Man is Born of Woman
11: 13-16

Man is born of Woman DIG: What was the real issue that Paul was concerned about, the Corinthian women wearing a head covering? Or something bigger than that? What are the last two reasons why Paul wanted the women believers in Corinth to wear a head covering?

REFLECT: What issue is there in your place of worship that might be causing some of the immature believers to stumble, or cause believers to lose their testimony in your community, thus not being able to reach the lost? Who can you help this week to overcome that issue?

For as the woman was made from the man,
so also the man is now born through the woman.

There was no reason for believers to needlessly scoff at accepted cultural traditions that did not violate Scripture. The Corinthian women had every right to not wear head coverings in the worship service because of their freedom in Messiah; but by refusing to voluntarily yield their right for the sake of others, they stumbled other weak believers and ruined their testimony with unbelievers in the community.³⁰⁸ Thus, they violated Paul’s basic principle: With all kinds of people, both Jews and Gentiles, I have become all kinds of things, so that in all kinds of circumstances I might save at least some of them (9:22b).

Dear Great Heavenly Father, How fantastic it is to have such a loving, wise and wonderful Father! You abide in Your children and are always there to guide and love us. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5c). It is so wonderful to never be alone but always have You with me. It is a joy to please You. One way to please You is when Your children love one another. So, we have come to know and trust in the love that God has for us. God is love. Now whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 John 4:16). Pleasing ourselves is so natural, but it is so much wiser and better to please You. The law of love is what You want us to follow. And Yeshua said to him, “You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). I want to please You by loving others ahead of myself. In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection Amen.

Paul changes direction and introduces a caveat to his argument. What follows is not integral to his case (to see link click Bw – The Head of a Wife is Her Husband), but is inserted to offer some balance to the previous emphasis on women’s secondary role in creation. He does this by observing that the man is now born through the woman. In other words, men are dependent on women for their existence.³⁰⁹ Every man has a mother, and this reduces the temptation of men to think themselves free from the obligation to honor women. The principle of honoring mothers (see the commentary on Exodus Do – Honor Your Father and Your Mother) implies that husbands ought to have a high regard and honor for their wives. Therefore, when all is said and done, we need each other.³¹⁰

Paul offered five reasons in verses 2-16 why women should wear head coverings in public worship.

4. The fourth reason was to emphasize the distinction between sexes (11:11-15): Lest anyone mistake his description of headship in 11:3, Paul makes it clear that women (wives) also have a direct relationship with God. Nevertheless, in union with the Lord neither is woman independent of man nor is man independent of woman; for as the woman was made from the man, so also the man is now born through the woman. While Eve did come from Adam, so too are male children born through female mothers. Paul reminded the Corinthians that everything comes from God (11:11-12). In other words, that fact that Eve came from Adam’s rib does not contradict that fact that God Himself fashioned the first woman.

To be sure, husbands have a headship role because they are held responsible for what goes on in their marriage (see the commentary on Romans Bm – The Consequences of Adam), this does not eliminate the need for wives to cultivate their own relationship with Messiah. Wives worship and honor ADONAI directly because there is neither . . . male or female (Galatians 3:28). Moreover, this common origin implies a commonality of worship; the distinctions between the sexes in their worship roles does not imply complete separation. Both men and women must fulfill their proper roles together if worship is to be acceptable.³¹¹

This section begins with an unusual expression: Decide for yourselves (11:13a). By these words Paul did not encourage the Corinthians to ignore his instructions. Rather, he meant that they should not blindly obey his directives, they were to think through the issue. Paul said this because he was convinced the believers in Corinth had the ability to think properly on this issue. He hoped they would reason through the issues with him and see how he came to his conclusions. In fact, since this was an area in which he knew the church was following his instructions, he probably expected the majority of his readers to agree with his position.

Paul then circled back to the main point of his argument: Is it appropriate for a woman to pray to God when she is uncovered, akin to a prostitute advertising her wares (11:13)? Within their new found freedom in Messiah, some of the “liberated” women in the Corinthian church adopted the “for me, everything is permitted” (6:12a) attitude, and were praying and prophesying with uncovered heads, contrary to the cultural norms of the time. As a result, Paul wanted the Corinthian women to wear a head covering in public worship because their actions were damaging to the women themselves, the Corinthian church, the Corinthian community, and most of all to God Himself. Other spiritually immature believers in the church were being stumbled upon; and in addition, those women were losing their testimony in the community. Thus, they violated Paul’s basic principle: With all kinds of people, both Jews and Gentiles, I have become all kinds of things, so that in all kinds of circumstances I might save at least some of them (9:22b).

To clinch his case, Paul throws in a final argument by appealing to nature, which is assumed to reveal what is fitting, honorable and glorifying. Doesn’t the nature of things itself teach you that a man who wears his hair long degrades himself? The mentioning of hair only serves as a final illustration as to why women (wives) should have a cover on their heads, but men (husbands) should not.³¹² Long hair was a woman’s glory because it gave her the visible expression to the differentiation of the sexes. This was Paul’s point in noting that long hair is given to her as a covering (11:14-15). Since she had a natural covering, her hair, she followed the custom of wearing a physical covering, a veil, in public worship. Whether women today should wear a head covering or men should wear a hat depends on the customs where they live.

When Paul speaks of nature, he means what his society at the time understood to be natural. In general, it was shameful for men in his culture to have long hair. The only surviving statues from Corinth portraying men wearing long hair, besides male deities, were those appearing in the façade of the captives in the forum in Roman Corinth. Their long hair was intended to portray those captives were weak, soft and effeminate.

The Corinthian women went to war against their culture and what society considered natural at the time. Paul only brought up hair as an analogy. God has given women a glorious, natural head covering, namely, their hair. Therefore, Paul wanted the Corinthian women (wives) to follow the lead of nature, as defined by social custom at that time, and cover their heads. Men (husbands), on the other hand, did not use their hair as their cover, since it was shameful for them to have long hair in their culture.³¹³

5. The fifth reason was the universal practice (11:16): It was time to wrap things up. So, Paul brought to a close his argument over the rightness of the Corinthian women maintaining the tradition of covering their heads in the worship service. Some of the women were being contentious about this. However, Paul refused to be contentious back. It was not his way to argue back and forth. Therefore, he concluded: If anyone wants to argue about it, the fact remains that we have no such custom, nor do the Messianic communities of God (11:16). Paul was not trying to force a new behavioral pattern on the Corinthians, but simply to hold the line against self-indulgent individual excess in the name of freedom in Messiah. As in the case of food sacrificed to idols (see Bj – Concerning Our Freedom in Messiah), Paul dealt with the immediate issue, but also put his finger on the root of the problem, the Corinthian pursuit of self-interest which was unwilling to voluntarily give up their “rights” for the needs of others (10:24) or the glory of God (10:31). For the women not to wear a head covering in the worship service was an act of rebelliousness which discredited ADONAI.³¹⁴

The Head of a Wife is Her Husband
11: 2-10

The head of a wife is her husband DIG: What does it mean to be “the head?” What is the difference between positional leadership and real leadership? How are men and women viewed as being equal? How is the husband supposed to lead? Why was it so important that the women who were praying and prophesying in public worship wear head-coverings?

REFLECT: What reasons did Paul give that the Corinthian women should wear head coverings in his day? Does the Bible teach that women should wear head coverings today? Why or why not? What was the real issue that Paul was concerned about? What is the difference between the marriage relationship and the responsibility placed upon the husband by God?

The head of every man is Messiah,
and the head of a wife is her husband,
and the head of Messiah is God.

There was no reason for believers to needlessly scoff at accepted cultural traditions that did not violate Scripture. The Corinthian women had every right to not wear head coverings in the worship service because of their freedom in Messiah; but by refusing to voluntarily yield their right for the sake of others, they stumbled other immature believers and ruined their testimony with unbelievers in the community.²⁹⁵ Thus, they violated Paul’s basic principle: With all kinds of people, both Jews and Gentiles, I have become all kinds of things, so that in all kinds of circumstances I might save at least some of them (9:22b).

Paul continued: Now I praise you because you have remembered everything I told you and observe the traditions just the way I passed them on to you (11:2). These opening words seem to flow easily from what has immediately proceeded (to see link click Bq – The Danger of Overconfidence). Having encouraged the Corinthians to imitate his imitation of Messiah, Paul now praises them for doing so with regard to the traditions with which he himself had passed on to them. But this is quite surprising because although he commends them for observing the traditions that he had passed on to them, nevertheless, in the four chapters that follow there doesn’t seem to be a single instance of them doing so. Indeed, in regard to the next matter (see By – Issues Surrounding the Lord’s Supper), they are doing anything but! And according to the final sentence of the chapter: As for the other matters, I will instruct you about them when I come (11:34), it seems as though there are still further concerns regarding these matters that this letter does not address. How are we to understand these opening words? This opening sentence most likely serves to introduce the many things that needed correcting regarding their gatherings for worship in Chapters 11-14. Even though they remembered him in everything, there were still some areas with regard to the traditions where praise was not in order. They may have been following the traditions, as it were, but not in the proper ways.²⁹⁶

As a prelude to his encouragement, Paul characteristically laid down a theological base. In this instance, it concerned headship. Paul offered five reasons why women should wear head coverings in public worship.

