FLEEFROMIDOLATRY 10 14 Therefore,mybeloved[brothers],fleefromidolatry. 15 Iamspeakingtointelligent people,considerwhatiamsaying. 16 Isnotthecupofblessingforwhichwegivepraise a communion with the blood of Christ? And is not the bread we break a communion withthebodyofchrist? 17 Sincethereisone[loafof]bread,we,whoaremany,areone body;becauseweallpartakeofthatonebread. 18 Consider[thenationof]Israel.Are notthosewhoeatthesacrificeshavingcommunionwiththealtar? 19 Nowthen,what doimean?[amisaying]thatmeatofferedtoidolshas[any]specialsignificance?or thatanidolisanything? 20 [No!]But[whatIamtellingyouis]thatthesacrificesofthe Gentiles are being offered to demons, not to God; and I do not want you to have communionwithdemons. 21 YoucannotdrinkthecupoftheLordand[also]thecupof demons;youcannotpartakeofthetableofthelord,and[also]ofthetableofdemons. 22 OrarewetryingtoprovoketheLORDtojealousy?Arewestrongerthanhe?(1Cor. 10:14 22) Introduction Mr.MurphyisaChristianmanwhohappenstobeaNativeAmerican,belongingto thestockbridgetribe.severalyearsagohewaselectedtoapositionofleadershipon histribe sgoverningcounsel. In his capacity as tribal president, Mr. Murphy is called upon to attend various conferencesashistribe srepresentative.ononesuchoccasionhewascalledupon torepresentthestockbridgetribeataconferencebeingheldinthewisconsinstate capital of Madison. Many different tribes sent their representatives; and as a demonstration of unity, they were all invited to take part in a ceremonial Indian dance.themedicinemanwouldperformhisdanceandofferhisprayerto thegreat Spirit. Each of the tribal representatives would smoke the peace pipe and offer incenseaspartofthereligiousservice. WhenitwasMr.Murphy sturntoparticipateinthisreligiousceremony,whatdidhe do?hepolitelydeclined,explainingthathewasachristianandcouldnotparticipate in such an event. Mr. Murphy stood faithful to Christ, even though it meant refrainingfromatraditionalindianunityceremonyandreceivingascornfulglance fromthegovernorofwisconsinwhowaspresentattheconference. WhatwouldyouhavedoneifyouwereinMr.Murphy splace?whatwouldyoudoif an Asian friend invited you to attend his Buddhist or spiritist worship service? Would you say to yourself, It s just a lifeless statue to which they are offering incense, there can be no harm in going through the motions? Would you think to yourself, IfIabstainIwillsurelyoffendthem,theywillnotunderstand,soforthe sakeofavoidinghardfeelings,ihadbetterparticipate?wouldyoureasoninyour mind, WeallworshipthesameGod,don twe??orwouldyoutakethesameaction
asmr.murphy,politelyexplainingthatasachristianyoucannotparticipateinany worshipthatisnotdirectedtothegodofthebibleandtohimalone? Becauseidolatryisaviolationofthefirstcommandmentandbecauseoftheunholy spiritual forces that are present in it, we as Christians are called to flee from idolatry. I.FleefromIdolatry,BecauseItBringsYouintoContactwithDemons(10:14 20) When the Apostle Paul writes, Therefore, my beloved [brothers], flee from idolatry, thereistheindicationthatsomeofthesechristianpeoplewereactually participating in some form of idolatrous practice. This was not merely a hypothetical situation or a warning of potential sin and danger; this was a real problemfacingthecorinthianchurch. We, too, are living in a society in which we are increasingly facing the same situation: being constantly confronted with pagan religious concepts and practices that are presented as worthy of respect and perfectly legitimate activities. By way of illustration, consider an advertisement that appeared in a newsmagazineofferingadecorativeplatetobeusedasawallhanging.underthe heading,themajestyofanancientspiritinalimited EditionCollector splate,the plate is described in the following