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 have been a demon or an evil spirit. To eat of meat offered to idols, then, would have brought a Christian into fellowship with a demon.

Since the wine at an idolatrous feast was blessed and dedicated to the idol, just as the wine in the Lord's Supper is consecrated to the Lord, Paul said the Corinthians had to choose which one they would be dedicated to. They could not serve both. Otherwise, they would have been like a "wife who would provoke her husband to jealousy by showing her affection for another man" (Lipscomb). Paul wanted those who would risk arousing Christ's anger to know he was strong enough to destroy them (1 Corinthians 10:19-22).

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