1. The first reason is the divine order (11:3-6): Paul began his reasoning by clearly stating a basic divine principle: The head of every man is the Messiah (11:3a). He is uniquely the Head of the Church as its Savior and Lord (Eph 1:22-23, 4:15; Col 1:18). He has redeemed and bought it with His own blood (1 Cor 6:20; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:9). But in His divine authority, Messiah is the head of every human being, believer or unbeliever. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18), Yeshua declared. Most of mankind has never acknowledged Messiah’s authority, but everything has been put in subjection under His feet (Hebrews 2:8), and one day every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth and under the earth – and every tongue will acknowledge that Yeshua the Messiah is ADONAI, to the glory of the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). He is in ultimate control of everyone, now and forever.²⁹⁷

And the head (Greek: kephale, meaning prominence) of a wife is her husband (11:3b): All three, the man (husband), the woman (wife) and Messiah, equally, have a head, and are subject to that head, and acknowledge that head. The man has only Messiah as his head; the woman has another head in addition to Messiah, namely, her husband (if married). Kephale does not mean “source.” Many recent interpreters who prefer this option seek to eliminate any hint of the wife’s voluntary submission. No Greek Lexicon offers “source” as the meaning of kephale. To be “the head” of something simply means to occupy a position of authority, and there can be no responsibility without authority.²⁹⁸

There are similar verses in the Bible saying that wives should submit and be obedient to their husbands (First Peter 3:1a; Titus 2:5b; Colossians 3:18). The husband is head of the wife, as also Messiah is the head of the Church (Ephesians 5:22-23a; Colossians 3:19). Not only that, but the Bible teaches a wife that her desire will be toward her husband, but he will rule over her (Genesis 3:16b). But these verses cannot be fully appreciated without understanding the corresponding verse: Husbands, love your wives, just as the Messiah loved the Church, indeed, He gave Himself up on [her] behalf (Ephesians 5:25). And a part of God’s divine order, that children should be submissive to their parents (Ephesians 6:1), and (during Paul’s day) slaves should be submissive to their masters (Ephesians 6:5).

Dear loving Heavenly Father, Praise You for being so loving. Thank You that Your example of great love is the example You use for the husband’s love for his wife (Ephesians 5:25-26). Praise you that Your love is never selfish, never mean nor lazy – but Your love is always surrounded by Your holiness and faithfulness. In holiness You call us to be holy – yet You so willingly give those who love You Your holiness. As Your Word declares: You are to be holy because I am holy (First Peter 1:16). In Your holy Son’s name. Amen

So, the critical question for the husband is, “How did Messiah love the Church?” Once again, the Bible gives us the answer: For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve – and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). There was no sacrifice too great for her. Therefore, the husband needs to listen to his wife, take her advice seriously, and respect her. So, the husband needs to think of his wife first, making sure that her needs are met by serving her . . . washing her feet daily, as it were. There is no room for tyranny here, no such thing as bullying, lording over, or bossing. It is a gracious humility that honors the physically weak one (First Peter 3:7).²⁹⁹ When husbands abuse their freedom in Messiah, they dishonor their head, the Messiah; when wives abuse their freedom in Messiah, they dishonor their head, their husband. This is what was happening with the head coverings in the church at Corinth.

But this servant kind of a relationship seems a lot different from: he shall rule over you (Genesis 3:16b), doesn’t it? That sounds pretty harsh, not like a servant at all. Which is it? Does he come to serve or rule? If you think this is confusing, just look at the state of marital roles. It is one of the most confused areas in and out of the Church today. The main problem is the confusion between the husband’s relationship with his wife, and his responsibility with what goes on in the marriage.

Let’s look at relationship first. The Bible clearly teaches that men and women are equals socially, psychologically, and spiritually. In other words, they are equals in their relationship with each other. God created us as equals (Genesis 1:27-28), and we are to be one when married (Genesis 2:24). We are equally sinful (Romans 3:23), and equally saved (John 1:12-13; Second Corinthians 5:17; First Peter 3:7). Husbands and wives are to submit to each other sexually (First Corinthians 7:2-5) and socially (Ephesian5:21). Furthermore, the Bible teaches that there shall be no sexual discrimination (Galatians 3:28). Men and women are equally dependent on God (First Corinthians 11:11-12), accepted equally as believers (Acts 5:14), and co-laborers for Him (Romans 16:1, 3-6;Philippians 4:3). So, in their relationship, men and women are equals. There is no doubt about that. But there is another area that we need to look at.

The second area the Bible teaches us about is responsibility. Even though men and women are equal in their relationship to one another, husbands are ultimately held responsible for what goes on in the marriage. The Bible tells us that when Abram lied about Sarai being his wife, Pharaoh held Abram responsible (Genesis 12:17-20). Later, after God changed their names, Abraham and Sarah did the same thing again and Abimelech held Abraham responsible (Genesis 20:9). And it seems the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree, as Abraham’s son Isaac was held responsible for the lie about Rebekah (Genesis 26:9). Much later, God held David responsible for his sin with Bathsheba and sent the prophet Nathan to rebuke him. Here, Adam and Eve both ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil; in fact, Eve led the way, but God held Adam responsible (Genesis 3:9). This principle is not only taught in the TaNaKh, but also in the B’rit Chadashah where Paul tells us that through one man sin entered the world (see the commentary on Romans Bm – The Consequences of Adam). God took Adam and placed him in the Garden of Eden in order to have him work it and guard it (Genesis 2:15 ISV). When Satan came against Eve, Adam stood there and said nothing. He didn’t protect his wife or guard the Garden. Responsibility begs for accountability, and God held Adam responsible.

Therefore, with this understanding, we come back to the original question: how shall Adam rule over Eve? He rules over her in the sense that with the big decisions in life, if they are still at an impasse, he is ultimately going to be held responsible for the decision. How he handles the situation, how he listens to his wife and takes her feelings and opinions into consideration are important. She needs to be heard. Husbands who do not listen to their wives are fools, because Elohim made her a helper suitable for him (Genesis 2:18). If the wife does not feel like she is being heard or has any input in the marriage, it will crush her spirit and/or drive her away (physically and/or emotionally). Husbands and wives should make the big decisions together as a team, but if they cannot agree, he has to make the call because he is responsible before God.

When things go bad at work, nobody wants to be in charge when the boss walks in and says, “All right, who is in charge of this mess?” And all eyes are on you. It is much more comforting to be able to point at someone else, anyone else, and say, “Here’s the one!” It is in that sense that Adam would rule over Eve. It is in that sense that Eve should submit and be obedient to Adam; not in their relationship, because in their relationship they are equals. But Adam was held responsible for what went on in his marriage. Decision making can be fun without responsibility. If it works, you get all the credit, and if it doesn’t, just try something else. It just doesn’t matter. But decision making with eternal consequences is quite different. And the head of the Messiah is God (11:3c). Yeshua made nothing clearer than the fact that He submitted Himself to His Father’s will (John 4:34, 5:30, 6:38; First Corinthians 3:23, 15:24-28). Messiah has never been – before, during, or after His incarnation – inferior in any way to the Father. But during His incarnation, He willingly submitted Himself to His Father’s will as an act of humble obedience in fulfilling His divine purpose.³⁰⁰

Paul begins his argument with men (husbands). Every man who prays or prophesies wearing something down over his head brings shame to his head – Messiah (11:4). He seems to be setting up his argument with the women (wives) by means of a hypothetical situation for the men (husbands) that would be equally shameful in their relationship to their head (Messiah) as the wives were doing to theirs. The words pray and prophesy make it certain that the problem has to do with public worship. One may pray in private, but not so with prophesy.³⁰¹

Generally speaking, among the Greeks, only slaves’ heads were covered, and the uncovered head was a sign of freedom. The Romans, however, reversed this, and Corinth was a Roman colony.³⁰² A statue from Corinth of a veiled Agustus – with his toga pulled down over his head offering a pagan sacrifice, offers an important clue. Thus, Paul is asserting how shameful it would be for a man (husband) to pray or prophesy in the worship service wearing something pulled down over his head like the pagans did. He will next make the case that it would be no less shameful for a woman (wife) to pray or prophesy with her head uncovered.³⁰³

It seems that the Corinthian slogan “everything is permitted,” had been applied to the worship service as well, and the women had expressed that belief by throwing off their distinguishing attire, their head coverings. But Paul said that every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered brings shame to her head. For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head (11:5-6). By not covering her head during public worship she disgraced herself and her spiritual head, her husband.

