1 Corinthians Commentary Chapter 10 (1)

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1 Corinthians Commentary Chapter 10 (1)

1 Corinthians 10 is about the relationship between religious rituals and inner faith.

Verse 1 “Moreover, brethen, I would not that you should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the clould, and all passed through the sea.” 

"Brothers... I would not" 

Why does Paul always come out like this? He wants to tell a crucial story.

The last part of chapter 9 is the door of chapter 10. (Chapter 9:26-27)

It is the word, hate your own life.

One could say that hating oneself in the love of God is self-torture in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 is the historical events that the Israelites experienced during the Exodus.

This part is Paul's unique view of the Bible. Baptism, spiritual meat, spiritual drink.

Those food  that are not physical, such as spiritual rocks, have spiritual meanings in themselves.

This is the basic state of faith.

As we all know, baptism is coming out of Egypt into the wilderness.

Israel was saved in the waters of the Red Sea, and the Egyptian army drowned.

Baptism is about dying of what is to die and about living of what is to live.

The meaning of baptism is to be liberated from slavery to the law through Christ's death on the cross and his being raised, and to be born again as sons.

1 Corinthians 10 is related to Hebrews 6:4 and below.

1 Corinthians 10:11 “Israel is our ensamples, a mirror, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

(Typhos- example, mirror, type)

Verse 5 “But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”

This does not mean that God was not pleased with many, but that He could not get joy in many people.

That they were destroyed in the wilderness shows God’s appearance of uprooting the worthless.

It is like throwing away tasteless salt.

Verse 6 “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.”

They, that is, Israel, became a mirror. They are models.

Not just a lesson, but a practical model.

Teaching has a reflective effect.

 lust after evil things means to craving, and craving is an expression‎ of greedy behavior.

There were people who fell even after going through the process of verses 1-4.

They crossed the Red Sea, ate spiritual food, and drank spiritual water from the Rock, but there was a difference between the ritual and the actual content of their faith.

The Israelites’ departure from Egypt into the wilderness was only a formality, and the slave mentality of Egypt had not yet been exodus.

It was just their body that ran into the wilderness.

Verses 7-8 are about Israel's idolatry and fornication, and verses 9-10 are about Israel's tempt and murmur.

What is the connection and commonality between these two incidents?

1) One is extremely human and fleshly.

2) The other is pride. They think that they stand. (verse 12)

“Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

In the bible, adultery and idolatry are a set that always appears together.

Verse 7 is the incident in Exodus 32, the incident of Aaron's golden calf.

Verse 8 is the incident in Numbers 25, the incident of the Moabite woman's participation in a religious festival.

Religious attendance is a ritual to worship Baal Peor.

Participating in pagan religious festivals is adultery of the spirit and body.

Numbers 25:1 Idolatry and adultery are the programs of the religious festival at that time.

When people have food, they celebrate and cause trouble, and when they don't, they tempt and complain.

This is the flesh and pride.

For example, if you don't give money to a bad child, he whines, and if you give money, it's obvious where he goes.

This kind of Israel is our mirror.

Verse 9 "Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents."

Num. 21:5 and below They  had to go around the land of Edom, so they just complained.

Verse 10 "Neither murmur, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer."

Numbers 14:2 and below This is Israel's reaction after hearing the report of the 10 spies.

In modern terms, a coup d'etat occurred. It was almost a riot.

The difference between Gentiles and Israel is that Israel never breaks off their relationship with God, whereas Gentiles often quickly break off their relationship with God.

Even when Israel sins, they are conscious of God. Even when they run away, they are conscious of God.

Like Jonah.

However, many modern Christians quickly forget God when something happens. They do not return like a raven.

Faith should always have a strong homing power like a dove.

In the Old Testament, there are many words that God will make them return. However, the dove (the meaning of Jonah's name) returns, but the raven flies far away.

We should not connect the moral problems of humans with the grounds of faith.

We should not confuse them.

Morality is morality and faith is faith.

Therefore, it is better to separate them first when starting out and then start out.

We should wait for each other until faith eventually appears as the fruit of active action.

In the days of Israel, reproduction was the greatest blessing, so adultery always occurred during festivals.

Baal and Asherah were the gods of fertility and harvest.

Therefore, participating in festivals of foreign gods and adultery are considered the same.

Baal and Asherah are representative examples.

Even in today's world, festivals often go that far.

This is the nature of humans who want to enjoy physical festivals.

The problem is that religious festivals, or moral pleasures, are scary. This is a spiritual problem.

Verse 14: “Flee from idolatry.” This becomes a tempt, and spiritual adultery that angers God.

Therefore, you should not be a idolatry of God, but a participant.

You must become someone who serves God.

Once you have the principles, the method will come naturally.

