THE KING’S BUSINESS
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Sunday, Nov. 11 . 1 Cor. iq : 18 - 22 .
ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Friday, Nov. 9 . 1 Cor. 10 : 14 , I5- With the word of encouragement to the tempted and weak which he has just given, Paul now goes back to his warnings. “Flee from idolatry,” Paul cries. He does not merely say, abstain from idolatry; flee from it. Keep just as far away from it as possible. Flee from it as from a pesti lence. Evil is not a thing to be trifled with, but a thing to be abhorred and persistently shunned, and we should have no fellow ship whatever, with it; we should not touch it (2 Cor. 6:14, 17). The only safety is in fleeing far away from what borders on idolatry or any sin. It is by wandering in the border-land of sin that men soon wan der into actual sin. In warning them to flee from idolatry, Paul appealed to their- own judgment. He does this because the Corinthians boasted, above all else, of their wisdom. He takes them at their own esti mate of themselves and says, “I speak as to wise men; judge me what I say.” Saturday, Nov. 10 . 1 Cor. 10 : 16 , 17 . Appealing to them as wise men, Paul sets forth the fact that there were two tables, a table of Christ and a table of the devil. “The cup of blessing” which the body of believers blessed at the Lord’s supper was a “partaking of the blood of Christ” (that is, we appropriate to ourselves the “blood of Christ” and what it obtained for us), a partaking of its atoning and life-giving value. Furthermore, the bread partaken of at the Lord’s supper was a “partaking of the body of Christ,” that is, it was an appropriating to the individual who partook of the bread, of the body of Christ offered for us on the cross (ch. 11:24 R. V.). All believers by this partaking of the one loaf, “The body of Christ,” become themselves one loaf, one body.
Idols were nothing (cf. 8:4) in them selves, but the worship offered to idols was really offered to demons (v. 20 A. R. V. Marg., cf. D'eut. 22:17 R. V.; 2 Chron. 11:15; Psa. 106:37 R. V.), and therefore to have any part in the idolatrous service was to have fellowship with demons. How true it is that all idolatrous worship and all heathen worship is demon worship becomes apparent when one studies idol atrous worship carefully, and sees how entirely it is worship springing from the fear of demons,'mingled with lowest vice. One sees the same thing when he studies the idols themselves. Now it is certainly impossible to combine these two things— Christianity in its purity and idolatry in its vileness: we “cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons.” Neither can we “partake of the table’ of the Lord and the table of demons.” Many are trying to do it, but it is an impossibility. Many are trying to partake of the Lord’s table and the demon’s table, by going to the Lord’s table on the Lord’s Day and on Monday going to the table of Venus and Apollo, at the theatre, dance, opera and card-party. Listen to Paul’s solemn and terrific warning aimed at just such prac tices, “Do we provoke the Lord to jeal ousy? are we stronger than He?” Monday, Nov. 12 . 1 Cor. 10 : 23 , 24 . Some of the Corinthians whose thoughts were entirely occupied with themselves and their own rights and privileges were say ing: “All things are lawful to me.” Paul who was governed by the Christian prin ciple of love, and therefore thinking of the effect of his actions not only upon himself, but others, answers, “Yes, all things are lawful; but all things are not expedient (or helpful or profitable).” A true Christian does not ask what is per missible, but what is profitable. He asks, what will “edify”, that is, what will build up the church of Christ, build up others
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