One of the interesting facets here is the assumption Paul makes that both men and women would pray and prophesy in public worship. But what seems obvious in verses 4-6 is that Corinthian women were engaging in public worship without a proper head covering – the sort of head covering that was normally appropriate in mixed company.³⁰⁴

Greek women were usually covered in social life, except in their homes. Uncovering the head in public had sexual implications, giving nonverbal clues that they were “available.” However, respectable women did nothing to draw attention to themselves. A head covering constituted a warning. It signified that the wearer was a respectable woman and that no man (married or not) should approach her without risking repercussions. Women were not to be ogled at as sex objects during public worship. Paul’s primary interest in this passage was to prevent this from happening and he argued that women’s heads should be covered.³⁰⁵

2. The second reason was creation (11:7-9): The man, on the other hand, should not have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God. Paul supported his conclusion from Scripture (Genesis 2:7 and 21-23). In the case of the women (wives) it would be just the opposite. Strictly speaking, according to the creation account (see the commentary on Genesis Ax – Then the LORD God Made a Woman from the Rib He had Taken Out of the Man), the wife’s glory and image is derived from, and complementary to, that of her husband (11:7). Adam was created in God’s image, and as such, if men (husbands) covered their heads in any way, it would be a denial of his being in God’s image and glory. It would be improper, even wrong, for men to cover their heads. The reverse cannot be said. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man; and indeed, man was not created for the sake of the woman but woman for the sake of the man (11:8-9).

3. The third reason was divine order (11:10): The reason a woman (wife) ought to have authority (Greek: exousia) over her head (11:10a NIV). Some translations have the phrase, a sign, but it is not in the Greek text. In the context here, exousia means to have authority over her own head. That is, she is to exercise control over her head so as not to expose it to indignity. It seems clear that Paul is playing with the word head here, using it in more than one sense, referring both to her husband as head and to the woman’s own physical head. Instead of shaving her head, she needed to wear a head covering according to the traditions of that time.³⁰⁶

Paul addressed the final phrase because of the angels (11:10), as a matter that needed no further explanation whatsoever. The simple manner in which this final phrase was added indicates that no new point is being introduced into the discussion. The brief mention of the angels caps all that preceded it.³⁰⁷ Because the angels implies that God’s holy angels are known to participate in worship (Isaiah 6:1-4; Luke 2:14; Revelation 5:11-12 and 7:11-12), so the Corinthian worship shouldn’t offend them. Such an offense would in fact occur, however, if women (wives) prayed and prophesied with uncovered heads.

In sum, Paul’s message to the first century Corinthian church was that the man (husband) stands uncovered in public worship because he reflects the glory of God; the woman (wife) must be covered because she is the glory of man (her husband). We should not take away from this that women should wear a head covering in public worship today. Paul was not laying down an unalterable command that would be in effect for every age. The Corinthians had their traditions in the First Century and we have ours. Women today have the freedom in Messiah to choose to wear a head covering in public worship or not. The application of these verses for us is that everyone, men and women, husbands and wives, should dress appropriately, especially in public worship, so as not to stumble other weak believers or ruin their testimony with unbelievers.

Head Coverings in Worship
11: 2-16

The one common thread that links Chapters 10 and 11 together is the idea of submission and yielding one’s “rights.” Many people today view these words negatively, as if they imply some forced limitation of their freedom. How unfortunate. The biblical concept of submission conveys the idea of someone voluntarily giving up or yielding his or her rights to another.

In Chapters 8 through 10, Paul elevated the ideal of submission to a place of integrity and benefit. He encouraged his readers to willingly yield to others their “rights” to eat meat sacrificed to idols if eating such meat would spiritually harm their weaker brothers and sisters. They not viewed as being inferior when they did so. Such submission was, in his view, a supreme act of love, love for God and love for one another.

By voluntarily yielding his right to eat meat, Paul followed the example of Messiah, who voluntarily yielded His “rights” when, as God, He chose to humble Himself and become a man. Yeshua further yielded His “rights” when He voluntarily allowed Himself to be put to death to save us from our sins. Throughout these three chapters Paul encourages the Corinthians to follow his example (of yielding his “right” to eat meat), just as Paul followed Messiah’s example (of yielding His “rights” as God).

Paul will do the same thing in Chapter 11. Just as Messiah submitted Himself to His Father, so each of us should voluntarily yield our rights according to a clearly organized biblical framework. The purpose of this God-ordained framework is to maintain order in a world of chaos and confusion. YHVH has brought order out of chaos from the beginning. Before the earth was formed, the Spirit of God moved to create order out of disorder (Genesis 1:1). By so yielding, we are following Paul’s example as Paul followed Christ’s example.²⁹⁴

Evidently some “emancipated” Corinthian women had dispensed with the head covering in public worship, and Paul argued that they should not do this. Jewish women were always veiled in public in the first century; thus, it can be assumed that respectable Greek women also wore a head covering in public. If so, the practice of the Corinthian women believers was wholeheartedly rejected by Paul. This was against his principle that with all kinds of people, both Jews and Gentiles, (the Corinthian women) might have become all kinds of things, so that in all kinds of circumstances (they) might save at least some of them (9:22b).

Men and Women in Worship
11:2 to 14:40

The theme of personal freedom in Messiah exercised without regard for the needs of others or the glory of God, which characterized the issue about eating food sacrificed to idols (to see link click Bj – Concerning Our Freedom in Messiah) seems no less a part of this section which deals with practices affecting the congregation of the church at Corinth. Here too, Paul responded to the Corinthians spirit of self-indulgence by stressing the principle of glorifying God and building up each other in true fellowship.²⁹³ Like book-ends, Paul begins (see Bv – Head Coverings in Worship) and ends his discussion of freedom in Messiah as it pertained to worship (see Dp – Order in Public Worship: Wives in public worship) with remarks directed primarily at the behavior of the Corinthian women during public worship on Sunday morning.

Using Freedom for God’s Glory
10:23 to 11:1

Using freedom for God’s glory DIG: What were some of the limits Paul said needed to be placed on the freedom of believers? What is the difference between tolerating differences and condoning wrong behavior? Why is it crucial for believers to love and accept one another? In light of this passage, what does it mean to “do it all so as to bring glory to God?” How did Jesus model the approach He expects us to follow?

REFLECT: Think for a few moments about what freedom in Messiah means to you. What new freedoms have you enjoyed since you became a believer? In what ways do you think your freedom in Messiah is different from any other freedom you have experienced? Based on Paul’s teaching, what should always be your primary concern in making lifestyle choices? Think of one person this week to whom you can show greater sensitivity and love.

Whatever we do, do it all so as to bring glory to the Lord.

Our freedom is always defined by Messiah. Since He gave it to us as a gift, He’s the best person to tell us how to use it. He may ask us to use it in ways that surprise us. Those actions may not seem like freedom when they involve saying no to our desires and saying yes to Messiah’s will for our lives. Some of our greatest moments of freedom come when we choose not to exercise our freedom in order to help someone else.²⁷⁶

Paul is now ready to conclude this matter of eating food that was sacrificed to idols. In this section, he deals with the secondary issue of whether the prohibition against participating in banquets in pagan temples also applies to “leftover” meat that was sold in the city meat market. Not that virtually all the ancient meat sold for human consumption in the Greco-Roman world came from pagan sacrifices; there were no general slaughterhouses or packing plants for cattle, sheep, or pigs.²⁷⁷

A. The principles for using our freedom in Messiah: In verses 23-30, Paul gives us four basic principles to guide us in using our freedom in Messiah for God’s glory.

1. Edification over gratification (10:23): Our freedom in Messiah is important, but there are some things that are not wise. Paul repeats the slogan that was apparently commonly spoken among the Corinthian believers: “Everything is permitted,” you say? Maybe, but not everything is helpful. He counters this with the same argument he made earlier in 6:12b. “Everything is permitted?” Maybe, but not everything is edifying to other believers (10:23). Desiring the spiritual benefit and edification of ourselves and others is a hallmark of maturity in a believer. Paul’s supreme purpose in ministering to believers was to promote their edification (Second Corinthians 12:19). His advice to all believers is that everything we say be for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear (Ephesians 4:29; First Thessalonians 5:11 NASB). When we are faced with a decision about a practice we should first ask if we have a right to do it. If it is not forbidden in Scripture the answer is yes. But our next question should be, is it profitable, edifying, and upbuilding for ourselves and for others? If the answer to both questions is yes, then we can do it to God’s glory. If the answer to either question is no, we should refrain from doing it because it will not bring glory to Him.²⁷⁸

Dear Wise Heavenly Father, Sometimes it is hard to know how to handle a sinful situation, but I praise You that I can follow the principles of how You discipline. You are the perfect balance of love and anger at wrong. You are neither a sugar daddy who gives in to whatever your child wants, nor are you a mean and angry father. You are patient, urging sinners to come to you and gently rebuking your erring child. Yet you are wise and discerning when you correct. You wisely base the severity of Your discipline on the severity of the sin. When the situation calls for it, you discipline with great strength and power as when You sent the Northern Kingdom of Isra’el into Assyria captivity and then later the Southern Kingdom of Judah you sent into 70 years of Babylonian captivity.

