March 4, 2014
PARTY TIME: A WELL-KNOWN VERSE AND ITS SURPRISING CONTEXT
1 Corinthians 10:14-33
Benson Hines
Central Truth
"Doing all to the glory of God" requires thinking about how my decisions might affect others. It's more important to love others than to exercise every freedom I have, every chance I get.
Key Verse | 1 Corinthians 10:31
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
1 Corinthians 10:14-33
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: 1 10:18 Greek Consider Israel according to the flesh are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
Do All to the Glory of God
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
Dive Deeper | 1 Corinthians 10:14-33
"Do all to the glory of God" is one of Scripture's best-known commands. But we can memorize this verse, put it on a T-shirt, or post it on Facebook without realizing the surprising context.
The Corinthian Christians loved exercising the freedoms they thought Christianity provided. Sometimes, this led them into blatantly sinful territory. But even when their choices weren't technically wrong, their actions often confused or concerned new believers, religious Jews, and others in their city. To finish his three-chapter discussion of these issues, Paul gives a really specific example to illustrate a better approach.
If you attend a party, Paul says in verses 27 and 28, a fellow guest could sincerely try to "help you out" by whispering that certain food might be a problem for a Christian. By doing this, the person reveals that he has a moral concern -- even though you may not. But once you realize this person will be confused or bothered by your dinner selection, Paul says, you should lovingly avoid eating the food this time around. That may sound drastic to us, but Paul says it's considerate.
These days, many Christians proudly proclaim they "don't care what people think" or purposely flaunt their freedoms in order to confront others' unnecessary rules. But Paul doesn't focus here on claiming freedoms or correcting others' overreaching rules. He focuses on loving people. It's loving to forego our simple freedoms when they could cause confusion or conscience issues. (It's a different story when people claim certain rules are required for salvation -- this type of legalism, the Bible makes clear, should be confronted head-on.)
It's after Paul's specific party-going example that the famous verse comes. "So, whether you eat or drink," Paul writes -- and he's just spent three chapters showing how eating and drinking (and sometimes NOT eating and NOT drinking) can glorify God.
So what's one big requirement to "do all to the glory of God"? Careful consideration of how our actions could affect others. That's a challenge for me, even if I am a notorious "overthinker"!
Discussion Questions
1. Do I love others (Christians and nonbelievers) enough to forego something I know I'm biblically free to do?
2. Am I willing to consider how my eating and drinking ... and my social media posts, entertainment choices, clothing, conversations, and anything else -- "whatever I do" -- may affect others negatively?
3. As a Christian, I may need to offend others sometimes. When is offending others the right thing to do, and when is it unloving?