Warning!
10/25/09
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 New
Living Translation
Pastor Greg Smith
The Bible’s teaching has many paradoxes: statements that seem to contradict each other so that both cannot be true at the same time. For instance:
• Jesus is fully a human being, and Jesus is fully God.
• God is one, and God is three.
• The Christian is declared righteous by God, yet the Christian is a sinner still.
There is a paradox that runs through at the heart of this passage of scripture as well.
• On the one hand, there is the deep assurance that our salvation is sure and certain, even guaranteed.
• On the other hand, you must take sin seriously or you risk God’s judgment and even loss of your salvation.
These statements seem to contradict each other. It is difficult to see how both can be true at the same time. And yet if you look closely at what the Bible says you may well conclude that both are true. Of course, our understanding limited. It’s impossible to sort out exactly how it all fits together. We might wish that the Bible’s teaching was more simple— but God is an awesome God not a God that fits into human boxes and categories.
I want to look at both sides of that paradox and then come to some conclusions about what God is teaching us.
I. On the one hand, there is the deep assurance that our salvation is sure and certain, even guaranteed.
Paul has tremendous confidence in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 sets the tone for the letter.
8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
That sure and certain faith is rooted in Paul’s deep trust in God’s power to save us. Think of some of the great passages in Paul’s letters. First, listen to what Paul says in Romans 8.
Rom. 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then can condemn? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Next listen to what Paul says in Ephesians 1.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
When you stand firm in great truths like these, what Paul says about temptation makes perfect sense. So look at our key text in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Based on the great promises we have read, Paul teaches us several truths about temptation.
1. First, you will be tempted.
Testing is a shared dimension of the Christian experience, it’s “common.” Look at verse 12.
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.
So when you struggle with anger or discouragement or lust, remember: you are not a special case. Everyone has gone through something similar.
2. God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. We stand in the strength of the Lord!
• No excuses. 1 Corinthians 1:8 says,
He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Does that mean we will never fail? No, it does mean that when we do fail, God is ready to pick us up and put us back on track.
3. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
• God is always present with you, ready to guide you out of the testing if you are willing to receive that guidance.
We have looked at one side of the paradox: our salvation is sure and certain, even guaranteed. Now let’s look at the other side.
II. We must take sin seriously or risk God’s judgment and even loss of our salvation.
Imagine two college classes:
• In one the teacher says that you must work hard, there are many tests and you will not pass the course without a minimum score.
• The other teacher says, “You have already passed because someone else has completed the final test. But please do your best!”
Would you react differently to the two teachers? I’m afraid that our continuing sinful nature does this to God. God says, “You have passed the test. Jesus received a perfect 100% and he is giving that grade to you.” And so the reaction of many is to take sin lightly as if it doesn’t really matter. We are taking advantage of God’s mercy and grace!
The Corinthian Christians seemed to be like that. They found it easy to continue their old pre-Christian lifestyle including taking part in pagan sacrifices. Paul’s reaction was a warning: verse 9, “Nor should we put Christ to the test,” and verse 14, “So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.”
The Corinthians may have believed that they were beyond being judged by God. In fact, there is right sense of security in our relationship with God: 1 Corinthians 1:8, “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
But the Corinthians had a false sense of security. So Paul takes them to the Old Testament to teach them by example. Look at 1 Corinthians 10:1-5.
1 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
“There are so many parallels!” Paul is saying between us and the God’s people long ago.
They were delivered people. God had delivered them from bondage, slavery in Egypt. Paul refers to the story in Exodus (look at verse 1).
All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.
We, too, are delivered— we are delivered from bondage to sin and death through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
We are united with Jesus’ death and resurrection through faith expressed in baptism. Like Paul says in Romans 6,
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
In a similar way, Paul says, the God’s people of old had their own baptism:
2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.
God’s people of old had signs of God’s continuing presence with them.
3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.
And we, too, have signs of God’s presence in the Lord’s Supper.
