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(fellowship) with demons (devils, verse 20)". Let us not forget that there is only one
Devil or slanderer, but there are multitudes of demons, evil spirits, under his control. All
idolatry, whether ancient or modern, is only another form of the worship of Satan, and is
the very thing that he covets most of all. The very thought of sharing in the redemptive
blessings that flow from Calvary and sharing in Satan worship was abhorrent in the
extreme:
"You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of
the table of the Lord, and of the table of demons. Or are we to provoke the Lord? Are
we stronger than He?" (10: 21, 22 100: K. Barrett).
We must remember that many of the Corinthian church were formerly pagans who
had enjoyed the heathen sacrificial worship in their temples. Possibly this still had a
fascination for them. But, said the Apostle, there must be a clean break. Eating food
which had been sold in the market, after previously being used at an idolatrous feast, was
one thing; but direct participation in such feasts was quite another. Furthermore, they
had the warning of the provocation of the Lord of Israel of old, and the punishment that
followed. Did they think they could provoke the Lord and get away with it?
In the section that follows, the Apostle sums up his teaching concerning food offered
to idols which was one of the problems the Corinthian church had written to him about.
There was a situation in which it might be harmless to eat food which had previously
been offered to an idol. On the other hand it might be wrong so to do. The
circumstances in each case must be taken into account, with the over-riding consideration
of "his neighbour's good" (24).
"Whatsoever is sold in the shambles (market), eat, asking no question for conscience
sake; for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. If one of them that believe not
biddeth you to a feast, and ye are disposed to go; whatever is set before you, eat, asking
no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, this hath been offered in
sacrifice, eat not, for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: conscience, I say,
not thine own, but the others . . . . ." (10: 25-29 R.V.).
The sense of these verse is clear. Meat sold at the markets would almost surely
contain a proportion which had been sacrificed in heathen worship. The Christian was
not under any obligation to make a searching enquiry as to the origin of such food. In the
final sense it was the Lord's, Who is the Creator and to Whom all things of the earth
belong. In these circumstances there was nothing wrong in buying and eating it. But if
anyone pointed out that a particular portion of meat or food of any kind had definitely
been used in idol worship, then a believer must abstain for the sake of the informant,
whoever he was. It was really a case of practical Christian witness and self-limitation so
as not to cause anyone else to stumble, which conduct has been previously emphasized
by the Apostle. In passing, we should note that the words in verse 27 "to a feast" are
supplied and are not in the original. It is better to limit the word to "invite", that is, to
give an invitation to a meal in another person's home.
Verses 30 and 31 are difficult in their connection with what has gone before. It may
be they are an interjection by someone with a strong conscience, asking why his liberty
must be regulated by someone else's attitude of mind, and why should his action be