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Do not become idolaters

  Do not become idolaters   1 Corinthians 10:4-7: “ They all drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But God was not pleased with most of them, so they perished in the wilderness. This was to serve as an example for us, so that we may not delight in evil as they did. Do not become idolaters, as some of them were, as it is written: ‘ The people sit down to eat and drink, and rise up to dance. ’”   When the people who had left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea entered the wilderness, they had nothing to eat, so God gave them manna that came down from heaven to eat. Manna symbolizes Christ. And when they grumbled against Moses because there was no water, God commanded a stone to produce water so they could drink; that stone is Christ. The point is that while those baptized within the church hear God's spiritual word and gain hope for the Kingdom of God, just as the majority of the Israelites per...
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Do Not Muzzle an Ox While It Treads Out Grain (Quoting the Old Testament)

  Do Not Muzzle an Ox While It Treads Out Grain (Quoting the Old Testament)   1 Corinthians 9:5-10 "Do we not have the right to take along wives who are sisters in faith, as the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas do? Do Barnabas alone not have the right to work? Who serves in the army at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not drink its milk? Am I speaking this according to human custom? Does not the Law also speak this? For it is written in the Law of Moses, 'Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain.' Does God not care for oxen? Does He not speak for us? Indeed, it is written for us: 'The plowman plows with hope, and the thresherer threshs with hope of sharing in the harvest.'"   Deuteronomy 25:4 "Do not muzzle an ox while it threshs grain." Plowing and It is only natural for a working ox to eat. Whether a soldier or a farmer, they perform their work because the...
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You are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

  You are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.   1 Corinthians 9:1-3: "Am I not a free man? Am I not an apostle? Have you not seen Jesus our Lord? Is it not you who have done my work in the Lord? Though I may not be an apostle to others, to you I am an apostle. You are the seal (sphrachies) of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense (apologia) against those who criticize me."   At that time, Christians did not regard Paul as an apostle. However, Paul speaks by citing several points. He asserts that an apostle is one sent by Jesus. Paul met Jesus in Damascus. Furthermore, he asks whether he did not cause the members of the Corinthian church to receive the Holy Spirit. These could serve as criteria for being recognized as an apostle at that time.   "Sphrachies" ( σφραγ ίς ) means to stamp a seal. This implies that the Corinthian church was the one with the largest number of members who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit after Paul preached t...
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Concerning Food Offered to Idols

  Concerning Food Offered to Idols   1 Corinthians 8:1-2: "Concerning food offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge (gnosin). But knowledge (gnosis) puffs up, while love (agape) builds up (oikodomei). For if anyone thinks he knows (egnokenai), he does not know (egno) what he ought to know (gnonai)."   Although *gnosin* ( γν ῶ σιν ) is translated as knowledge, true knowledge is knowledge gained through a relationship with God. However, the knowledge found in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil incites spiritual pride. Spiritual pride is the pride of wanting to become like God oneself. It is knowledge based on one's own judgment and actions.   This means that we must think carefully about food offered to idols. The fundamental purpose of a sacrifice is to receive forgiveness for sins, but food offered to idols is for the purpose of seeking blessings; therefore, it is not a sacrifice offered to God, but merely a sacrifice for oneself. The ...
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