(continuation of Meditation 78)
• Idolatry and the Lord’s Supper in the Church of Corinth
Paul warns the church members in Corinth not to attend pagan festivities nor to engage in idolatrous practises.
He urges them: “... my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am about to say is true.
When we bless the cup at the Lord's Table, aren't we sharing in the benefits of the blood of Christ? And when we break the loaf of bread, aren't we sharing in the benefits of the body of Christ? And we all eat from one loaf, showing that we are one body.
And think about the nation of Israel; all who eat the sacrifices are united by that act.
What am I trying to say? Am I saying that the idols to whom the pagans bring sacrifices are real gods and that these sacrifices are of some value? No, not at all.
What I am saying is that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don't want any of you to be partners with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord's Table and at the table of demons, too.
What? Do you dare to rouse the Lord's jealousy as Israel did? Do you think we are stronger than he is?” (1 Corinthians 10:14-22)
• Dissensions at the Lord’s Supper
Paul also warns them about dissensions at the Lord’s Supper:
“In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.
When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not! ...
So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.”
(1 Corinthians 11:17-22 and 33-34)
The apostle forewarns the church members for God’s judgment on them as a wake-up call to pursue Christlike holiness:
“So if anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord unworthily, that person is guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord.
That is why you should examine yourself before eating the bread and drinking from the cup. For if you eat the bread or drink the cup unworthily, not honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God's judgment upon yourself.
That is why many of you are weak and sick and some have even died.
But if we examine ourselves, we will not be examined by God and judged in this way. But when we are judged and disciplined by the Lord, we will not be condemned with the world.”
(1 Corinthians 11:27-32)
In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul shows how the liberation history of God’s people from the bondage of Egypt is also a serious admonition to them:
“I don't want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, what happened to our ancestors in the wilderness long ago.
God guided all of them by sending a cloud that moved along ahead of them, and he brought them all safely through the waters of the sea on dry ground. As followers of Moses, they were all baptized in the cloud and the sea.
And all of them ate the same miraculous food, and all of them drank the same miraculous water. For they all drank from the miraculous rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet after all this, God was not pleased with most of them, and he destroyed them in the wilderness.
These events happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did or worship idols as some of them did.
For the Scriptures say, 'The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged themselves in pagan revelry.'
And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.
Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites.
And don't grumble as some of them did, for that is why God sent his angel of death to destroy them.
All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close. If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin.
But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.” (1 Corinthians 10:1-13)
• Lack of discernment regarding false teaching
In Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth he addresses their lack of discernment regarding false teachers: “I hope you will be patient with me as I keep on talking like a fool. Please bear with me. I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. For I promised you as a pure bride to one husband, Christ.
But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent.
You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.
But I don't think I am inferior to these 'super apostles.'
I may not be a trained speaker, but I know what I am talking about. I think you realize this by now, for we have proved it again and again. ...
These people are false apostles. They have fooled you by disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers.” (2 Corinthians 11:1-6 and 13-15a)
Again, the apostle warns that those who lead the church astray, will be subjected to God’s judgment: “In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.”
(2 Corinthians 11:15b)
• Paul’s summary of sins allowed in the Corinthian church
The apostle ends his second letter to this church by summarizing its catalogue of sins. Furthermore, he urges this church to check out if its members really pursue Christlike holiness:
“For I am afraid that when I come to visit you I won't like what I find, and then you won't like my response.
I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfishness, backstabbing, gossip, conceit, and disorderly behavior.
Yes, I am afraid that when I come, God will humble me again because of you. And I will have to grieve because many of you who sinned earlier have not repented of your impurity, sexual immorality, and eagerness for lustful pleasure.
This is the third time I am coming to visit you.
As the Scriptures say [e.g., Deuteronomy 19:15], ‘The facts of every case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ I have already warned those who had been sinning when I was there on my second visit.
Now I again warn them and all others, just as I did before, that this next time I will not spare them.
I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak in his dealings with you; he is a mighty power among you. Although he died on the cross in weakness, he now lives by the mighty power of God.
We, too, are weak, but we live in him and have God's power -- the power we use in dealing with you. Examine yourselves to see if your faith is really genuine. Test yourselves. If you cannot tell that Jesus Christ is among you, it means you have failed the test.” (2 Corinthians 12:20-13:5)
Next time we will see how God dealt with unholiness in the Galatian churches and the church in Thessalonica.
(to be continued)
1 Corinthians 11:17-22 and 33-34 are quotes from the New International Version. All other quotes are from the New Living Translation.
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