Your goal in discipline is never to hurt, but to produce the fruit of righteousness.  Now all discipline seems painful at the moment – not joyful. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it (Hebrews 12:11). Thank You for being such a wonderful example of patience and yet also you have a holy hatred of wrong. Please help us to remember when we see a wrong situation, that what is important is not our putting them down, but our correcting the issue in a way that will bless and honor You. Honor to You is always the important issue. Please guide as we see wrong to help us know how we can guide the person to move in the right way rather than to just get mad at them and punish them. May we remember what You have said. Never take your own revenge, loved ones, but give room for God’s wrath – for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” says ADONAI (Romans 12:19) and For we know the One who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “ADONAI will judge His people” (Hebrews 10:30).

Please help us in all we do to do it to Your honor. When we correct, may we be patient like You and correct lovingly, not in mean anger. Thank You for Your perfect example of loving and purposeful correction to produce the fruit of righteousness. I want to follow Your ways in all I do, including lovingly correcting others. Love You always! In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

2. Others over self (10:24): This repeats this same principle in different words, putting it in the form of a third person imperative: No one should seek their own good, but the good of others (10:24). In two later instances (Romans 15:1-3 and Philippians 2:4-5), Paul bases such a stance on the example of Messiah, which is precisely how he concludes this present argument below (see The pattern of our freedom in Messiah below). Later in the letter he will use the same formula as part of his description of love (13:5). For Paul, the death of Messiah, in which He gave Himself “for us,” is not only God’s offer of pardon for sinners, but also the only proper model of discipleship. Hence “freedom” does not mean “to seek what pleases me,” not even “my own good;” rather, it means to be free in Messiah in such a way that we can truly seek to build up and edify others.²⁷⁹

3. Freedom over legalism (10:25-27): Having set out the basic principles, Paul is now ready to apply them to the issue of purchasing or eating meat sold in the market. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience. It would be difficult, if not impossible to know for certain whether a particular piece of meat had, or had not, been offered to an idol. Paul sees no point in raising the issue. Paul’s attitude was revolutionary. He took seriously the truth that an idol is nothing. This refusal to ask questions shows it did not matter to him whether a piece of meat had been offered to an idol or not.²⁸⁰ After all, market food comes from plants and animals that have been created by God and belong to Him. Paul supports this by quoting Psalm 24:1, “For the earth and everything in it belong to the LORD” (10:25-26). This passage is used by the rabbis to support the contention that a blessing must be said over every meal. Since the earth and everything in it belong to the LORD, one must bless God for one’s food; otherwise, it is as though one were defrauding the Almighty. By this citation, therefore, Paul is almost certainly reflecting the Jewish use of this text for the blessings over meals, especially since he refers again to blessing God in the final rhetorical question in verse 30 below.

But what Paul does here is full of irony toward his Jewish heritage, whether intended or not. The rabbis saw the text as the reason for thanking God for their food. But Paul now uses the text to justify eating anything they wanted, even food forbidden by his own Jewish heritage of only eating kosher, since God is the ultimate source of all food – even food sold in the market. For that reason, it can be eaten with thanksgiving. The clear implication is that nothing “contaminates” food as such along the way. Apart from Paul’s radical statements on circumcision (Romans 2:25-3:1; Galatians 5:6 and 11, 6:11-15; First Corinthians 7:19) it is hard to imagine anything more un-Jewish in the apostle than this.²⁸¹

Paul goes even further. Not only can believers purchase any food for sale in the market; it is within the realm of freedom in Messiah to associate with unbelievers and have dinner with them in any other place besides the temple of an idol.²⁸² If some unbeliever invites you to a meal, and you want to go, eat whatever is put in front of you without raising questions of conscience (10:27). Paul did not expect his readers to cut themselves off completely from the fabric of all social relationships because they were absolutely necessary to survive in the ancient world. In his day, people could not merely go off on their own and expect to survive. Patronage bound freed slaves to former masters, plebs to patriarchs, tenants to landowners; and their relationships established the means of the exchange of honor and personal obligation. Therefore, Paul allowed believers to circulate in pagan society. But there were limitations.²⁸³

4. Consideration over condemnation (10:28-30): But the situation changed if another invited guest, a weaker brother or sister (ie. “someone”), says to you, “This meat was offered as a sacrifice.” The entire argument up to this point has been concerned with the exercise of our freedom in Messiah with reference to offending the weaker brother or sister. In addition, in Chapters 8-10, Paul says nothing whatsoever about the exercise of our freedom in Messiah with respect to pagans. Therefore, context dictates that this “someone” is a weaker brother or sister.²⁸⁴

Here, mature believers must use their freedom in Messiah in a truly loving way: Then don’t eat it, out of consideration for the person who pointed it out and also for conscience’s sake (10:28). Their freedom lies in the ability to choose between eating and not eating as long as they are guided by mature knowledge and true love. However, I don’t mean your conscience but that of the other person. The food’s history matters only when it matters to someone else. The mature believer knows that idols do not exist, that there is no God but One, and that all food ultimately belongs to Him. In this sticky situation, however, it is not what the mature believer knows that counts, but the weaker brother or sister believes.²⁸⁵

You say, “Why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience? If I participate by God’s grace (Greek: charity, which may be understood as by grace, because it is what the grace of God means that the mature believer can give thanks for such meat and eat it), why am I criticized over something for which I myself bless God” (10:29-30)? What the mature believer eats does not matter; however, that he avoids giving offense does! But, when all is said and done, a believer is free to eat at a private home without being judged.

B. The purpose of our freedom in Messiah (10:31-32): Paul was now ready to summarize this entire three-chapter unit (Chapters 8 to Chapter 10), and draw his discussion on the meat sacrificed to idols issue to a close. Well, whatever you do, whether it’s eating or drinking or anything else, do it all so as to bring glory to God (10:31). To do something for the glory of God means to reflect God’s glory in the way we live our lives. When others look at us and how we live, they should be able to see that the standards we live by are different from those in the pagan world around us. They should be able to see Yeshua living in us. Paul deals with this concept in more detail later in Second Corinthians 3:18 to 4:6 and 15-18.²⁸⁶ However, it is obvious that some of the believers in Corinth were taking their freedom in Messiah to extremes. They were in danger of using grace as an excuse to sin. Paul needed to show them that if the exercise of spiritual freedom led to others being misled or harmed, they needed to change their ways.²⁸⁷

There is much confusion today when it comes to ignoring the simple truth that the LORD is far more interested in building your character than He is anything else. We worry when ADONAI seems to be silent on specific issues such as, “What career should I choose?” The truth is, there are many different careers that could be in God’s will for your life. What YHVH cares about most is whatever you do, you do it to His glory. He is far more interested in what you are than what you do; He is much more concerned about your character than your career, because you will take your character into eternity, but not your career.²⁸⁸

Another way of saying this same principle is that we should appear blameless (Greek: oroskopos) – before Jews, to Gentiles, and to God’s Messianic Community (10:32). Here, we see God’s threefold division of humanity. Non-Messianic Jews are mentioned, pagan Gentiles (literally “Greeks”), and God’s Messianic Community, consisting of Messianic Jews and Messianic Gentiles. Some draw an inference from this verse that a Jew who gets saved is no longer a Jew. The reasoning is that just as when a Gentile come to faith in Messiah he leaves his paganism behind, so then, when a Jew comes to faith in Messiah he leaves his “legalistic Judaism” behind; that in the Church both lose their former identity – there is neither Jew nor Gentile (Galatians 3:28), Messiah has made us both one and has broken down the middle wall of separation which divided us, created from the two groups one new person (Ephesians 2:14-15) for whom neither being circumcised nor being uncircumcised matters – what matters is being a new creation (Galatians 6:15).