Paul is saying:
“We are no different from the Old Testament people of God. They too had a baptism. They too had a “spiritual food.” Indeed, Christ was present with them even if in a hidden form. They weren’t at a disadvantage to us.
And that is why the rest of the Old Testament story is so sad. They all these advantages but what happened?
5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
But even with all that God had done for them they committed blatant sin. And with that came God’s judgment. God did not tolerate their idolatry. And God will not tolerate the Christian’s blatant sin, either.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are powerful blessings for the Christian.
• We are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection.
• The Lord’s Supper is spiritual food and spiritual drink. Look at 1 Corinthians 10:16.
16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
We participate, we share in Christ. This is more than just symbol. The meal acts out a relationship with Christ and with each other. It says that thankfulness and fellowship are at the center of our relationship with Christ.
17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are wonderful gifts but they magic charms. They can’t be made into excuses for sin. We are not to test the Lord. Like Paul says,
6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.
9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. 11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
I don’t think Paul believed that God would judge us in the same way now— probably no snakebites! God’s judgment is experienced in the process we see in Romans 1 beginning with verse 18.
Rom. 1:21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ...
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired.
What a horrible thought: abandonment by God! God letting us have what our hearts desire.
I’m thankful that Paul has more to say in 1 Corinthians 10. He doesn’t want us to be overly self-confident.
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
But Paul wants us to have great confidence in the power, protection and guidance that the Lord gives.
13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
So let’s go back and look at the two sides of the paradox again.
• On the one hand, our salvation is sure and certain, even guaranteed.
• On the other hand, we must take sin seriously or risk God’s judgment and even loss of our salvation.
We can have complete confidence.
• We are God’s children, adopted through Christ. God does cast away his children!
• We can be sure that God will provide a way to go through testing “so that you can endure.”
But we need hear the warning: We ignore the warnings to our peril. Like verse 22 says,
22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
It’s good to remember, the same people that Paul is warning are the same people that wrote about in 1:8-9.
8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul believed that through God’s power they would heed the warning. It’s never too late.
Pastor Greg Smith
The Bible’s teaching has many paradoxes: statements that seem to contradict each other so that both cannot be true at the same time. For instance:
• Jesus is fully a human being, and Jesus is fully God.
• God is one, and God is three.
• The Christian is declared righteous by God, yet the Christian is a sinner still.
There is a paradox that runs through at the heart of this passage of scripture as well.
• On the one hand, there is the deep assurance that our salvation is sure and certain, even guaranteed.
• On the other hand, you must take sin seriously or you risk God’s judgment and even loss of your salvation.
These statements seem to contradict each other. It is difficult to see how both can be true at the same time. And yet if you look closely at what the Bible says you may well conclude that both are true. Of course, our understanding limited. It’s impossible to sort out exactly how it all fits together. We might wish that the Bible’s teaching was more simple— but God is an awesome God not a God that fits into human boxes and categories.
I want to look at both sides of that paradox and then come to some conclusions about what God is teaching us.
I. On the one hand, there is the deep assurance that our salvation is sure and certain, even guaranteed.
Paul has tremendous confidence in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 sets the tone for the letter.
8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
That sure and certain faith is rooted in Paul’s deep trust in God’s power to save us. Think of some of the great passages in Paul’s letters. First, listen to what Paul says in Romans 8.
Rom. 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then can condemn? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Next listen to what Paul says in Ephesians 1.
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
When you stand firm in great truths like these, what Paul says about temptation makes perfect sense. So look at our key text in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
Based on the great promises we have read, Paul teaches us several truths about temptation.
1. First, you will be tempted.
Testing is a shared dimension of the Christian experience, it’s “common.” Look at verse 12.
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.
So when you struggle with anger or discouragement or lust, remember: you are not a special case. Everyone has gone through something similar.
2. God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. We stand in the strength of the Lord!
• No excuses. 1 Corinthians 1:8 says,
He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• Does that mean we will never fail? No, it does mean that when we do fail, God is ready to pick us up and put us back on track.
3. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
• God is always present with you, ready to guide you out of the testing if you are willing to receive that guidance.
