Bible Verse Lookup
1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Chapter 10
16
Is the cup of blessing that we bless not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?
17
Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all share that one bread.
Commentaries
Idolatrous Meals and Christian Freedom.
Paul addresses a specific issue: participating in pagan cultic banquets. Confronted with the possible claim that idols are nothing and that these banquets are therefore harmless (8:4), Paul strongly responds: “I do not want you to enter into communion with demons” (20). He was well aware that these banquets were not innocent community or cultural gatherings that a confident and “liberated” Christian could attend without risking their faith. The “demons” worshipped there, represented in the images and idols overseeing the banquets, symbolized injustice and the exploitation of the poor. These “demons” are the ones that compete with and provoke God’s jealousy. Additionally, he suggests that the guiding principle for decision-making in these situations should be respect for the conscience of the weaker brother, with the aim of also bringing glory to God.