1 Corinthians 10
10
1And I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,
2and all to Moses were baptized in the cloud, and in the sea;
3and all the same spiritual food did eat,
4and all the same spiritual drink did drink, for they were drinking of a spiritual rock following them, and the rock was the Christ;
5but in the most of them God was not well pleased, for they were strewn in the wilderness,
6and those things became types of us, for our not passionately desiring evil things, as also these did desire.
7Neither become ye idolaters, as certain of them, as it hath been written, ‘The people sat down to eat and to drink, and stood up to play;’
8neither may we commit whoredom, as certain of them did commit whoredom, and there fell in one day twenty-three thousand;
9neither may we tempt the Christ, as also certain of them did tempt, and by the serpents did perish;
10neither murmur ye, as also some of them did murmur, and did perish by the destroyer.
11And all these things as types did happen to those persons, and they were written for our admonition, to whom the end of the ages did come,
12so that he who is thinking to stand — let him observe, lest he fall.
13No temptation hath taken you — except human; and God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able, but He will make, with the temptation, also the outlet, for your being able to bear [it].
14Wherefore, my beloved, flee from the idolatry;
15as to wise men I speak — judge ye what I say:
16The cup of the blessing that we bless — is it not the fellowship of the blood of the Christ? the bread that we break — is it not the fellowship of the body of the Christ?
17because one bread, one body, are we the many — for we all of the one bread do partake.
18See Israel according to the flesh! are not those eating the sacrifices in the fellowship of the altar?
19what then do I say? that an idol is anything? or that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything? —
20[no,] but that the things that the nations sacrifice — they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not wish you to come into the fellowship of the demons.
21Ye are not able the cup of the Lord to drink, and the cup of demons; ye are not able of the table of the Lord to partake, and of the table of demons;
22do we arouse the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than He?
23All things to me are lawful, but all things are not profitable; all things to me are lawful, but all things do not build up;
24let no one seek his own — but each another's.
25Whatever in the meat-market is sold eat ye, not inquiring, because of the conscience,
26for the Lord's [is] the earth, and its fulness;
27and if any one of the unbelieving do call you, and ye wish to go, all that is set before you eat, nothing inquiring, because of the conscience;
28and if any one may say to you, ‘This is a thing sacrificed to an idol,’ — do not eat, because of that one who shewed [it], and of the conscience, for the Lord's [is] the earth and its fulness:
29and conscience, I say, not of thyself, but of the other, for why [is it] that my liberty is judged by another's conscience?
30and if I thankfully do partake, why am I evil spoken of, for that for which I give thanks?
31Whether, then, ye eat, or drink, or do anything, do all to the glory of God;
32become offenceless, both to Jews and Greeks, and to the assembly of God;
33as I also in all things do please all, not seeking my own profit, but that of many — that they may be saved.
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1 Corinthians 10: YLT98
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
1 Corinthians 10
10
Church membership no guarantee of perfection
1The fact is, brethren, baptism and partaking of the bread and wine, and your membership in the Church of Christ show forth your status as the spiritually elect of God — but remember, you are not thereby perfected. There may yet come another falling away, as with those who were called in the old days in a similar manner to us. 2What though they were all under the cloud in the moment of revelation, and all passed through the sea, 3and all ate the spiritual manna 4and drank the spiritual drink which flowed from the rock. The rock is said to have followed them wherever they went. That rock means the Christ. 5Now mark and learn the lesson. Many of those original founders of our faith “were slain in the wilderness” (Num. 14:16). 6The perfect will of God was not fulfilled in them and thereby we can discern the truth about ourselves, for they are types. They teach us not to lust, as some of them “lusted” (Num. 11:4, 34). 7Yes, our fathers took part in that great piece of history, they witnessed that divine manifestation of God, and yet though part of all that, they were not all elect. There took place in their midst a corresponding reprobation and apostacy of some. They worshipped idols, and made an image to Jehovah, and made a pagan rite of his sacrifice. “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” (Exod. 32:6) 8They committed fornication, and 23,000 fell in one day. 9They tempted the Lord, and were destroyed by serpents. 10They murmured, and the destroyer fell on them. 11On us has come the fulfilment of history. What happened before is the type of that which happens now, what was written before was written for the guidance of those on whom these days have come. All that past is contained in the history that is being made. 12Therefore let us beware, beware of “lusting,” of “fornication,” of “idolatry,” of doubting and murmuring. If our eyes are not open to the significance of those warnings, we too shall fall, even though we think we stand. 13It is God alone that can save us; in Him there will always be a way of escape however hotly the temptation press in on us, for such temptation must needs come to those that are but human. 14But mark me, note what I say. 15Beware, O beware, of idolatry, of pagan feasts and rites. Study well my words. 16That cup over which we pronounce the blessing, 17and the bread which we break, assembling ourselves together for the purpose — 18have they anything to do with the rites observed by pagans, and can we who take this cup of the Lord fall into the error of idolatry? 19Certainly the image and the meat sacrificed to it are nothing — 20we know that. But the heathen sacrifice “not to God, but to devils.” (Deut. 32:17).
Pagan rites very different from the table of the Lord
21And to partake of the feasts by which these devils are worshipped is to lay yourself open to the strong influences that hang over such rites. Just as in that Israel which now bears the name of Israel after the flesh, the people who share in the sacrificial feast, share also in the Altar. Can we then, who take the cup of the Lord and partake of this feast, have anything whatever to do with the feasts of the devils? O beware of the subtle contaminating influence of idolatry! Our feast is a spiritual one; the words of blessing pronounced over the cup, and again over the bread, they mean our share in the blood of the Christ, our membership in the infinite body of the Christ, just as we all partake of the one loaf which is broken and given to all with the accompanying words of blessing, so are we all members of that one divine spiritual body. That is the meaning of our feast. Can such a feast as that have in it any taint of idolatry? Mark well the types I have spoken of, which the scriptures contain! Shall the table of the Lord (Mal. 1:7, 12) be polluted by you through intercourse with devils? 22Will you “provoke him to jealousy with strange gods?” (Deut. 32:16). What possible connection can there be between our spiritual feast and the table of devils? 23Granted — all things are lawful to those who are free and emancipated. But it does not follow that there is no danger, no destructive power lurking round things which in an absolute sense are harmless. 24Seek what serves the common good, seek what builds and edifies, seek not your own. 25You are of course at liberty to purchase whatever you please where meat is sold, and ask no questions about it. 26-27Similarly, you can dine with friends not of the faith, and eat whatever they set before you. That is our freedom. “Is not the earth the Lord’s and the fulness thereof?” (Ps. 24:1). 28But if your host inform you, “this meat was sacrificed to such and such a god,” then keep the rule of absolute abstention from idolatry. 29You may consider yourself free, and think that you partake of all things by the grace of God, 30and are able to give thanks therefore with a good conscience, but if you are really free, why should this action affect the conscience of another, and be misinterpreted? It is better not to eat of it where other people’s consciences are at stake. 31-32Seek not your own point of view, lean not to that, although you know yourself to be as free as Christ has made you in all such matters of eating and drinking, or whatever other things you may be doing, but seek the glory of the one God, seek to commend yourself to all men, whether your company be Jewish, Greek or those who are of the faith. O think not of yourselves, but of them! 33That is always my point of view, to please all in every way I can, that they may find salvation;
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Translated in 1916, published in 1937.