Therefore, my beloved, shun the worship of idols. I speak as to sensible men; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. You 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. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? RSV
When I first met my husband, he had attended only Catholic churches. And while there are (and we know many) wonderful devout Christians within the Catholic church, there are also (as within our own churches) those who are nominal members or attenders. My husband’s family was such a family.
He used to tell me about “Sunday morning obligation” where they would attend mass and then go home for mimosas (an alcoholic drink). The entire family, including the teenage kids, would be inebriated by evening.
I think that we often think of communion as some sort of ritual or habit that we do without understanding the full impact of participation.
Paul teaches:
“We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For he who has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.” (Romans 6:6-8 RSV)
When we participate in communion, we are acting out in a ritualistic sense this relationship between Christ’s death and our own. We are acknowledging that we are setting aside, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the demands of the flesh and are embracing the life of the Spirit.
(It’s an interesting note also that those who are not saved are slaves to sin—they have no choice—but those who are saved choose to sin because we do have a choice.)
Paul says (in Corinthians): “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” Our participation in communion is holy reminder that we are the people of God, not just at the moment, but in every moment of our lives. That being said, why then do we choose to worship idols?
What is worship exactly? It is more than we think because it is more than just coming to a church building on Sunday morning and singing songs. Webster’s defines worship as “extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem.” In other words, that which we want, that which we desire, that which we spend time or resources on . . . that is the thing we are worshiping.
So what is an idol? Again, the dictionary tells us “an object of extreme devotion.”
So what are we devoted to? Our children? Our husband? Our job? Our reputation? Our homes? Our possessions? Our dreams? Our future plans?
Anything to which we show devotion that is outside of Christian duty is idol worship; in other words, what God commands us to love is allowed . . . as long as we love Him more and we love that thing or person because He commands it. Otherwise, it is either an idol or is liable to become an idol.
Paul goes a step further. He cautions Christians against embracing even those things which are related to idols (the food offered to idols). In other words, rather than skirting the edge and still living without sinning, Paul is admonishing us to keep a large distance between ourselves and those things which would demand our devotion.
God will not share us with idols. He will not share our affection, our devotion, our worship. And if we are not His friends, we risk becoming His enemies. He is a God of mercy Who readily forgives us when we repent, but He is also a God of jealousy who isn’t content with only a part of us. He wants all . . . or nothing.
Think about it. I wouldn’t be content with a husband who was willing to share me with other men. Why should I be content with a God who would share me with other objects of worship? God, simply because of Who He is, deserves all of my worship, my focus, my attention. God, Who because of what He’s done (by providing salvation through the death of His Son), demands all of my worship, my focus, my attention.
I am His by original ownership (through creation). I am His by right of purchase (through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ).
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