Problems Plaguing a Local Church, Part 19
In our message, WAY MAKER (1 Cor. 10:12-26), we looked at how God is the one who makes a way when there seems to be no hope. The greatest of all examples is with death itself (Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:26, etc.). Jesus is “the WAY, the truth and the life” who alone made THE WAY of escape from hell and damnation (John 3:16; 14:6; Acts. 4:12, etc.). He did this by becoming one of us as the God-Man paying the price no other could by shedding His blood for us at Calvary (John 1:29, etc.). All who place their faith in Him are saved by grace (i.e. the gift of God) having been born by God supernaturally from above (John 3:7, 5:24; Eph. 2:8-9, etc.).
But God also makes a way for us as His children in every circumstance of life here today (1 Cor. 10:13). After having been warned to not be careless about our walk with Him as His children and of the possibility of stumbling (1 Cor. 10:12), God assures us as Christians every temptation we face in the race set before us and the spiritual battle we are in is “common” to humanity (1 Cor. 10:13). And our great High Priest and Savior Jesus Christ not only can sympathize with us, but He empathizes with us because being fully human He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). “God is faithful who will not allow [us] to be tempted beyond what [we] are able, but with the temptation will also MAKE THE WAY of escape” (1 Cor. 10:13, caps my emphasis). We are therefore called to “…come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16) because He has given us “His divine power… [and] ALL things [we need] that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:2-3, caps my emphasis). In other words, no matter how bad the storm and regardless of how difficult the circumstances you are facing, the Lord provides a specific way of escape for you (the article here is definite) and He will not let you stumble- if you follow Him (1 Cor. 10:13; Eph. 5:18, etc.). And if/when we do stumble as His children, He is always there, ready to pick us up if/when we confess our sin and turn back to Him (1 John 1:9; 2:1; 1 Cor. 11:31-32, etc.).
But sometimes THE WAY of escape is found in running: i.e. “FLEE FROM IDOLATRY” (1 Cor. 10:14, caps my emphasis). This is a command to us (i.e. His “beloved” children) to place nothing before Him in our lives. We should therefore try to avoid temptation whenever possible (Prov. 4:14, 15, etc.). And in the case of some powerful temptations, like something that is becoming and idol in our life, we are to run from it (1 Cor. 6:18; 10:14; 1 Tim. 6:9-11; 2 Tim. 2:22, etc.). In some cases, when a temptation/sin is chronic, as in the case of an addiction, outside help is needed for breaking free (James 5:14-16; Gal. 5:1, etc.), and this help sometimes may mean a structured program from professionals (Rom. 12:1-2, etc.). Lastly, when we face temptation, we should also follow Jesus’ example to resist the enemy steadfastly in the faith until the temptation is removed (Matt. 4:1-11; 1 Pet. 5:8-9, etc.). God, as the WAY MAKER, has given us ALL power we need including His strength to stand in the midst of temptation as we follow “the [definite article] way of escape” He sets before us (1 Cor. 10:13; Eph 6:10f; Heb. 2:18; 1 John 4:4, etc.). That “way,” once again, is Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:1-2; John 14:6; Eph. 5:18, etc.). Paul speaks this command to “flee from idolatry” primarily to the “strong” and so-called “wise” Christians in Corinth who were trying to go places with their freedom in Christ that would bring them back into bondage though idolatry (1 Cor. 4:10; 8:1; 10:12, 14-15).
Paul explains while they have freedom in Christ to eat any meat offered in the street markets of their day (1 Cor. 8:1, 4; 10:25, etc.), they are NOT free to go back to the pagan temples that they were saved out of and eat meat there! (1 Cor. 10:16-22). Just as the church fellowships/communes (koinonia) in the Lord’s Supper intimately and closely with holy God and one another (1 Cor. 10:15-17) and Israel, of the Old Testament, was in close fellowship (koinōnós) with Yahweh/their covenant God as they looked forward to the Messiah of the world (1 Cor. 10:18), all people who participate in the worship of idols (i.e. false gods) with people that do not know the Lord share in intimate “fellowship [koinōnós] with demons”! (1 Cor. 10:20). Even though an idol is nothing because there is only one true God as Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 8, the ultimate reality behind pagan religion is demonic (i.e. “the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God” 1 Cor. 10:20). Idols are nothing (Ps. 115:4-7, etc.), yet the Bible shows us they are used by demonic forces to lead people away from the true God (Deut. 32:17, 21; Ps. 106:37). The danger of idolatry (placing something before the true God) the Bible shows us here lies in the demons (1 Cor. 10:20) who, unknown to the worshipers are the real object of such worship (2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Cor. 6:15-18, etc.). Christians can be deceived and Christians can be brought under bad influences (Gal. 5:1; 1 Cor. 3:18; 6:9; 10:15; 15:33; Eph. 5:6; Gal. 6:3, 7, etc.). This is why God commands us to “flee from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:14), because it is dangerous to “provoke the Lord [Yahweh/Christ here] to jealousy” as the fathers did (1 Cor. 10:9, 21-22, etc.). Contextually, fleeing idolatry is also the specific “way of escape” that God offers to us as His children in this passage (1 Cor. 10:13-14).
Looking back to the question of meats offered in the marketplace (1 Cor. 8:1, 25-26), Paul points again to the freedom we have in Christ (1 Cor. 10:23). But here, unlike his earlier statement in 1 Corinthians 6:12, God emphasizes not only personal responsibility but our responsibility to others: “Let no one seek his own, but each other’s well-being” (1 Cor. 10:24). Because of this, Paul advises the knowledgeable brothers to ask “no questions” about the meats they buy in the “meat market” because of “conscience’ sake” (1 Cor. 10:25). This is the weak conscience of a brother or sister who is struggling with idolatry (1 Cor. 8:7). Even though the knowledgeable brothers had freedom to eat those meats in the marketplace of that day, they should seek to do so in a way that does not make other believers fall into sin (1 Cor. 8:8, 11-13; 10:26, etc.).
- What are some ‘idol temples’ today in our time where we should not go at all as Christians so as to take “the way of escape” from God? (1 Cor. 10:13-14).
- What are some places and things we should not share in? (1 Cor. 10:20-22).
- What are some of the many things we have freedom in Christ to do and places we are free to go, but that we might want to be careful how we go about doing so for our witness in Christ? (1 Cor. 10:25-26; Acts 1:8, etc.).
- How can we build ourselves and one another up in love? (1 Cor. 8:1; 9:26-27; 10:23-24, etc.).