Author: Craig

Sin is always relational.

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Sin is always relational.

14Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

I remember when I said this out loud, “Sin is always relational.” The Follower of Jesus sitting across from me was surprised and called it into question. Ever since I have come to recognize that we can develop a cerebral idea of sin that reserves consequences to just the “me.”

The deception in this approach can lead us to rationalize sin as an act that might not be on the “approval” list of others but is OK because we are not hurting someone else.

Idolatry exists because of our independence from God. That is sin.

When Paul writes to the Corinthian church about idolatry he wants them to reconnect their framework of decisions and life-value-judgements to relationships. He appeals to the very physical nature of the Lord’s Supper (the Bread and the Cup) to convey our union with Christ and therefore a union or interconnectedness with the whole people of Jesus as His body. He demonstrates that idolatry, in this case the participation in the ceremony and cultic rites of the many religions of Corinth, was a kind of spiritual union–a dark demonic spiritual union.

As well we must acknowledge, idolatry is always relational. It involves our relationships with self, people, the stuff of earth AND God. So Paul uses the word jealousy. “Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy?” He is jealous for you. You can only be jealous for that which “is” yours. Jealousy in this case has its judgement, for we now by His grace through Christ we belong with Him. We have a place at His table. Why should we abandon His table for another? We are now incompatible at the other table. We don’t belong there.

The Way Out

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The Way Out

11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:11-13

The lusts the attempt to rule us are not unique. The Scripture says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind.” Common. Yet, and I love this, the Scripture says, “God is faithful… he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

The way out.

Most of us don’t want to be shown the way out

of a pastry shop till we have had our croissant.

But let that shop fall in around us, and

we are ready to take cover.

We are ready to be lead out. Maybe.

The experience of temptation is not sin.

Temptation identifies the points at which

we are most vulnerable to live independent of God.

And if you have been brought into the family of Christ Jesus

the promise of God is that He will meet us by

His Spirit

and show us the way out.

But maybe you are not yet convinced

of the enduring joy of living dependent on His grace

and in His love.

Idolatry and the Desire of Evil

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6Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 1 Corinthians 10:6-11

Take note of desire; it would rule us.

As a master, desire compels the idolization of that which is not true and not God.

It promises that our experience will make us free, happy, satisfied, and totally in control.

Yet, our knowledge of the good and the evil has not delivered the liberty promised.

Indulgence of our desires contrary to the ways of God,

presumption upon the grace of God, and

grumbling against God are symptoms of our slavery to desire.

Idolatry is no friend to the soul.

Yet, we know it well; it’s familiar; and we apologize for its failure, rationalizing its occupancy in our affections.

Lust for money, sex, and power

unchecked, will crush our souls.

Finding Examples in the Spiritual History of Israel

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Finding Examples in the Spiritual History of Israel

1For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3and all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

6Now these things took place as examples for us… 1 Corinthians 10:1-6

How shall the followers of Jesus read the Old Testament?

One, we must read it with a sense of the abiding presence of Christ Jesus.
The spiritual history of Israel was never far from the minds of the Apostles. Paul teaches that Jesus is the spiritual Rock of Israel present, rescuing, leading, forming, correcting, judging and providing for them. When he says that Jesus Christ is the spiritual Rock from which they drank he is alluding to the occasions in the wilderness where God provided for them with water from the rock. The people of God have been gracefully formed as His and gracefully provided the necessities of life.

Two, we must read it as a testimony of God’s ways with His people and we must make adjustments accordingly. Paul says that these people have become examples to us. This requires careful reading in order to locate the “wisdom” available to us. Paul seems to be suggesting that the followers of Jesus gathered as His Church must be asking, “Why was God not pleased with the generation that experienced His power and glory?

Community-based

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Seth Godin recently wrote about three kinds of business: the geography based business, the commodity based business and the community based business. He writes, “And the third type, the modern type, the type that’s the most difficult to build and the most stable once built is the community-based business.”

Yes. Some of my favourite businesses are community-based. Their survival is rooted in creation of community through what is shared.

This weekend the Vancouver Sun’s Mia Standby highlighted some community-based grocery stores in Vancouver. Take note all you community dreamers. There is much to learn.