In Corinth, if your patron invited you to the celebration of his son’s coming-of-age, the party would be held at a dining room connected with a pagan temple. It’s essentially the “temple restaurant.” The feast would be a social gathering with a few religious ceremonies. What’s the harm in that?
The Corinthians wanted to engage outwardly in the worship of Roman gods and still worship Jesus.
Now Paul says that in one sense, it’s true that you could eat meat sacrificed to idols – because an idol is nothing in the world; God made all things, and so all things are good. But on the other hand, Paul recognizes that food has symbolic meaning as well. If eating this meal will identify me with that group and its deity, then I must not eat this meal.
Partaking in a communal meal identifies you with that community. In chapter 9, Paul uses himself as an example of what it means to set aside his own rights – his own freedoms – for the sake of others.
Now in chapter 10, Paul uses Old Testament Israel as an example of how to think about idolatry and our new community in Christ. Pay attention to the parts of the story that Paul tells. Because you can see that Paul wants to show the Corinthians how the OT speaks to their situation....
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