A Clash Of Cultures ~ 1 Corinthians 10
Big Idea: Truly mature believers are mature not because they can recite all the right doctrines and comply with all the religious rules. Christian maturity is not measured by our self-reliance. It is measured by how much we rely on what God revealed in “his-story” to live our daily lives.
Say the word “history” to a classroom of kids, “boring” would probably be their reply. To most people, studying history means memorizing an endless list of names, dates, and events from long ago. Who cares about Tutankhamun? Or that a German monk in 1517 nailed a list of protests to a door? How can the Treaty of Versailles help in real life?
Believers in Corinth probably thought like this as well when Paul gave them a lesson in ancient history (cf. 10:1-13). Who cares about Moses? How can Israelites who died 1,500 years ago in a desert help the Corinthians?
Answer: History tends to repeat itself. Ignore it at your own peril.
As the Teacher in Ecclesiastes (1:9) said: “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” In other words, what happened to God’s people long ago, may also happen to us today. Choices have consequences. So don’t do what they did. Else, we too will suffer, like they did.
The key verses to this chapter are verses 11-12:
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.
The ones who were “standing firm” in Corinth were the “strong” – the rich, doctrinally-informed, upper-class believers in chapter 8. Paul compared the self-confidence of the “strong” Corinthians here with the ancient Israelites in the Exodus (cf. Numbers 11).
Both saw themselves as special. (“God chose us!”)1 Both could eat special food that God alone provided – manna for the Israelites, Lord’s Supper for the Corinthians (cf. 10:16). Both also complained about the “meat” they missed eating! (cf. Num. 11:4).
But the meat they craved was fatal. Both coveted meat not because they were somehow protein-deficient. Both groups lusted for meat because they were actually God-deficient. Other lesser gods had crowded Jesus out from his central place in their hearts.
That’s why Paul warned them (10:7), “do not be idolaters, as some of them were.” Why? Idolatry always ends badly (cf. 10:7-10). Idolaters will inevitably suffer the deadly consequences of their choices.
While Paul agreed with the “strong” that idol meat has no evil power in itself, he didn’t want them to be naïve. Theirs was not a harmless craving. “The sacrifices of pagans,” Paul warned (10:20), “are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to participate with demons.”
Be mindful of what we crave for. What looks innocent to us might prove to be spiritually fatal. How can we tell the difference? Let God’s history in all of Scripture be our guide.
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
The heart of the matter:
Worldly people forget lessons learnt from mistakes and look only to self-satisfaction as their compass.
Gospel people never stop reminding themselves of God’s rescue of his people and depend on that as their daily guide.
1 While it is true that God chose the Israelites, as well as individual Corinthians, to be his special possession (cf. Deut. 7:6; 1Pe. 2:9), God also reminded them that his choice had little to do with them. Such reminders are necessary because of our tendency to forget and assume otherwise. For example, to the ancient Israelites God said (Deut. 7-8): “The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors …” To the Corinthians, God said (1Cor. 1:26-29): “Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose … the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things … so that no one may boast before him.” In other words, God chose them simply because he decided to. He did not choose them because they were somehow special and deserved his exclusive affection. (See Romans 9:6-29.)
Questions for personal reflection or group discussion:
1. Paul said, “…flee from idolatry.” (10:14) What kinds of things in our current lives can or have become our idols that distract us from Jesus?
2. How can we inculcate in ourselves a deep, constant interest in learning about God’s history of his rescue mission? How can we keep ourselves from being tired or bored of listening to the full gospel?
Seed Notes 