terms, Two North American Indian scouts moveslowlyacrossthestarkwinterlandscape,guidedontheirjourneythrough thedeepcanyonbyamysticalpresence themightycougarwhoreignsoverthe region. In Canyon of the Cat, a glorious testament to the Indian message of a shared universe, renowned Western artist Julie Kramer Cole re creates this fascinatingvisiononafineporcelainlimited editioncollector splate. TheCorinthianChristianswhoengagedinpaganreligiousceremonies,although theydidnotrealizeit,wereinvolvingthemselvesinaserioussinthatwouldlead to tragic consequences if not forsaken. Some of these Corinthian Christians recognizedthelegitimacyofeatingmeatthathadbeenofferedtoidols aspaul confirmedin1corinthians8:4, Nowconcerningtheeatingoffoodthathasbeen offered to idols: We know that a worldly idol is nothing, and that there is no God except one. But they were dangerously overstepping a spiritual boundary and goingbeyondwhatwasacceptable.theyweregoingbeyondthepointofmerely eating meat that had previously been offered to idols; they were apparently participatingintheidolatrousworshipoftheirpaganneighbors: Ifsomeonesees you one who possesses knowledge sitting in an idol s temple, will not his conscience,beingweak,becomeemboldenedtoeatwhathasbeenofferedtoidols? (1Cor.8:10.) Based upon Paul s statement in 1 Corinthians 8:10, it appears that some of the Corinthian Christians were actually participating in the pagan worship ceremonies and religious meals. They were apparently operating under a
mistakenapplicationoftheknowledgementionedin1corinthians8:4 namely, thefactthatnoidolintheworldisanytruedeity,andanerroneousapplicationof the principle of Christian liberty presented in 1 Corinthians 6:12 namely, that all things are permissible. Consequently, they felt that there was no danger in theirengaginginpaganreligiousceremonies;andfurthermore,theywereofthe opinionthattheywerefreetodowhatevertheydesired.bywayofcontemporary application, Christian people should not indulge in such practices as viewing occultmovies,orparticipatinginboardgamesthathaveaheavyoccultemphasis, or consulting the horoscope in the daily newspaper, as though their Christian libertypermittedsuchactivities. Paul, in addressing this issue, appeals to the fact that the Corinthians are intelligentmen(vs.15.)heisnotbeingsarcastic;onthecontrary,heisurgently seeking to have them view this issue with understanding and intelligent discernment.theargumentationhepresentsfortheirconsiderationinverses16 18 is as follows: those who partake of the sacrificial and sacramental meal are experiencing spiritual communion with the deity. In the case of Christian communion,thereisspiritualcommunionwithchristthelord.but,aspaulwill pointout,inthecaseofapagansacrificialmeal,thereiscommunionwithdemons (noteverse20) Before coming to his main point, Paul first makes several qualifying remarks to avoidmisunderstanding.heinquires,bywayofclarification, [AmIsaying]that meatofferedtoidolshas[any]specialsignificance?[no!] Hereaffirmsthefactthat there is nothing inherently wrong with eating meat that had been previously offeredtoidols.suchmeathasnotbecomepolluted,thereisnothingevilaboutit, itisnotunderacurseorinhabitedbydemons;itisneitherdangerousnorsinful to eat such meat. He goes on to inquire, [Am I saying] that an idol is anything? [No!] Heisreassertingthefactthatnopaganidolisanygodatall;thereisonly one true God, the God of the Bible, He alone is the true object of reverence and worship. Butnowinverse20Paulcomestothepointofhisconcern.Althoughtheidolis nogodandrepresentsnoactualdeitytobeworshipedasgod;nevertheless,there is a very real spiritual presence behind the idol and involved in idolatrous worship,thatisthepresenceofdemons.notehowthewordofgoddefinespagan