This is the final article in the “Food Offered Unto Idols” series by missionary Forrest McPhail.

Of the billions of people today who worship literal idols, spirits, the dead, and other spiritual powers, many will come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. When they do, they will need to know how to navigate the Christian life as an extreme minority believer under the threat of persecution. Disciples of Jesus need to know how to relate to idolatrous practices all around them.

In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul taught us that the love of Christ for other believers should motivate us to have nothing to do with idolatry and food offered to idols. In chapter 9, Paul uses himself as an example of love in laying aside our rights and preferences for the sake of the Gospel. He showed us that it takes focused purpose and self-discipline to maintain the servant love required to influence people for Christ.

Now in chapter 10, Paul continues his explanation of how believers are to relate to idolatry all around them.

The Danger of Idolatry

Israel was not careful about idolatry and thus fell away from God. When we read the Old Testament, we see that most of the people of Israel in the wilderness (and nearly every generation thereafter) fell into idolatry and demon worship. Even with seeing numerous miracles that illustrated plainly that Jehovah was the One True God, experiencing supernatural acts of judgment against their sin, and hearing the many strong warnings from God about idolatry and its consequences, they still turned to idolatry.

Paul urges us to take Israel’s failure seriously and “not desire evil as they did”[1] (v.6). Idolatry proved to be Israel’s downfall. Idolatry and spirit worship usually encourage sexual immorality, so we see the connection between the two in both the Old and New Testaments. This was true of idolatry in Corinth as well. False worship elevates ritual and religiosity and degrades God’s true standard of righteousness. Worship degenerates into obtaining our goals and desires and avoiding tragedy.

God’s Promise

Following this warning, God gives us a promise through Paul that He will never allow us to be tempted above what we can endure by His grace. We always have a way to escape temptation:

“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” (v.13).

Remember, this promise is given specifically to believers who have come out of idolatry and demon worship, encouraging them that they can stay true to Christ.

Flee!

An accurate understanding about idolatry’s futility does not make us invulnerable to it. Paul warns us, “Therefore let anyone that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (v.12). We must all humbly accept our potential vulnerability and “flee from idolatry” (v.14). We must be “sensible” (v.15), and “see the danger and hide ourselves” (Proverbs 22:3; 27:12).

If we as God’s people continue to go into temples or eat food offered to idols, we set ourselves up for evil. The way of true knowledge, God’s wisdom, is not eating but fleeing. This is spiritual maturity.

A Deeper Understanding of the Lord’s Table

Participating in the Lord’s Table observance identifies us with Jesus. If we participate in the Lord’s Table, it communicates to those also participating that we believe on Jesus Christ with them. We, like them, have left our former faith, false gods, and idols for Jesus.

When we take the Lord’s Table, we unify our hearts with the Body of Christ. By participating, we worship and fellowship with God. We “participate in the body and blood of Christ” (v.16–17). Likewise, Old Testament believers fellowshipped with the LORD Himself when they offered their sacrifices to Him (v.18). To take the bread and cup of Christ is to declare that we are His alone.

Eating food offered to idols identifies us with other gods. If we eat food offered to idols, we communicate to those around us that we want to worship their gods with them, no matter what we say or feel inside. Both for ourselves and for others observing us, we must not “be participants with demons” (v.20) or eat at “the table of demons” (v.21).

Idol worship is demon worship. Worship of idols, or belief in any false religion, is worship of demons. Satan and his demons lead people away from Christ to believe lies (2 Corinthians 4:4–6).

The Lord’s Table calls us to a decision. We cannot eat at both the Table of the Lord and that of demons. We cannot eat food offered to idols and then also eat the bread and cup of the Lord’s Table! Participation in the Lord’s Table is symbolic of our repentance, a public display of unity with God’s people and a rejection of all false worship. To partake of both is unfaithfulness to our God at the most basic level.

If we are unfaithful, we tempt others among God’s people to fall back into demon worship. It encourages a false gospel by communicating to unbelievers that followers of Jesus don’t need to repent, for they can walk two roads at once. The warning is clear: to choose to eat food offered to idols is to invite the consequences of God’s anger—“Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” (v.22).

Love Limits Liberty

Since food offered to idols really is nothing in the sight of God, the food is not inherently evil. We don’t have to be extreme in our avoidance of food offered to idols. For example, if someone invites us for a meal, we don’t have to ask if the food was previously offered. If we buy meat in the market, simply buy it without asking where it came from. However, whether in the market or at a meal, if attention is brought to the fact that the food had been offered, it becomes an issue of allegiance to Christ before others. Then we must abstain. In this way, “our liberty is determined by someone else’s conscience” (v.29).

All to the Glory of God

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (10:31; 11:1).

Love for God and His people and the fear of God demand that we flee from idolatry. Paul sums up everything that went before in this discussion about food offered to idols with this one principle: “Do all to the glory of God” (v.10:31).

Commitment to God’s glory above my own desires will lead me to follow Paul’s example and lay aside my rights for others. Paul simply followed the example of his Lord, the Suffering Servant, Jesus, and so must we.

This post originally appeared at GFA’ blog Commissioned, where you can find more missions-related content.

[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the ESV.