Though it is true that Jews and Gentiles are equally in need of salvation, and in this regard there is no difference between them, nevertheless salvation does not wipe out their identity as Jews and Gentiles. Paul referred to saved Gentiles as “Gentiles” (Romans 11:13 and Ephesians 2:11), and to saved Jews as “Jews” (Galatians 2:13-15). Paul also spoke of himself as a Pharisee (Acts 23:6), which implies, of course, that as a believer he still considered himself to be Jewish. God’s Messianic Community, His Church, consists of saved Jews who remain Jews and saved Gentiles who remain Gentiles.²⁸⁹

Were Paul’s arguments in these chapters effective enough in persuading the Corinthians to abandon their participation in idolatrous associations? The painful visit (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Ao – Paul’s Painful Visit) and continued encouragement (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Bi – Do Not be Unequally Yoked with Unbelievers) suggest not. Such complex issues that require such enormous self-sacrifice are not solved overnight.²⁹⁰

C. The pattern of our freedom in Messiah (10:33-11:1): The final element of Paul’s conclusion makes a reference to his own personal life. In 8:3, he stated that he would not eat meat if by doing so he would cause a fellow believer to sin. In 9:19-23 he demonstrated how he became all things to all people so that by any means he might save some. Now he recites another version of the same principle: Just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not looking out for my own interests but for those of the many, so that they may be saved (10:33). Paul always lived with an eye on what others around him (especially new believers) might be thinking. Love for others must always temper our freedom in Messiah.²⁹¹

Then the apostle goes even further with his example. He is not content simply to live his life as an example for the Corinthians to emulate; he actually instructs them to literally become imitators of him. Try to imitate me, even as I myself try to imitate the Messiah (11:1). Lest we think that Paul thinks too highly of himself, he actually stresses that he himself is an imitator of Messiah and His lifestyle. That must always be the overriding goal in our lives – not to use some other human being as our model but to use the perfect, sinless Messiah. It is not too much to say that Paul is here instructing the Corinthians to imitate him only to the degree that he imitates Messiah.²⁹²

With the conclusion of Chapter 10, Paul puts a period to the discussion of meat sacrificed to idols and moves on to a variety of questions relating to how men and women should conduct themselves in the church’s worship services.

The Truth About Idolatry
10: 14-22

The truth about idolatry DIG: What is meant by drinking “the cup of blessing” and “breaking bread?” How is that “sharing in the body of the Messiah?” Why mention that the Levites ate the sacrifices offered by the Israelites in this context? How do these two illustrations relate to Paul’s call to avoid participation in the feasts at pagan temples?

REFLECT: Idolatry can take many forms. What kinds of “idols” do you see people “worshiping” by those around you? What is a contemporary parallel of how these examples and warnings apply to you? Have you ever found yourself attached to an “idol?” What steps can you take to guard against that happening again?

If anything gets between you and God, He wants it out of the way.

Paul is now getting ready to bring his lengthy section of eating meat sacrificed to idols to a conclusion. In these verses we discover beyond any doubt the specific issue that began in 8:1. As Paul has made clear, idolatry, immorality, and grumbling against God are not gray areas – they are outright sins (to see link click Br – Blessings and Abuses of Freedom in Messiah). Believers had no freedom in regard to such things. Next, the apostle explains why the sin of idolatry is especially offensive to God. It is not a moral issue to eat meat sacrificed to an idol; but it is a serious sin to engage in any form of idol worship. Some of the Corinthians were taking their freedom in Messiah too far, and were becoming involved in the wickedness of idolatry. They were free to attend pagan functions, but were not free to participate in pagan idolatry. Paul strongly rebukes those who would do that.²⁶⁴

Paul could not state his conclusion more clearly. Therefore, my dear friends, run away from (Greek: pheugo, present imperative is durative, meaning continue to run) idolatry! The preposition from (Greek: apo) instead of (Greek: ek, meaning out of) implies that Paul is not calling them out of idolatry, but encouraging them to “run away from” idolatry (10:14). The command to “run away from” idolatry here matches the prohibition to “run away from sexual immorality” in 6:18. The two are intertwined in Paul’s mind (Romans 1:18-32; Galatians 5:19-21); Colossians 3:5; First Peter 4:3). The Corinthians were not yet bogged down in the miry swamp of idolatry and in need of being extricated, but they did need to be warned that they were walking into spiritual quicksand. Idolatry is like radioactive waste: it requires them to run away from this area immediately to avoid contamination and certain death.²⁶⁵

Paul never asks for mere blind obedience: he always labors to secure obedience as a result of thorough conviction. Now Paul seeks to show them how sensible it is based upon their own experience of the Lord’s Supper. I speak to you as sensible people; judge for yourselves what I am saying (10:15). The Corinthians prided themselves on their wisdom (Second Corinthians 11:19); now Paul appeals to it. He did not have to demonstrate the point. They could see it for themselves.²⁶⁶

Idolatry is Inconsistent (10:16-18): Paul now moves to an important step in his argument: the Lord’s Supper. This becomes the key to his climactic argument. His words give us the impression that participating in the Lord’s Supper is a regular practice among faithful believers. It is commanded by our Lord (Luke 22:19 and 1 Cor 11:24-25) to remind us of His sacrifice for us and our oneness with Him and with fellow believers. The “cup of blessing” over which we make the b’rakhah (Hebrew: blessing) – isn’t it a sharing (Greek: koinonia, meaning fellowship) in the bloody sacrificial death of the Messiah? The third cup of the Passover Seder is called the cup of redemption, or the cup of blessing (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Kk – The Third Cup of Redemption). And the bread we break, isn’t it a sharing in the body of the Messiah (10:16)? Both of these rhetorical questions begin with ouchi, which means that a “yes” answer is anticipated.

Because there is one loaf of bread, Yeshua said: I am the bread of life (John 6:35), we who are many constitute one body, since we all partake of the one loaf of bread (10:17). Because we are one with Messiah we are one with each other. As we come into fellowship with Messiah through the Lord’s Supper, we come into fellowship with each other in a unique way: The person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (6:17). All believers stand on the same ground at the foot of the cross, as forgiven sinners who possess eternal life (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).²⁶⁷

Look at physical Isra’el, literally, “the Isra’el according to the flesh” (10:18a). This is the key verse for evaluating those who believe in Replacement Theology, that the Gentile Church has replaced the Jews as “the true Isra’el,” or “the new Isra’el.” In the present verse the argument goes as follows: does Paul use the phrase “according to the flesh” to imply the existence of a different Isra’el “according to the Spirit?” Paul contrasts these two phrases in Romans 1:3-4, 8:4-5, and Galatians 4:29; and these are the only places where the phrase, “according to the Spirit” appears in the entire B’rit Chadashah; although 19 other places where the phrase “according to the flesh” is found, one can usually imagine an alternative “according to the Spirit.” However, it is in Romans 11:17-24, in his analogy with cultivated and wild olive trees, that Paul expresses most clearly his understanding of Isra’el in the present Dispensation of Grace as consisting of three groups – branches of the cultivated tree which have been cut off and remain off (non-Messianic Jews), branches of the cultivated olive tree which have been cut off and then grafted back into their own olive tree (Messianic Jews), and wild olive branches that have been grafted into the cultivated olive tree (Gentile believers, see Romans 11:23-24). Thus, physical Isra’el is a subset consisting of the first two of these three groups: non-Messianic Jews plus Messianic Jews. Nowhere in the B’rit Chadashah is the Church called “the true Isra’el” or “the new Isra’el.” For more on this see the commentary on Romans Da – The Redemption of Isra’el.²⁶⁸

Again, Paul uses Isra’el to illustrate his point. Don’t those who eat the sacrifices participate in the Altar (10:18b)? When the Israelites brought their sacrifices to the Bronze Altar (see the commentary on Exodus Fa – Build Altar of Acacia Wood Overlaid with Bronze), some of the offerings were burnt as the sacrifice, some of the offering was eaten by the priests, and some of it was eaten by those who offered it. In those offerings, everyone was involved with the sacrifice, with ADONAI and with each other.