worship and religion: such religious practices have a very real spiritual dimensionandreality,butthatspiritualdimensionisthepresenceandactivityof demons,notthatofthelivinggod.therefore,becauseoftheveryrealbutunholy spiritual presence that accompanies and permeates pagan religion, Christian peoplemustnotbecomeinvolvedinsuchpractices. Letusfleefromidolatry,becauseitbringsoneintocontactwithdemons.Beware, too, of such music, movies, and T.V. shows that have a heavy emphasis on the occult,themystical,ortheactivityofunholyevilsupernaturalpowers.bealertto the unholy religious dimension to so much of what is presented as harmless
entertainment, or even as educational instruction, or healthy exercise, specifically, the practice of yoga. Yoga is a commonly known generic term for physical,mental,andspiritualdisciplinesthatoriginatedinancientindia.hindu monks brought yoga to the West in the late 19 th century. In the 1980 s, yoga becamepopularasaphysicalsystemofhealthexerciseacrossthewesternworld. II.FleefromIdolatry,BecauseChristisaJealousGod(10:21 22) Theviewofreligionpropagatedbytheworldisthatallreligionshaveacommon source,allreligionsarebasicallythesame.suchwasthethemeofaparliament of Religions, which met in Chicago in the summer of 1993. According to the newspaperaccountofthatconference, leadersofthemainstreamoftheworld s religious communities have largely stopped seeing one another as potential converts,andhavebeguntoaccepttheintegrityofotherfaiths (TheSheboygan Press, Sheboygan, WI.) This was also the theme presented in a T.V. adventure moviethatbeganbytransportingitsleadingcharacterbacktohisboyhooddays in India. As the character reminisced about those days, the camera showed various scenes of India, finally focusing in on the Ganges River. As the viewers tookinthesightsoftheganges,withitsmuddybrownwaterandwithitsbanks crowdedwithhinduswhoconsidertherivertobesacred,thevoiceofthelead charactercouldbeheardcommenting, Alltheworld sreligionsflowfromhere. i.e.; all the world s religions have a common source, they are all basically the same,suchwasthemessageofthisprogram. Butallofthisisinstrikingcontrasttothebiblicalview.JohntheBaptist,under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, made a radical distinction between the religiousteachersoftheworldandthelordjesuschrist: The one who comes from above [John is here referring to the Lord Jesus Christ]isaboveall;theonewhoisfromtheearthbelongstotheearth,andhe speaksoftheearth.theonewhocomesfromheavenisaboveall. 32 Hetestifies ofwhathehasseenandheard.(jn.3:31 32a) TheLordJesusChristHimselfdeclares, Iamtheway,andthetruth,andthelife; noonecomestothefather,exceptbyme (Jn.14:6.)Bytheprophet,Isaiah,the LordHimselfdeclares, Lookuntome foriamgod,andthereisnoneother (Isa.45:22.) It is a lie that the whole world worships the same God, merely calling Him by differentnamesandservinghimindifferentways.ifsuchweretrue,whywould thelordjesuschristhaveissuedthegreatcommission? Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has beengiventome. 19 Therefore,goandmakedisciplesofallnations,baptizing themintothenameofthefatherandthesonandtheholyspirit, 20 teaching
themtoobeyeverythingihavecommandedyou.andsurelyiwillbewithyou always,totheveryendoftheage.(matt.28:18 20) If such were true, why would the Apostle Paul have called upon the men of Athenstorepent? While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols 22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 AsIwalkedaroundandlookedcarefullyatyourobjectsofworship, Ievenfoundanaltarwiththisinscription:TOANUNKNOWNGOD.Nowwhat youworshipassomethingunknowniamgoingtoproclaimtoyou. 24 TheGod whomadetheworldandeverythinginitisthelordofheavenandearthand doesnotliveintemplesbuiltbyhands. 