Partners

Introduction

While the labels may have changed, the same phenomena tends to occur in high schools. Students attach themselves to others who fit their personality and direction. For instance, in the high school I attended we had specific groups that identified the different groups. We had the athletes — both male and female who were seen as being the more popular students. They were not the most intelligent but they carried the weight of being the first to bring the school together through contests. Then we had the intelligent folks — they didn’t rally the school but teachers tended to like them. Then we had the drug crowd. These were the ones who tended to engage in bad behavior through drug usage both at school and outside of school. Then there was the band group. The band folks tended to have their own way of seeing life. Everything was viewed through the lens of music. Then there was the leadership group. A very small group. These folks tended to be the school leaders, ran the student council, and tried to be encouragers. The leaders tended to come out of the athletes or the intelligent groups.

Every person in the school tried to fit in somewhere. Some were able to be associated with more than one group. Those who didn’t find a group to be a part of at times formed their own group with others who were left out. Labels got attached with ease in high school. People were revered or discounted based upon the group they were a part of. Often teens who were disgruntled with their group would try to find admission to another group. Such happened only with great perseverance and determination.

In our text, Paul continues giving reasons why the Corinthians need to change their behaviors and attitudes about idols. Today we continue to study Paul’s thinking and God’s desire in terms of the partnerships and alliances we form in our lives.

Practice

In the first century, much of daily life was based upon alliances formed. Wealth, status, and influence mattered. What also mattered was the god that you were associated with. Most people were highly religious. People in Paul’s day were not atheists; they were polytheists. Multiple gods but people basically aligned themselves with one particular god. This god became the spiritual patron for a person. It was in connection with this god that one developed a social and business circle. One was not fickle about the god he followed. He chose carefully so that this god would bless his life. But after a time, this association became intertwined with day to day life. Times of celebration and worship associated with this god were a part of the routine of life. When a person became a Christian, it would have been difficult to give up this life.

Corinthian believers would have been taught that these idols were false. That they were nothing. That there was only one true God and it was this God that they followed. But the reasoning would have been simply this: If the idols are not real and in fact there are no gods except God, then eating food sacrificed to this idol is nothing. So what we have are people continuing to return to idol celebrations to eat but also to continue the social and business connections of life. It is this situation that Paul addresses in chapters 8—10.

He wants the practice to stop. He wants believers to give up their right of freedom because the exercise of that freedom has produced some negative fallout. Some have questioned the singleness of focus about God. Their faith has been stretched so that some are questioning faith. Paul says that we have to think of others not just ourselves. He continues to persuade these believers in chapter 10. He points back to the practices of ancient Israel. These examples serve as warnings. They shared in the spiritual food of following God and then they engaged in association with idols. Their behavior resulted in death and loss of relationship with God. In verse 12, Paul warns about their pride. If you think you can continue to participate with idols and not suffer spiritually, you are only fooling yourself. Verse 13, God will provide a way for you to escape this temptation.

Fellowship

Verse 14, the summation for this point is given — flee from idolatry. This is not optional. This isn’t a suggestion or a simple opinion. As Paul has noted in 9:2, he is their apostle. With all the force and authority that comes from that role, Paul commands for the Corinthians to stop going to the idol feasts. To emphasize the seriousness of his point he is going to compare their feast eating with the meal at the Lord’s Supper.

When we share in the bread and cup we become partners with Christ. The word is fellowship but includes the idea of partnership and communion. When we eat the bread and drink the cup we becomes partners with Christ. We share in his sacrifice. We do this not as individuals but as a body. In other words, the person who goes to the idol celebrations may think he isn’t hurting anyone. It is his business and no one need be affected by his behavior. But this is the point that Paul counters in verse 17. We are all partners with Christ. To go to the idol celebration is to bring the body of Christ into that setting.

There are no other gods but there are demons and participation with idols is to participate with demons. It is impossible to do both. You cannot as a believer in Christ share in his meal and then share in the meal of the demons as well. This is what happened with ancient Israel. Look at what happened to them. It would have been unthinkable in Paul’s day for a person to eat at the table of his patron god and then go and eat at another god’s table. But they are doing that with Jesus. This must stop.

This is a good time for us to share in the Lord’s Supper together. We are becoming partners with each other and with God through this meal. Let’s share in the meal together.

Application

There are two points that I want to make from this section. First, God is jealous. Jealousy is often perceived as a negative trait. To be jealous of something or someone usually suggests that we lack self-confidence or in some way feel inferior. And so to hear of God being jealous may lead us to conclude that God is in someway lacking in confidence. He lives in fear of losing our love and commitment and he will do what he has to do in order to keep us close. This kind of God is manipulative and controlling. But this is not what Paul means in verse 22. God is jealous but not out of his lack of confidence but jealous out of his holiness. God isn’t jealous of something but he is jealous for something. There is a world of difference between the two.

To be jealous of something is to feel inferior so that you want to control it. To be jealous for something is to know what is best for that person and want that person to be protected and safe.

God is jealous for us. His anger that results from his jealousy comes as a result of his righteous understanding that we are missing out on what is best for us. God despises that we would give our attention to the demons rather than find fulfillment with him.

Paul tells the believers to stop attending the idol feasts and trying to take others with you. You are provoking God.

The second point is to apply this text to our lives. While we do not have the open “idol” feasts of Paul’s day the point as Gordon Fee suggests is to recognize that the demonic is much closer than we recognize. We are constantly tempted. The idol may change but Satan is near. We are pulled in many directions. It is easy for us to presume upon God’s love and grace while living life to please ourselves. We are casual about our choices of entertainment. We are casual about our language. We are casual about our relationships. We are casual about how we spend money. And that casualness reflects the ease that the demonic infiltrates our lives. It is easy to excuse our behavior by claiming to be free in Christ. It is easy to excuse our behavior and say that others just need to mind their own business. And in the process we arouse God’s jealousy. To be casual with God is to be casual with each other. It is to be casual with the direction of life. The choices we make in life matters. Let our choices reflect our faith. Let our choices reflect that we are thinking about each other in those choices. Let our choices hold up Christ. Invitation.

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