Idolatry is said to be fellowshipping with demons in 1 Corinthians 10:20-21, but God’s born again people cannot functionally do that. They never do.

Verse 16 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of  the body of Christ?”

Is it a cup of blessing or a cup of words of blessing?

The cup of blessing is for blessing, and the cup of words of blessing is for words of blessing.

For example, it is a toast with Bravo.

It seems that the Western toasting culture developed under the influence of Christianity.

Jesus also gave bread and a cup and said a blessing.

It is a celebration party for participating in his body and blood.

And he tells us to commemorate it until Christ comes.

However, strictly speaking, after becoming one body with him, it is not so necessary.

So, although there are still such churches, the early church held the Holy Communion service at every service.

However, after the coming of the Holy Spirit, we live as one spirit with Christ anytime and anywhere, so visible audio-visual aids are not that important.

However, the Holy Communion can still be seen as containing the message of commemoration and celebration of participating in the body of Christ.

That is why Calvin said that the Holy Communion is established with only the Word.

And speaking of the koinonia of the blood of Christ, it is a question of whether we are washed in the state of being closely attached to the blood or become one with the blood.

In other words, it is a question of whether it is a mixture that dissolves.

When the Lord gave us a cup of blood, that blood, his life, came into us and was dissolved.

This is the original meaning of the communion, which commemorates becoming one with his blood.

Therefore, the blood of Jesus Christ should not be considered as the fresh blood  shed on the cross, but should be viewed as the blood of the covenant given in a cup.

Although we have never seen the fresh blood of the cross, the blood of promise given in a cup is always commemorated through the Word.

The Bible gives us our position, and the Holy Spirit makes it reality.

Verse 17 “For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.

"partakers of that one bread"

This partaker is the concept of heirship, meaning "receiving together".

It refers to many people receiving together from the one bread.

All these people come together and become one lump. This is the body of Christ.

It is the universal church.

Think of the scene where the Lord divided the five loaves and two fish among the 5,000 people in the wilderness of Bethsaida.

The Lord is sharing his body as the bread of life.

Paul does not emphasize participation in the Holy communion, but rather participation (one, dissolution) in the blood and body of Christ.

It means that the Word and the flesh become one in the Holy Spirit.

The First Epistle of John refers to this as fellowship (koinonia) with God.

In this way, the Holy communion that Paul speaks of and the Holy communion that the Corinthian church has were different.

One bread speaks of a certain existence. 

It is the word that becomes one body with Christ.

The Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation sees the body of Jesus Christ and the bread as being the same substance through the priest's blessing.

However, the bread symbolizes the existence of a certain state.

The Christian doctrine of commemoration may also be useful to those with amnesia in their faith.

For example, like unfilial people who remember their parents through ancestral rites.

However, this Holy communion also has many problems.

Therefore, we must reject all doctrines and rituals, and participation in life must become reality.

It must become life itself.

Worship, prayer, service, and life must all become participation in the life of Christ.

We have all received a portion through the body of Christ, the one bread.

The church and heaven are an organic union of the body of Christ.

This should be manifested as a life that is revealed outwardly.

This is the way to become the salt and light of the world.

And it becomes true koinonia, or brotherly love, among the members attached to the body of Christ.

So, the evidence of a person who has received the Holy Spirit is having a sense of membership in Christ.

For example, when we go to America, we quickly become friends with Chinese people.

This is because culture and language communicate with each other.

In the same way, in Christ, we quickly become friends because we share the same attributes and language of the kingdom of God.

Let’s analyze verse 13. 

“There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

"who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able"

This means that there are no temptations except the most human ones. (Refer to the original text.)

"God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, (future tense)"

God’s faithfulness means that He does not leave us alone.

And He does not allow temptations that exceed our limits.

"with the temptation" He works with you. He works in you.

"make a way of escape" so that you do not run away but can bear it.

Temptation are only human factors, and God's grace and power are with us to enable us to overcome these human factors (Deuteronomy 8:2ff).

Let’s look at verse 11 again. “Now all these things happened to them  ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

A mirror, an example, a model, and a warning for us, to understand and learn.

The content and meaning of Israel’s temptation are very important to us.

So verse 12 says, “Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

Israel always thought that we are the chosen people, that God is on our side, and that God always gives good things, and acted presumptuously.

That is why the Bible warns that without revelation, people become presumptuous (Prov. 29:18)

Believing that God will do everything without your own response to him is a very dangerous faith and is forbidden.

Hoping that things will happen without any response from you is mysticism.

Verse 14, “Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry,” can be seen as a continuation of verse 10.

And verses 11-13 can be seen as parentheses.

“My dearly beloved, flee from idolatry” means “you who can understand the word of God.”

This is the word spoken to “the wise, judge you what I say.” in verse 15.

“I speak as to wise men; judge you what I say.” Amen.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

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