25 Andheisnotservedbyhumanhands, asifheneededanything,becausehehimselfgivesallmenlifeandbreathand everythingelse. 26 Fromonemanhemadeeverynationofmen,[intending]that theyshouldinhabitthewholeearth;andhedeterminedthetimessetforthem andtheexactplaceswheretheyshouldlive. 27 Goddidthissothatmenwould seekhimandperhapsreachoutforhimandfindhim,thoughheisnotfarfrom eachoneofus 28 forinhimweliveandmoveandhaveourbeing.assomeof yourownpoetshavesaid,wearehisoffspring. 29 ThereforesinceweareGod s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone animagemadebyman sdesignandskill. 30 InthepastGodpassedover suchignorance,butnowhecommandsallmeneverywheretorepent; 31 because hehassetadaywhenhewilljudgetheworldwithjusticebythemanhehas appointed.hehasgivenproofofthistoallmenbyraisinghimfromthedead. (Acts17:16,22 31) Furthermore,PaulcommendstheThessaloniansforturning"toGodfromidolsto servethelivingandtruegod,andtowaitforhissonfromheaven,whomheraised fromthedead"(1thess.1:9 10.) ThefactisthattheworldhaswillfullyandwickedlyturnedawayfromtheGodof heaven,inventingfalsesubstitutegodsoftheirownchoosing: although they knew God, they neither glorify him as God, nor did they give thanks 23 theyexchangedthegloryoftheimmortalgodforimagesmadeto looklikemortalmanandbirdsandanimalsandreptiles 25 Theyexchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served created things rather thanthecreator whoisforeverpraised.amen.(rom.1:21,23,25) Anthropologists have discovered that tribal peoples throughout the world confess to having a primeval recollection of the one great God of heaven, but havedegeneratedintopantheismandspiritworship.
Thefactisthatmenneedtoturnawayfromtheirreligionsandtheiridolatries andturntotheonetrueandlivinggod.thiswasthecommissionthelordjesus Christ gave to His apostles, and which He explicitly stated in His divine call to Paul: IamsendingyoutotheGentiles 18 inordertoopentheireyesandturnthem fromdarknesstolight,andfromthepowerofsatantogod,sothattheymay receiveforgivenessofsinsandaplaceamongthosewhoaresanctifiedbyfaith inme.(acts26:17b 18) Writing to these Corinthian Christians who were thoughtlessly engaging in the pagan religious ceremonies of their neighbors, the Apostle Paul asks, Are we tryingtoprovokethelordtojealousy?arewestrongerthanhe? (vs.22.) Letusfleefromidolatry,becausetheLORDisajealousGod. AndGodspokeallthesewords, 2 IamJehovahyourGod,whobroughtyououtof thelandofegypt,outofthehouseofbondage. 3 Youshallhavenoothergods besideme.(ex.20:1 3) IamJehovah,thatismyname.Iwillnotgivemyglorytoanyother,neither [willigive]mypraisetoidols.(isa.42:8) Conclusion Living in a society in which we are constantly confronted with pagan religious conceptsandpractices,andbeingtoldthatsuchexpressionsofreligionareworthy of respect and are perfectly legitimate, we need to give special heed to the admonitionofscripturethatexhortsustobediscerningandtofleefromidolatry. Rather than accept a paganism that is both sinful and dangerous, let us heed the exhortationofthepsalmist: SingtoJehovah,praisehisname;proclaimhissalvationdayafterday. 3 Declarehis glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples 4 for great is Jehovah,andmostworthyofpraise;heistobefearedaboveallgods. 5 Allthegods ofthenationsareidols,butjehovahmadetheheavens. 6 Splendorandmajestyare beforehim;strengthandgloryareinhissanctuary. 7 AscribetoJehovah,Ofamilies ofnations,ascribetojehovahgloryandstrength. 8 AscribetoJehovahtheglorydue his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9 Worship Jehovah in the splendorofhisholiness;tremblebeforehim,alltheearth. 10 Sayamongthenations, Jehovahreigns.Theworldisfirmlyestablished,itcannotbemoved;hewilljudge thepeopleswithequity.(psl.96:2 10)