Likewise, to sacrifice to an idol is to identify with it, to participate with the idol and with all others who sacrifice to it. Religious ceremonies, whether believers or pagans, involve participation of the worshipers with the object of their worship and with each other. Thus, it is completely inconsistent for believers to participate in any expression of worship that is apart from and contrary to their Lord.²⁶⁹

Idolatry is demonic (10:19-21): Much worse than being inconsistent, idolatry is demonic. So, what am I saying? That food sacrificed to idols has any significance in itself? or that an idol has significance in itself? No, what I am saying is that the things which pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice not to God but to demons; and I don’t want you to become sharers of the demons (10:19-20)! Since idols do not exist, the Corinthians cannot become sharers with idols. But demons do exist, and pagan sacrifice is demonic. However, the Corinthians would become sharers with demons if they willingly participated in pagan sacrificial feasts.²⁷⁰ All altars, all sacrifices, and all worship that is not intended to serve the true and living God are actually, although not necessarily consciously or intentionally, devoted to demons. As these wicked angels, under the leadership of Satan, rule the entire world, so they are the originators of the spiritual darkness of which idolatry is the most terrible evidence. Hence, all idol sacrifices, whatever the pagan ideas concerning them may be, are actually sacrifices to demons (Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:37 and 95:5).²⁷²

Fundamental allegiance was at stake. You can’t drink both a cup of the Lord and a cup of demons, you can’t partake in both a meal of the Lord and a meal of demons (10:21). Paul is not giving advice but stating a fact. Yeshua made it clear that we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24 NASB). It is not simply that we should not . . . but we cannot! It is impossible to do both at the same time. It must be one or the other. We will hate the one and love the other, or we will hold to the one and despise the other. When we fellowship with the Lord, we cannot fellowship with demons, or vice versa.²⁷³

It’s as if Paul is saying: You can’t have it both ways. That’s exactly what Isra’el did in the wilderness. They worshiped the true God, and then turned around and worshiped a false idol (see the commentary on Exodus Gq – The Golden Calf Incident). That’s exactly what the pagan Gentile do. By saying that they wanted to worship God, but worshiped an idol instead, the Corinthians would provoke God to jealousy.

Idolatry is offensive to the Lord (10:22): Idolatry is inconsistent, demonic, and offensive to the Lord. It will make the Lord jealous. Paul alludes to the Song of Moses: They aroused My righteous zealousness with a non-god and provoked me with their vanities (32:21a CJB). The reason that idols are not to be worshiped is that ADONAI is a jealous or zealous God. The Hebrew term qanna’ combines the two concepts of jealousy and zeal (not envy or suspicion).²⁷³ So, zeal, or zealousness, meaning a passionate devotion to, would be a better term to use than jealous, which has negative, even petty connotations. Therefore, idolatry would cause God’s zeal to burn like a husband’s zealousness would burn against an unfaithful wife (Hosea 2:2-5).

Paul’s final question: We aren’t stronger than He is, are we (10:22)? Is obviously rhetorical. Does the idol foolishly think he is more powerful than YHVH? God will not allow idolatry to go unpunished; therefore, no one can escape. Even His own children will not escape His severe discipline if they persist in worshiping any sort of idol. Some of the Corinthians had done that and had paid with their health, or even their lives: This is why some among you are weak and sick, and some have died (11:30)!

What does this passage mean for us today since we probably have no inclination to eat meat sacrificed to idols? If I was traveling and found myself in a country where there were people actually worshiping an idol, I would be more inclined to take a picture of it than to bow down and worship it. But does this mean that I am no longer susceptible to the temptation to worship idols? No, all it really means is that I’m not tempted to worship that kind of idol. Like Isaiah, I have figured out the inconsistency of cutting down a tree and using part of it make a fire and cook food, and part of it to make a phony god, saying: Save me for you are my god! (see the commentary on Isaiah Hy – Worship the LORD, Not Idols).

If an idol is whatever takes the place of God in my affection, then all of us continue to be tempted by worshiping idols. Just as in a primitive society a person might make an idol of any material, in our day we may make an idol out of anything – our work, our family, our body, our house, our hobby, or even our religion. If anything besides ADONAI gets our best thoughts, our tears, our feelings, and our energy – are we not just more sophisticated idolaters?²⁷⁵

Dear Heavenly Father, What a wonderful blessing it is to have You as our awesome father, always watching over His children (Hebrews 13:5). It is easy for us to point the finger at others and call them wrong, just as Isaiah looked at Israel’s sins and called them wrong. Woe to those who . . . (Isaiah 5:8, 11) and Oy to those who. . . (Isaiah 5:18, 20, 21). Yet Isaiah was wise when he saw the holiness of God, He said, “Oy to me! For I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:4).

Isaiah was so wise to look inside himself and to move from finger pointing at others to seeing his own sin. Idol worship is both worship of stone or wooden “gods” and living to please oneself over living to please God. ADONAI, You alone are worthy of giving You our best, and loving You with all we have. And Yeshua said to him: You shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:37-38). You are a joy to love and to put first in my life! I bow in humble worship of You. In Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Blessings and Abuses of Freedom in Messiah
10: 1-13

The benefits and abuses of freedom in Messiah DIG: After reminding them of the discipline needed to “run the race” (9:24-27), Paul cites this example of Isra’el’s past. Why were these reminders necessary? How do they relate to the Corinthian situation? What is the “moral” of Paul’s teaching? Was Paul in error when he said 23,000 people died? Why or why not?

REFLECT: What temptations do you most consistently have to face? Hence, does verse 13 encourage or frustrate you? How so? How are you a witness to the people in your family, at school, in your neighborhood, or at work? Could any of your actions or attitudes be a stumbling block and disqualify you as a representative of our Lord, stumbling them?

Our freedom in Messiah is not meant to lead us to self-indulgence, but to selfless service.

The ancient Israelites were to be a channel through which all the families of the earth were to be blessed (Genesis 12:3b). It was in that race (9:24-27) that the nation had misused her freedom and became disqualified as a witness to the world by falling into idolatry, immorality, and rebelliousness. Likewise, the believers in Corinth were supposed to be a channel of blessing to that wicked city. For brothers, I don’t want you to miss the significance of what happened to our fathers as they left Egypt on their way to the Land of Promise (10:1a). This introduces an illustration showing that the reality of being disqualified by God is real (compare Psalms 78 and 106). Even though all the Israelites, believers and unbelievers, had extraordinary advantages, with the majority of them God was not pleased, so their bodies were strewn across the desert (10:5). Therefore, Paul was saying to the self-confident Corinthians, “Don’t let what happened to the nation of Isra’el happen to you!”

Isra’el enjoyed five blessings:

1. Paul begins by reminding the Corinthians about the blessings the Israelites experienced – blessings that he could relate to specific experiences of the Corinthian believers. All of them, both believers and unbelievers, were guided by the pillar of cloud (Exodus 13:21-22). The Israelites enjoyed the presence of God in the pillar of cloud that led them in their exodus from Egypt and their journey through the desert (10:1b). The Corinthians had also experienced God’s guidance (Luke 1:79) and protection (First Peter 1:5).

2. In 10:1c Paul says: And they all passed through the Sea of Reeds (Exodus 14:19-31; Psalms 105:39 and 136:13-15). The point being that just as the Corinthians’ life in Messiah began by faith and then baptism, so “our fathers” deliverance from Egypt began with a kind of “baptism” – passing through the Sea of Reeds. But even that, Paul will go on to say, did not keep them from being seduced by idolatry and thus falling short of the prize (9:24-27).²⁴⁹

3. And in connection with the cloud and with the sea they all immersed themselves into Moshe (10:2). Therefore, the immersion into Moshe means being united with him, accepting his vision, goals and leadership. The Israelites did this by trusting him in connection with the cloud and in connection with the Sea of Reeds. Translations which have the Israelites being immersed in the cloud and in the Sea of Reeds are misleading – according to the TaNaKh they were next to or under the cloud, and they passed on dry ground between walls of sea water on either side of them. Rather, as an anonymous critic has pointed out, it was the Egyptians who were “baptized in the sea, well and truly!” Nevertheless, there is an analogy here between the immersion into Moshe and immersion into Messiah (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27; First Corinthians 1:13-15 and 12:13), just as in the following verses the food and drink are in some measure analogous with the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper.²⁵⁰ The Corinthians had been immersed into the Body of Messiah (12:13), of which He is the Head (Ephesians 1:22), and in whom they trusted (Matthew 12:21; Ephesians 1:12).

4. Also, they all ate the same food (manna) pertaining to the Spirit (10:3). The manna they ate uniquely points to the Lord’s Supper. The manna given in the desert is called “spiritual food” because it was in no way a product of nature but grain from heaven and the bread of angels (Psalm 78:24-25), a gift from the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. It’s origin was spiritual, and thus, although it nourished the body, which Yeshua points out so forcibly in John 6 on His teaching on the Bread of Life, this manna should also have had an effect upon the soul.²⁵¹ The Corinthians too had eaten bread from heaven (John 6:31-34).

