1 Corinthians Chapter 10

Boundaries of Christian Liberty

¹ I want you to know that our forefathers passed through the sea under the cloud. ² They were baptized to Moses in the cloud and sea. ³ They ate the same spiritual food ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink: they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them—the Christ^Messiah. ⁵ But God wasn’t pleased with most of them and struck them down in the wilderness. ⁶ What happened with them serves as an example for us not to crave evil things like they did, ⁷ or worship idols like some of them did, “The people sat down to gluttony and got up to revelry” [Ex 32:6]. ⁸ We must not commit sexual sin like some of them did, and 23,000 fell in one day. ⁹ Let’s not put Christ to trial like some of them did, and snakes killed them; ¹⁰ or complain like some of them did, and the destroyer destroyed them. ¹¹ Scripture recorded those events to warn us later ¹² so whoever thinks he’s standing would be careful not to fall. ¹³ You haven’t faced anything beyond normal human experience. God’s reliable; he won’t let you face more than you can handle. He’ll provide an escape so you can handle it.                               1 Cor 10:1-13

¹⁴ So run away from idolatry. ¹⁵ I’m talking to you as intelligent people; pay attention to what I’m saying. ¹⁶ Isn’t the cup of blessing that we bless, a sharing in Christ’s blood? Isn’t the loaf we break a participation in his body? ¹⁷ Since there’s one loaf, the many of us are one body and share the one loaf. ¹⁸ Look at physical Israel. Don’t the ones that eat the sacrifices share in the altar? ¹⁹ So am I saying that something offered to an idol has value or that an idol has any value? ²⁰ No, I’m saying that what people sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, not God. And I don’t want you involved with demons. ²¹ You can’t drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You can’t participate in the table of the Lord and the table of demons. ²² Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? We aren’t stronger than he is, are we?    

1 Cor 10:14-22

²³ Not everything that’s possible is beneficial. ²⁴ Don’t look after your own welfare as much as others’ welfare. ²⁵ Eat whatever they sell in the marketplace; don’t ask any questions for conscience sake, ²⁶ because, “The earth and everything in it belong to the LORD” [Ps 24:1; 50:12; 89:11, 27]. ²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to dinner and you want to go, eat anything he sets in front of you without asking any questions for conscience sake. ²⁸ But if somebody says, “This is offered in sacrifice,” don’t eat it ²⁹ out of consideration for the other person’s conscience. Why does someone else’s conscience limit my freedom? ³⁰ If I eat with thanks, why am I slandered for it? ³¹ Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it to God’s honor. ³² Don’t do anything that hurts Jews or Gentiles or God’s church. ³³ I aim to be pleasing to everybody in everything I do. I don’t try to do what’s best for me, but for everybody’s benefit so I can save them. ¹ Follow my example like I follow Christ’s.

1 Cor 10:23-11:1