June 28, 2012
I NEED AN ERASER!
1 Corinthians 10
Bridget Horan
Central Truth
As Christians, we are called to follow Christ. This means trusting Him. The Lord teaches us many lessons about life through mistakes -- our own mistakes and those of others. In this passage, Paul is reminding us to be wise and not make the same mistakes others have made in the past.
Key Verse | 1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
1 Corinthians 10
Warning Against Idolatry
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, 1 10:1 Or brothers and sisters that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown 2 10:5 Or were laid low in the wilderness.
6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ 3 10:9 Some manuscripts the Lord to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
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: 4 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
I like rules . . . well, most of the time! But sometimes, rules seem to make things less fun, and we can be tempted to break them just to get our own way. For example, when I was a kid, I liked to do my homework while watching TV. My parents didn't like this because they knew I was not doing my best work with that distraction in front of me.
When I was in fifth grade, I had a small amount of time home alone before my brother and mom got home. So I tried to watch TV while doing my homework and, then when I would hear them coming, I would turn it off and act like I was innocent. It didn't work for long. I was caught, and it was the one time in my life when I was grounded. I learned not to go against my parents' authority even when I thought my way might be better. We all make mistakes, though. As I tell the students at my school, "Erasers were made for a reason. We all make mistakes. We just need to learn from them."
In this passage, Paul says the Corinthians made choices that were displeasing to the Lord. He says that since these people were baptized, they seemed to act like they had special privileges and were immune from sin. This is far from the truth! We all have a choice in how we act, and we are given guidelines and rules in life to help us along the way.
When we get into a tough situation, as verse 13 states, the Lord will provide a way out as long as we are wise enough to see it and take it. This is not always easy, but we can find a way out of the temptation and not fall into sin, especially when we have other believers in our lives who know us well and can help us grow closer to God. God wants only the best for us, just like my parents did, and we should trust Him.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you see yourself as being the exception to anything because you are a Christian? Do you make excuses about your sins?
2. Do you have people in your life who will speak truth to you, even when it is difficult? If not, find a community group through Watermark's GroupLink.
3. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul warns us NOT to: lust after evil things; have idols or be idolaters; and commit sexual sin. Are you committing sin in any one of these areas? If so, will you stop committing that sin so that you can honor the Lord? How will you stop? If you need help, the Watermark re:generation ministry is a great place to start.
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
1 Corinthians 7-11 (June 25-29)
Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-11.
• In verses 1-10, who is the writer talking about?
• Do you remember all the things that happened with to Israelites in the wilderness?
• What does verse 11 tell us about the Israelites?
• What does it mean for something to be an example for you? What about a warning for you?
• Have you ever thought about learning from someone else's mistakes or example?
• What are some things you have learned from other people just by watching them?
Activity: God gave us His Word so that we would have a clear guide on how to live in a way that brings Him great glory. Let's think back on the stories that He gave us as examples and what we can learn from them. For each story, have someone give a short version of what happened in the story and then everyone talk about what we can learn from them.
Stories: Noah and the Ark; Moses and the Red Sea; Eve in the Garden; Daniel in the Lion's Den; Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the Fiery Furnace; Joshua and the Wall of Jericho; David and Goliath.