5. And they all drank the same drink from the Spirit – for they drank from a Spirit-sent Rock which accompanied them, and that Rock was the Messiah (10:4), he was quoting from a story later written in the Talmud (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law), that from the time that Moshe struck the rock at Horeb and brought forth water until the death of Miriam (Numbers 20:1), this water-giving rock “accompanied the children of Isra’el through the desert and provided water for them each day” (Taanit, 9a Bava Metzia, 86b). Throughout the TaNaKh, there are several instances where the title Rock (Hebrew: tzur) is directly associated with YHVH (Deuteronomy 32:4, 15 and 32:30-31; Isaiah 26:4 and 44:8). Yes, Paul says, a little of the story from the Talmud is true: a rock did accompany Isra’el throughout the desert wandering, a rock out of which they kept drinking all the time. But this was not the rolling boulder of the legend. This was a mass of rock that was far greater and far higher and entirely spiritual in its nature: That rock was Yeshua Messiah. The word Paul uses here for Rock is not petros, meaning a small stone or pebble, but petra, meaning a massive immovable cliff, rock or ledge, just like the one at Caesarea Philippi (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Fx – On This Rock I Will Build My Church). Messiah was also the source of supernatural water for the Corinthians. Yeshua had said: Let anyone who is thirsty come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them (John 7:37b-38).

Nevertheless, despite all the blessings above, Paul told the Corinthians, the Israelites failed to obtain the prize: With the majority of them God was not pleased, so their bodies were strewn across the desert (10:5). All Isra’el, both believers and unbelievers, had been graciously blessed (see the commentary on Romans Cp – The Grief of Isra’el’s Past Paradox), liberated and sustained by the LORD in the wilderness, but in the “race,” that test of obedience and service, of being a witness to the world, most of them were disqualified (9:24-27). They misused and abused their freedom and their blessings. In self-centeredness and self-will they fell into temptation, and then into sin, as the book of Numbers can attest. Overconfidence was their undoing.

Many of the disqualified Israelites were believers who became unfit for God’s service. They became what Paul refers to as vessels of dishonor. They had not cleansed themselves from youthful lusts and had not pursued righteousness, faith, love and peace. They had not called upon the Lord out of a pure heart (Second Timothy 2:21-22 Berean Study Bible). As a result, they were scattered around the desert like pieces of broken vessels that were no longer useful. Since this was so, the Corinthians’ complacency in matters of self-discipline and their corresponding fondness for self-indulgence required immediate attention.²⁵²

Our freedom in Messiah is not meant to lead us to self-indulgence, but to selfless service (see the commentary on Galatians Bu – Brothers and Sisters, You were Called to Freedom). Now these things took place as prefigurative historical events, warning us not to set our hearts on evil things as they did (10:6). While a variety of sinful behaviors can be considered here, although the connection remains only implicit in the argument, the echo of Numbers 11:1-3 sounds ominous for those Corinthians who desire to eat meat sacrificed to idols.²⁵³

Paralleling the five blessings enjoyed by Isra’el in the new found freedom from Egypt, Paul proceeded to recount five failures experienced by Isra’el during that time.

1. Paul began by summarizing the sad cry: Give us meat to eat (see the commentary on Numbers Bs – The Complaining at the Kivrot Ha’Ta’avah)! The Israelites named the cemetery for those who were killed Kivrot Ha’Ta’avah, meaning graves of the craving. ADONAI gave them what they wanted, but while the meat was still between their teeth, He struck them with a plague. The application to the Corinthian situation was obvious: To sum up, if food will be a snare for my brother, I will never eat meat again, lest I cause my brother to sin (8:13).

2. Don’t be idolaters, as some of them were – as the TaNaKh puts it, “The people sat down to eat and drink, then got up to indulge in revelry” (10:7). The warning against idolatry was very relevant to the conditions in Corinth. Paul quotes Exodus 32:6, where eating, drinking and dancing point to a typical idol festival. Often such a festival degenerated into debauchery. For those believers who thought they could freely take part in idolatry, Paul intended, with illustrations like this, to knock out the false props which supported their behavior before God intervened and took their lives like the immoral brother (see Ba – Failure to Discipline an Immoral Brother).²⁵⁴ He would not have His name dragged through the mud of their spiritual adultery.

3. And let us not engage in sexual immorality, as some of them did, with the consequence that 23,000 died in a single day (10:8). In the Israelites case, the immorality associated with idolatry (Numbers 25:1-2), which also characterized much pagan worship in the first century. But the Corinthians indulged in immorality in contexts other than idolatry, as instances of rebuke in 5:1 and 6:18 illustrate. As God had brought death to the immoral among the Israelites (Numbers 25:4-9), He could also do in Corinth as with the case of the immoral brother above. This was a sobering thought for those who could flaunt their freedom in Messiah because everything seemed permissible to them (6:12 and 10:23).²⁵⁵

Was Paul in error when he said that 23,000 died in a single day? Some have linked Paul’s 23,000 with the 3,000 who died in Exodus 32:28. But it is clear that here in 10:5-10, Paul drew all his illustrations from the book of Numbers. And in Numbers 25:9 it records how 24,000 people died as a result of God’s judgment. It seems that the Numbers account records the total of those who died, including the leaders, who apparently numbered one thousand (see the commentary on Numbers Ae – The Issue of Rounded Numbers). Paul’s figure of 23,000 refers only to those who perished in the plague.²⁵⁶

4. And let us not put the Messiah to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by snakes (10:9). Because God took the Isrealites on a longer route to the Promised Land, their tempers grew short because of the detour and they spoke against God and against Moshe saying: Why did you bring us up out of Egypt? To die in the desert? Ha’Shem sent poisonous snakes and many of Isra’el’s people died (Numbers 21:4-6). Paul’s point is that the Corinthians’ challenge of his former prohibition against their attending pagan meals was actually putting Messiah to the test like the ancient Israelites had put ADONAI to the test in the desert. They wanted to eat at the Lord’s Table and the table of demons.²⁵⁷

5. And don’t grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the Destroying Angel (10:10). The verb grumble is used a number of times of the Israelites complaining against ADONAI, a complaint followed in each case by suitable punishment. The people also spoke rebelliously against God’s appointed leaders Moses and Aaron (see the commentary on Numbers Cw – The Rebellion of Dathan and Abiram). Grumbling against God calls down divine punishment.²⁵⁸ Paul was facing a similar situation (see Ai – Divisions in the Church at Corinth).

These things happened to them (the Exodus generation) as prefigurative historical events, and they were written down as a warning to us who are living in the acharit-hayamim, or the end times (10:11). These were examples and warnings to the Corinthians that the God with whom they were accountable, who was bringing His people to a close at the end of days, was the same God who disciplined the Israelites with death, and could do so again (11:30). If the Exodus generation met such a horrifying end by rejecting the spiritual Messiah who nurtured them throughout their journey, how much more the Corinthians would be condemned by rejecting the risen Messiah.²⁵⁹

Paul now brings this review of Isra’el’s history to its conclusion by directly applying these warnings to the believers in Corinth. Therefore, let anyone who thinks he is standing up be careful not to fall (10:12)! The Bible is full of examples of the dangers of overconfidence. The book of Esther, for example, centers around the plan of a proud and overconfident man who saw his plan backfire. King Ahasuerus of Persia promoted Haman to be his second in command, with the instructions for the people to bow before Haman as they would the king. Mordecai, however, would not bow down to him, and when the proud and arrogant Haman was told that Mordecai was a Jew, he persuaded Ahasuerus to declare an edict that would give him revenge on all the Jews in the land by having them destroyed. Through the intercession of Queen Esther, Haman’s evil plan was exposed, and in the process Haman was impaled on the pole he had set up for Mordecai (Esther 7:1-10), who was given all of Haman’s possessions and the royal honor Haman had expected for himself (see the commentary on Esther Cf – The Greatness of Mordecai).

Just as the Israelites kept falling into temptation and sin in spite of their redemption from Egypt, the same thing can happen to us. Thus, those who feel confident that they could be disciplined by falling under the Lord’s judgment should watch out, lest they do so. This warning will soon lead Paul back to the specific issue of participating in banquets at idol temples.²⁶⁰ If the Corinthians thought that their standing in Messiah and corresponding freedom could be exercised in sin with impunity, they were wrong . . . possibly dead wrong.

None of us are immune to temptation. Given the right situation, you and I are capable of any sin. God knows this, so He has assigned us as individual believers the responsibility of keeping each other on track. The Bible says: Encourage one another daily . . . so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness (Hebrews 3:13 NIV). “Mind your own business” is not a phrase that we should be using. We are called and commanded to be involved in each other’s lives. If you know someone who is wavering spiritually right now it is your responsibility to go after them and bring them back into the fellowship. James tells us: If you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back (James 5:19 The Message).²⁶¹

After a strong warning about self-confidence and pride, Paul gives a strong word of encouragement about God’s help when tempted. No temptation has seized you beyond what people normally experience, and God can be trusted not to allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. After kicking out the props of their false security, Paul pointed to the One on whom the Corinthians could rely. The temptations that seized the Corinthians were like those people had always faced. They could be met and endured by depending on God, who is faithful. On the contrary, along with the temptation he will also provide the way out, so that you will be able to endure (10:13). Part of the problem, of course, was that some, in the face of temptation, were not looking for a way out by endurance, but a way in for indulgence.²⁶²

Reading between the lines, it was as if Paul were saying, “There is no risk of failing as long as the Corinthians were dealing with ordinary temptations. God would help them through such temptations. But that would not be the case with idolatry. The way out in that case is simply put: run from idolatry, which is the concern of what Paul says next (see Bs – The Truth About Idolatry).²⁶³

The Danger of Overconfidence
10: 1-22

The exercise of our freedom in Messiah, absent self-control, can lead to excess. And excess, if left unchecked, can disqualify our witness to those around us. That’s the point Paul wanted to hammer home. And he used a perfectly appropriate biblical illustration to do so.

