1 Corinthians 10:14-22 ESV
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 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? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 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. 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. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
Idolatry is the worship of idols. It is extreme admiration,
love, or reverence for something or someone other than God, but as though it
were God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is a God replacement. It is putting
the things or people of this world before God or in place of God. It is
worshiping the creation in place of the creator. It is giving honor, loyalty,
devotion and adherence to what is not God as though it is God. And this
includes addictive sinful behaviors which end up becoming people’s gods in
place of God.
So, we are to flee from all forms of idolatry, from anything
in our lives which is getting more of our passion, desire, loyalty, devotion
and adherence than is being given to God, or which is being adopted in place of
God. For things and people and sinful practices become idols when we look to
them to satisfy our needs or desires instead of looking to God to provide for
us all we need. It is like looking for love in all the wrong places when the
one who is LOVE is right there waiting for us to surrender our lives to him.
For, when we believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith,
we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to
walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness
and holiness. He now owns us and we are his possession and our lives are no
longer our own to be lived however we want. Now we are to walk in obedience to
our Lord in living holy and righteousness lives for the glory and praise of
God. For we died to sin, so how can we live in it any longer?
For to be in fellowship (relationship) with Christ Jesus
Christ it means that we are in partnership and participation and cooperation with
him in dying with him to sin and in living to him and to his righteousness, in
his power and strength, but not just once, but daily, by the Spirit. And we are
now his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared
in advance that we should walk in them. So, we are no longer our own for Jesus
Christ bought us back for God with his blood shed on that cross.
Now, because we who believe in Jesus Christ belong to him,
and we are now part of his body, and he owns us, and we have died with him to
sin, we are not to be giving ourselves to anything that is not of God. For we
are not to be participants with demons. For we can’t participate in the blood
of Christ and in his death and resurrection and also participate in idolatry
and in sexual immorality and any other forms of anti-God actions and behaviors
and beliefs. We cannot worship God and the idols of this world, too.
Jesus, Paul, and the other apostles made it clear in the
things that they taught that we either walk in sin or we walk in obedience to
our Lord and in his righteousness. This is not saying we will never sin again
(1 John 2:1-2), but it is teaching that we cannot make sin our practice.
Righteousness and holiness are now to be our practice and not sin. And we are
to walk in obedience to our Lord or we don’t have eternal life with God. For
our God is a jealous God, and he jealous for us that we remain faithful to him.
Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer
Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897
Oh,
to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This
is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly
I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus,
Thy perfect likeness to wear.
Oh,
to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving,
forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping
the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking
the wandering sinner to find.
O
to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy
and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly
enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing
to suffer others to save.
O
to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour
out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make
me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit
me for life and Heaven above.
Oh,
to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd
Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come
in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp
Thine own image deep on my heart.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg
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