1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1
Chapter 10
31
So, whether you eat or drink or do anything else, do everything for God’s glory.
32
Avoid offending Jews, Greeks, or God’s church.
33
Just as I try to please everyone in all things, I do not seek my own benefit but that of many, so that they may be saved.
Chapter 11
1
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
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.