1 Corinthians 10
10
Warnings From Israel’s History
1For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”#10:7 Exodus 32:6 8We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9We should not test Christ,#10:9 Some manuscripts test the Lord as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13No temptation#10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested. has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted#10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested. beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,#10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested. he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Idol Feasts and the Lord’s Supper
14Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.
18Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
The Believer’s Freedom
23“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
25Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”#10:26 Psalm 24:1
27If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 29I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? 30If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
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The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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1 Corinthians 10
10
Don't worship idols
1Friends, I want to remind you that all our ancestors walked under the cloud and went through the sea.#Ex 13.21,22; Ex 14.22-29. 2This was like being baptized and becoming followers of Moses. 3All of them also ate the same spiritual food#Ex 16.35. 4and drank the same spiritual drink, which flowed from the spiritual rock that followed them. That rock was Christ.#Ex 17.6; Nu 20.11. 5But most of them did not please God. So they died, and their bodies were scattered all over the desert.#Nu 14.29,30.
6What happened to them is a warning to keep us from wanting to do the same evil things.#Nu 11.4. 7They worshipped idols, just as the Scriptures say, “The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to dance around.” So don't worship idols.#Ex 32.6. 8Some of those people did shameful things, and in a single day about twenty-three thousand of them died. Don't do shameful things as they did.#Nu 25.1-18. 9And don't try to test Christ,#10.9 Christ: Some manuscripts have “the Lord”. as some of them did and were later bitten by poisonous snakes.#Nu 21.5,6. 10Don't even grumble, as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel.#Nu 16.41-49. 11These things happened to them as a warning to us. All this was written in the Scriptures to teach us who live in these last days.
12Even if you think you can stand up to temptation, be careful not to fall. 13You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.
14My friends, you must keep away from idols. 15I am speaking to you as people who have enough sense to know what I am talking about. 16When we drink from the cup that we ask God to bless, isn't that sharing in the blood of Christ? When we eat the bread that we break, isn't that sharing in the body of Christ?#Mt 26.26-28; Mk 14.22-24; Lk 22.19,20. 17By sharing in the same loaf of bread, we become one body, even though there are many of us.
18Aren't the people of Israel sharing in the worship when they gather around the altar and eat the sacrifices offered there?#Lv 7.6. 19Am I saying that either the idols or the food sacrificed to them is anything at all? 20No, I am not! That food is really sacrificed to demons and not to God. I don't want you to have anything to do with demons.#Dt 32.17 (LXX). 21You cannot drink from the cup of demons and still drink from the Lord's cup. You cannot eat at the table of demons and still eat at the Lord's table. 22We would make the Lord jealous if we did that. And we are not stronger than the Lord.#Dt 32.21.
Always honour God
23Some of you say, “We can do whatever we want to!” But I tell you that not everything may be good or helpful.#1 Co 6.12. 24We should think about others and not about ourselves. 25However, when you buy meat in the market, go ahead and eat it. Keep your conscience clear by not asking where the meat came from. 26The Scriptures say, “The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.”#Ps 24.1.
27If an unbeliever invites you to dinner, and you want to go, then go. Eat whatever you are served. Don't cause a problem for someone's conscience by asking where the food came from. 28-29But if you are told that it has been sacrificed to idols, don't cause a problem by eating it. I don't mean a problem for yourself, but for the one who told you. Why should my freedom be limited by someone else's conscience? 30If I give thanks for what I eat, why should anyone accuse me of doing wrong?
31When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honour God. 32Don't cause problems for Jews or Greeks or anyone else who belongs to God's church. 33I always try to please others instead of myself, in the hope that many of them will be saved.
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