1 Corinthians 10:14-22
Flee from Idolatry
14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.
15I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say.
16Is not the cup of blessing that we bless 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 partake of the one loaf.
18Consider the people of Israel: Are not those who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in the altar?
19Am I suggesting, 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 partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.
22Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?
Berean Standard Bible
Paul addresses the Corinthians as sensible people and asks them to judge what he says. He is not demanding blind compliance. He wants them to think about the Lord's Supper and the meals connected with idols, then recognize that participation communicates allegiance.
The cup of blessing in the Lord's Supper is a sharing in the blood of Christ, and the bread is a sharing in the body of Christ. Because there is one bread, the many believers are one body. Communion is not only a private moment between an individual and Jesus; it identifies a people with His sacrifice and with one another.
Paul compares Israel's altar and the meals of idol worship. He does not say an idol is a real god equal to the Lord. He says sacrifices offered by pagans are offered to demons, and he does not want the Corinthians to have fellowship with demons.
No one can drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons or share the Lord's table and the table of demons. The issue is not fear of objects or a need to inspect every ordinary meal for hidden powers. It is divided allegiance: the church cannot join worship that contradicts the Lord and then treat the contradiction as spiritually neutral.
Paul asks whether they are trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy and whether they are stronger than He is. Christian freedom has a boundary at worship. A believer may be free in many ordinary matters, but cannot make peace with idolatry while claiming that loyalty to Jesus is ultimate.
Questions
1 What does the Lord's Supper communicate?
AnswerThe cup shares in Christ's blood, the bread shares in His body, and the one bread identifies believers as one body.
2 Why does Paul compare the Lord's table with Israel's altar?
AnswerHe compares them because eating at an altar communicates fellowship with the worship offered there.
3 To whom does Paul say pagan sacrifices are offered?
AnswerHe says they are offered to demons, not to a rival god equal to the Lord.
4 What boundary does Christian freedom have?
AnswerChristian freedom cannot make divided worship acceptable or join the Lord's table with a table devoted to demons.
What This Means for Us
Ask what your participation communicates. Some activities are ordinary matters of conscience; others are acts of worship or allegiance that cannot be joined to loyalty to Jesus.
Remember that communion creates a people. Do not approach the Lord's table as though faith were only a private preference disconnected from the bodies and needs of fellow believers.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for gathering us into one body through Your sacrifice. Keep our allegiance undivided, give us wisdom about participation, and protect us from worship that competes with You. Amen.