We have looked at one side of the paradox: our salvation is sure and certain, even guaranteed. Now let’s look at the other side.
II. We must take sin seriously or risk God’s judgment and even loss of our salvation.
Imagine two college classes:
• In one the teacher says that you must work hard, there are many tests and you will not pass the course without a minimum score.
• The other teacher says, “You have already passed because someone else has completed the final test. But please do your best!”
Would you react differently to the two teachers? I’m afraid that our continuing sinful nature does this to God. God says, “You have passed the test. Jesus received a perfect 100% and he is giving that grade to you.” And so the reaction of many is to take sin lightly as if it doesn’t really matter. We are taking advantage of God’s mercy and grace!
The Corinthian Christians seemed to be like that. They found it easy to continue their old pre-Christian lifestyle including taking part in pagan sacrifices. Paul’s reaction was a warning: verse 9, “Nor should we put Christ to the test,” and verse 14, “So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols.”
The Corinthians may have believed that they were beyond being judged by God. In fact, there is right sense of security in our relationship with God: 1 Corinthians 1:8, “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
But the Corinthians had a false sense of security. So Paul takes them to the Old Testament to teach them by example. Look at 1 Corinthians 10:1-5.
1 I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. 2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. 3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
“There are so many parallels!” Paul is saying between us and the God’s people long ago.
They were delivered people. God had delivered them from bondage, slavery in Egypt. Paul refers to the story in Exodus (look at verse 1).
All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground.
We, too, are delivered— we are delivered from bondage to sin and death through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
We are united with Jesus’ death and resurrection through faith expressed in baptism. Like Paul says in Romans 6,
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
In a similar way, Paul says, the God’s people of old had their own baptism:
2 In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses.
God’s people of old had signs of God’s continuing presence with them.
3 All of them ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.
And we, too, have signs of God’s presence in the Lord’s Supper.
Paul is saying:
“We are no different from the Old Testament people of God. They too had a baptism. They too had a “spiritual food.” Indeed, Christ was present with them even if in a hidden form. They weren’t at a disadvantage to us.
And that is why the rest of the Old Testament story is so sad. They all these advantages but what happened?
5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
But even with all that God had done for them they committed blatant sin. And with that came God’s judgment. God did not tolerate their idolatry. And God will not tolerate the Christian’s blatant sin, either.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are powerful blessings for the Christian.
• We are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection.
• The Lord’s Supper is spiritual food and spiritual drink. Look at 1 Corinthians 10:16.
16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?
We participate, we share in Christ. This is more than just symbol. The meal acts out a relationship with Christ and with each other. It says that thankfulness and fellowship are at the center of our relationship with Christ.
17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are wonderful gifts but they magic charms. They can’t be made into excuses for sin. We are not to test the Lord. Like Paul says,
6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, 7 or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.” 8 And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.
9 Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. 10 And don’t grumble as some of them did, and then were destroyed by the angel of death. 11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
I don’t think Paul believed that God would judge us in the same way now— probably no snakebites! God’s judgment is experienced in the process we see in Romans 1 beginning with verse 18.
Rom. 1:21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. ...
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired.
What a horrible thought: abandonment by God! God letting us have what our hearts desire.
I’m thankful that Paul has more to say in 1 Corinthians 10. He doesn’t want us to be overly self-confident.
12 If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.
But Paul wants us to have great confidence in the power, protection and guidance that the Lord gives.
13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.
So let’s go back and look at the two sides of the paradox again.
• On the one hand, our salvation is sure and certain, even guaranteed.
• On the other hand, we must take sin seriously or risk God’s judgment and even loss of our salvation.
We can have complete confidence.
• We are God’s children, adopted through Christ. God does cast away his children!
• We can be sure that God will provide a way to go through testing “so that you can endure.”
But we need hear the warning: We ignore the warnings to our peril. Like verse 22 says,
22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
It’s good to remember, the same people that Paul is warning are the same people that wrote about in 1:8-9.
8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Paul believed that through God’s power they would heed the warning. It’s never too late.