Blessings Israel Received Though Paul was writing primarily to Gentile Christians, Abraham would be considered their father in the spiritual realm (Galatians 3:7-8; Galatians 3:29), as would the other faithful fathers of the past. The Corinthian brethren probably knew the basic facts of the story of... [ Continue Reading ]
Lost Though Rewarded As Paul continues his discussion of their fall in the wilderness, he emphasizes self-control as he did in 9:27. Five times in the preceding verses he emphasized the participation of all in the blessings of deliverance. Then, he reminded the Corinthians that few received the rewa... [ Continue Reading ]
A Warning For Us All other ages pointed toward this last great one in which we live. Notice "all" of them received God's blessings and mercy (1 Corinthians 10:1-4), yet "some" turned away (1 Corinthians 7:1-40; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; 1 Corinthians 9:1-27; 1 Corinthians 10:1-33). Their sins grew out o... [ Continue Reading ]
Flee From Idolatry Idolatry is dangerous. As surely as one would flee from a snake coiled at his feet, he should flee from idolatry. Perhaps to make the lesson more palatable, and certainly because he truly loved them, Paul addressed the Corinthians as brethren. The apostle went on to tell them he... [ Continue Reading ]
The Lord's Supper and Idolatry When any Christian partakes of the Lord's Supper, he partakes of the blessings of fellowship with Christ and his brethren. Both baptism and the Lord's Supper recall Christ's death. The fruit of the vine Christ blessed and the Corinthians gave thanks for involved a ful... [ Continue Reading ]
Eating At the Idol's Table It was certainly true, as Paul admitted in 1 Corinthians 8:3, that an idol was not a real god. However, there was some reality behind the idol. The Greeks considered an idol to be a "demigod or minor deitya being between God and men" (McGarvey). To the Christian it would... [ Continue Reading ]
Seeking The Good of Brethren Paul knew all things not morally wrong were lawful, but some of those would not build up or strengthen the church. When Christians have the right to do something, the question should be "How will it affect others?" The apostle said brethren did not need to ask question... [ Continue Reading ]
Sacrificing To Save A Brother Obviously, the strong could have been thankful for any meat and eaten. The apostle asked whether they should allow their freedom to cause another to fall and speak evil of them? He wanted the brethren to realize they should be willing to give up all rights so God's pur... [ Continue Reading ]