![]() Third, there was the issue of gospel witness among non-Christians who were watching the Christians. You can imagine the temptation some experienced to give at least an appearance of homage to the prevailing religion in order to avoid losing employment, social status, and family disapproval. Renouncing the false pagan religion(s) meant renouncing social customs, family traditions, and friendship networks. Many Corinthian converts likely paid a high price to become Christians. Second, others, who may have even believed idols were nonentities, would face temptation to a different kind of idolatry by eating such meat. ![]() For them, to eat sacrificial meat was to deny Christ. Some of them, perhaps newer converts or those who, for whatever reason, had tender consciences, still felt like eating meat sacrificed to an idol was a form of idolatrous worship. First, not all the Corinthian Christians “possessed this knowledge” (1 Corinthians 8:7). In effect, some of the Corinthians had placed a higher value on enjoying this freedom than on the spiritual good of other souls. Paul did not agree, however, with how some of them were exercising this newfound Christian freedom. They were free to eat this meat with a clear conscience! Paul agreed with them (1 Corinthians 10:26, 29). Therefore, eating meat sacrificed to idols could not be idolatry if the people eating knew that idols weren’t real. Since idols were no real things, they realized that meat sacrificed to idols was meat sacrificed to nothing (1 Corinthians 10:19–20). Wonderfully, however, some Corinthian Christians were discovering that “an idol has no real existence, and that there is no God but one” (1 Corinthians 8:4). That meant eating meat could be interpreted as an act of idolatry, a betrayal of Christian beliefs (1 Corinthians 8:10). And much of the meat sold in the markets and served in homes had been ritually offered to idols (1 Corinthians 10:25, 27). Idol temples were social centers, and could function similarly to public restaurants (1 Corinthians 8:10). The problem was that idol worship was woven into the very fabric of Corinthian civic, trade, and social life - it was culturally pervasive. When they became Christians, they renounced these idols and all the expressions of worship associated with them. All the Corinthian Christians (except perhaps the Jewish ones) would have had backgrounds in pagan idol worship. There we discover that food was a major issue of Christian liberty in the Corinthian church - specifically, “food offered to idols” (1 Corinthians 8:1). When we look at the verse in its wider context, we see that Paul’s command to do all to the glory of God relates to cultural idols, the Christian conscience, and how we live before an unbelieving world. Paul has something quite specific in mind - something quite relevant to us. ![]() If our primary application of this verse is thanking God for the tasty pizza we’re eating, we haven’t understood Paul - even though he certainly would want us to thank God for the tasty pizza we’re eating (1 Corinthians 10:30). But what does Paul specifically mean by glorify God, and what does he mean by everything? ![]() Well, of course that’s true at the highest level. By itself the verse’s meaning seems patently obvious: glorify God in everything you do. The verse is so familiar, we can easily assume we understand it, even if we don’t. Explain this verse in your own words: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” If someone walked up to you right now and asked you how 1 Corinthians 10:31 worked - in eating, in drinking, in everything - how would you respond? Do you know what Paul really meant? ![]()
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