s conscience.

1 Corinthians 10:28 ESV

But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—

Look, if something offends someone else don’t do it. Is it lawful maybe, is it helpful maybe, maybe not, but will it offend someone else’s conscience? If so don’t do it!

Finally we see in Chapter 10,

III. Examples in the Life of the Apostle Paul (29-11:1)

A. Paul put’s God’s glory ahead of his own gratification.

1 Corinthians 10:29–31 ESV

I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Paul goes on here to say look, is it right for my conscience to be controlled by another’s weaker conscience? If I give thanks to God why should I be condemned?

Essentially, Paul says, it not as important for me to take full advantage of my Christian liberty as it is to make sure everything I do whether I eat, or drink, I do for the glory of God!

Will my actions be an opportunity to point to the goodness and grace of God through Christ or will my actions cause confusion, concern, and condemnation to my brother with the weaker conscience.

This is where we see,

B. Paul puts the good of others before his own.

1 Corinthians 10:32–33 ESV

Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

He goes on to say, give no offense to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God. That pretty much includes everyone.

He goes on to say, I try to please who? everyone

In what? in everything I do,

Not seeking what? his own advantage

But who? the many

Why? that they may be saved!

So how does he close this unit on Christian liberty?

C. Paul put’s Christ on display as our example.

1 Corinthians 11:1 ESV

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

He says imitate my example, as I imitate the example of Christ!