Overcoming Temptation

Background of text

Chapter 8

Topics

Idols

Knowledge puffs up, love edifies/improves, helps

One God, the Father and the Lord Jesus

Not all have such knowledge

Therefore there are some who eat what is sacrificed to Idols

Because their conscience is weak, they are being defiled

This does not make one (παραστήσει- To bring close, or bring before) to God

Whether one eats or drinks, or one does neither, both are not better or worse than the other

This freedom does not give us grace to do as we wish, rather it becomes a responsibility

If we eat and drink as we wish, having knowledge of the God we serve, and someone else see’s us and stumbles because of it, then we are at fault

We have sinned against our very brother (V.12) which is also to Christ

How can one perish or be considered to stumble if doing either won’t make one better or worse?

Chapter 9

Topics

Paul’s authority as an apostle being questioned

He does not do this willingly, but rather has been entrusted as a steward of the gospel

He does not seek to gain from others what he’s preached, but rather has poured out his preaching because he was called to do so

He is also preaching to serve men and share the good news with them

Audience of Chapter

All traffic from Athens and the north of Greece to Sparta and the Peloponnese had to be routed through Corinth, because it stood on the little neck of land that connected the two

Trips through Corinth were made not only by necessity but also by choice

The extreme southern tip of Greece was known as Cape Malea (Cape Matapan)

It was dangerous and most people would tell you that you might as well make your will and wave goodbye to your home (as was the saying) because of the dangers of this trip

To avoid this, it took a 4 mile journey of carrying cargo across the isthmus to avoid this 200 mile round Cape Malea

It was called the lounge/bridge of Greece

If you stayed there long enough, you would eventually meet everyone in the country (saying)

Isthmian games were held there

These were second to the Olympics

Evil of Corinth

The very word korinthiazesthai, to live like a Corinthian, had become a part of the Greek language, and meant to live with drunken and immoral debauchery

Had the temple of Aphrodite (goddess of love)

1,000 priestesses who were sacred prostitutes would come down on evenings where they piled their trade

History of Corinth

146BC was destroyed and left in ruins by Roman General Lucius Mummius

46BC was rebuilt by Julius Ceasar

This made it a Roman Colony

In the days of Paul the population became very mixed

Roman Veterans whom Julius Cesar had settled there

Merchants

Jews (The city rebuilt offered them commercial opportunities for trade)

Phoenicians and Phrygians

Paul in Corinth

2nd longest stay besides Ephesus (Eighteen Months)

It was not until AD 55, when Paul was in Ephesus, that he learned about the state of the church in Corinth

The Corinthian church had asked Paul for guidance on various problems arising among the church (1 Cor. 7:1)

Chapter 10

V.1-4

All our fathers (Israelites) experienced the same God and His mighty power

DO NOT BE UNAWARE (This is important later)

Do not first be unaware of their blessings and calling, just as you were called and chosen

They all were led by Moses and were baptized in the desert with cloud which covered them, and through the sea which they passed through

They ate of the same spiritual food, and drank of the same spiritual rock which was Jesus

These events marked a new point in the Israelite nation

They were once again reunited with the Creator of the Universe, and His plans for the world were to be fulfilled through them

Paul seems to be connecting our Fathers with us, and how we also having Jesus as they did, are connected by the same God

V.5-11

Because we serve the same God and are connected through Him by the promise given through Abraham (Gen 15:1-5)

They are now given as examples as to what not to do

We should not lust after evil things (Things of the world) as they did

We should not become idolaters, commit sexual immorality

We should not tempt Christ

We should not complain

Why should we not partake in these things?

Now you must be aware of what great fall the Israelites also had

This chapter Paul continues to deal with the issue of overconfidence

Those who were in Christ were believing that because they were covered by His blood, they were then safe and could eat of meat offered to idols

Paul as we see before is not addressing the issue of eating meat served to idols, but is looking for something deep as dealing with the heart (Refer back to Chapter 8)

Just as those who were born with a blessing and a privilege to be called sons and daughters of God, so we who accept Christ have a blessing and privilege to be called sons and daughters of God

But, Paul speaks of the privileges and sins of the Israelites to warn us what can happen when we get over confident

We need to stop relying on God not giving us hard things to deal with, and start relying on Him to get us through the hard things

No matter how chosen the people of Israel were, they failed dramatically

When all the scouts but Joshua and Caleb came back with bad reports God promised that they would no longer see it (Num. 14:30-32)

When Moses was receiving the law of God on Mt.Sinai, the people convinced Aaron to help them make a golden calf to worship (Exd. 32:6)

The Letters to the Corinthians The Peril of Overconfidence (1 Corinthians 10:1–13)

The history of Israel shows that people who enjoyed the greatest privileges of God were far from being safe from temptation; special privilege, Paul reminds the Corinthians, is absolutely no guarantee of security.

These are the temptations which Paul mentions

Idolatry

If people still look to give all their time and thought and energy to something or someone, then we are still guilty of idolatry

Fornication

Tempting/Trying God to far

Whining/Grumble

V.12

Paul makes a call to vigilance

This is the group Paul is talking to, one who is not vigilant or watchful