The City of Corinth was permeated with the practice of pagan idolatry. Paul had warned his audience against eating of the sacrificial offerings made in these temples in the temple district itself. To do so in such close proximity to these pagan temples would suggest the believers were sharing in the idol worship therein. He admonished, “I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils” (I Corinthians 10:20-21).
The sacrifices offered in these temples did, however, result in such meats sold in other places of the city. The Corinthian believers had questions about the propriety of the purchase and consumption of the meats in these places and Paul gave his counsel. “Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof” (I Corinthians 10:25). The issue was not the meat itself nor the condemnation brought by consuming it. Rather, the issue was whether eating the meat identified the consumer as one who worshipped the pagan idol.
Paul amplified his teaching. “If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice to idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof: conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other” (I Corinthians 10:27-29). Putting it briefly, if you go to someone’s house for dinner, eat what they give you and be thankful. If they tell you it was part of the temple offering, decline, not for your conscience, but for theirs.
The lesson here for the Corinthian believers and for us today is that we are to regulate our actions by love and not by liberty. The believer in this setting is at perfect liberty to eat the meat set before him or her. Paul had previously taught that idols were nothing. But to eat when the host clearly understood the significance of the meat and the temple sacrifice would have made the believer a participant in that worship.
Paul closes this discussion of meats offered to idols with a principle that transcends the situation and is at play in every venue of a Christian’s life. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31). This command finds profitability in every situation where uncertainty colors the course of action. Choose what glorifies God. Do what will bring him honor. Practice that which is pleasing in his sight. If Christians today lived by this principle, their lives would be marked by peace and joy.
From the Chaplain 