The Israelites were supposed to be a witness to the world. They suffered as slaves under the iron-fisted rule of the wicked pharaoh’s of Egypt. In rather dramatic fashion, YHVH delivered His people and led them to the safety of their own Land. ADONAI led them by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He led them through the Sea of Reeds. He supernaturally provided them with daily food and water. Yet, with all of those blessings and daily reminders of God’s presence and provision, they set their hearts on evil things (10:6) and became immoral idolaters. Consequently, some were destroyed by snakes (10:9). Still others were destroyed by the Destroying Angel (10:10). At one point 23,000 died in a single day (10:8). And eventually that entire generation died in the wilderness. Their hard-hearted behavior disqualified their witness. This is the lesson we can learn from.

What we’re sensing from the pen of Paul is the tension that exists between our freedom in Messiah and legalism. Legalism involves a man-made list of rules that, by their very nature, tend to be arbitrary and will differ from person to person. Legalism is the mentality that says God gave us 613 commandments in the Torah (365 negative mitzvot and 248 positive mitzvot), but still, He left out a few. So, we’re going to help Him out by adding to the list. Not only that, we’re going to judge others who don’t follow our rules. Invariably, however, when we add to the list, we come up with a catalog of absolute statements for which we have no scriptural backing. The comforting thing about such a list is that we don’t have to exercise any sort of discernment; we just keep the rules. Black and white. Problem is, with no scriptural backing, many people rebel against the list and are viewed by others who are devoted to the list as sinful and unspiritual.

That being said, if we opt for freedom in Messiah versus legalism, we quickly encounter the reality that for me, everything is permitted? Maybe, but as far as I am concerned, I am not going to let anything gain control over me (6:12). In other words, exercising my freedom in Messiah, if left unchecked, might result in behaviors that are harmful rather than beneficial. I might even find myself mastered by, or addicted to, something that might ultimately lead to my testimony to others being disqualified. Therefore, Paul rightly opted for freedom in Messiah over legalism, but with this one caveat: Don’t let your freedom in Messiah do to you what it did to the Israelites.²⁴⁷

With that in mind, Paul tells them to run away from idolatry. In more literal terms, they separate themselves completely from anything even close to idol worship. This echoes the reaction of Joseph who literally bolted from a woman attempting to seduce him (Genesis 39:7-12). It’s not that the man-made idols themselves had any power, Paul continues, but the demons lurking behind them did. Participating in the Lord’s Supper connected them to Him. And in the same way, the Corinthians would become sharers with demons if they willingly participated in pagan sacrificial feasts.

One of the surest ways to fall into temptation and sin is to become overconfident. Many of the Corinthians thought that they felt perfectly secure in how they conducted their lives. They had arrived. Paul surely had that attitude in mind with his sarcastic rebuke of 4:8-14. They were saved, baptized, well taught, lacking no spiritual gift, and presumably mature. They thought they were strong enough to freely associate with pagans in their ceremonies and social activities and not be affected morally or spiritually, as long as they did not participate in outright idolatry or immorality. But, Paul tells them they were self-deceived.

When a believer becomes so confident of his strength that he thinks he can handle any situation, he is overconfident and in great danger of falling. Paul summarizes: Therefore, let anyone who thinks he is standing up be careful not to fall (10:12)! The danger is not falling from salvation, but of falling from holiness and disqualifying our witness to the world. It is a serious danger that the Lord does not take lightly.²⁴⁸

Refusing to Use Your Freedom in Messiah
9: 15-27

Refusing to use your freedom in Messiah DIG: What are some of the reasons Paul provides for why he preaches the Good News? What are his rewards for doing this? Why did Paul give up some of his rights to preach the Good News? What does it mean to become “a slave to all?” What kind of language would you use today to get the same point across? Why is it so difficult for believers to give up their rights? What are some of these rights? What point is Paul making by comparing the life of a believer to a race?

REFLECT: Paul was not as concerned with his method of evangelism as with the message he was proclaiming. How can you apply his thinking to the way you share the Good News about Yeshua today? Think about the times you tried to witness to people. What have you learned in those experiences that you can share with others? What behaviors, attitudes, or beliefs hinder a believer’s witness? When was the last time someone sacrificed his or her own needs to help you? What are you willing to give up to win more people to Messiah?

With all kinds of people, both Jews and Gentiles, I have become all kinds of things,
so that in all kinds of circumstances I might save at least some of them.

Paul now picks up where he left off in 9:12b, “we put up with all kinds of things so as not to impede in any way the Good News about the Messiah.” He has not made use of any of the rights that he had just been talking about (see Bo – Laying Aside Rights). That is, he does not want to accept money from those to whom he preaches, nor is he giving all these arguments about financial support in order to convince the Corinthians that at this stage they should start supporting him. Rather, it is a matter of personal pride for him, as well as a matter of missionary principle, not to receive such money.²⁴⁰

Paul’s restraint (9:15-18): Although Paul has the right to live from preaching the Good News, he does not; rather, he supports himself through his trade, tentmaking (Acts 18:3). He regards his keeping himself independent as its own reward, because it means that he can make the Good News available free of charge and not expose himself to the slightest risk of abusing his right to be supported by fellow believers.

But I have not made use of any of these rights (to see link click Bo – Laying Aside Rights). Paul deals with the pride issue first. Nor am I writing now to secure them for myself, for I would rather die than be deprived of my ground for boasting! Then what motivates him? For I can’t boast merely because I proclaim the Good News – this I do from inner compulsion: woe is me if I don’t proclaim the Good News! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if I do it unwillingly, I still do it, simply because I’ve been entrusted with a job. So then, what is my reward? Just this: that in proclaiming the Good News I can make it available free of charge, without making use of the rights to which it entitles me (9:15-18). Some people might not believe the Good News if they felt it might lead to financial obligations.

Paul’s freedom (9:19-23): For although I am a free man (9:1), not bound to do anyone’s bidding (7:22), I have voluntarily made myself a slave to all. In the following verses, Paul illustrates this principle. He says, in effect, that although he could behave in a selfish way that would make him feel natural and comfortable; he goes out of his way to empathize with, and serve others and their needs. He did this in order to win as many people as possible to trust in Messiah – Paul’s central goal in life (9:19).

Dear Heavenly Father, How awesome You are! What great mercy and grace You give those who love You by forgiving their sins. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us (Psalms 103:11-12). Yet, You are also Holy so You cannot allow anyone into Your holy home of heaven who does not love You and trust in Your Son whom You sent as the atoning sacrifice to pay the price for our sins. He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36).

Eternity – a great thought for those who love God and will spend forever in heaven – but a horrifying thought for those who love themselves and will not be allowed into heaven, but will be separated from God forever! At the revelation of the Lord Yeshua from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, He will command judgment on those who do not know God and do not heed the Good News of our Lord Yeshua.  They will pay the price of eternal ruin, away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power (Second Thessalonians 1:7c-9).

Let us do everything that we can to pray for and to lovingly and humbly persuade all peoples that You, God, are the only way to heaven. Let us lay aside pride and be busy to do the most important of work – to pray for unsaved friends and family that they may choose to follow You and so be saved for all eternity (Romans 10:9-10). Praise and thank You for always being with us to help us to be bold in witnessing for You. You are wonderful! In your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

That is, with Jews, what I did was put myself in the position of a non-Messianic Jew (9:20a). No matter to whom Paul was speaking, He never compromised his message. He presented the Good News truthfully and forcefully. But by the same token, he never unnecessarily offended those to whom he spoke by behaving in an insensitive manner (10:32). Unfortunately, today, this phrase suggests being a deceiver or a chameleon who changes his behavior to suit his audience. We know that Paul rebuked Peter for behaving in this way (see the commentary on Galatians Bb – The Antioch Incident: How Can You Force Jews to Live Like Gentiles). Paul would later write: We refuse to make use of shameful underhanded methods, employing deception or distorting God’s message (Second Corinthians 4:2a), and then used three chapters of that letter to defend himself against such charges (Second Corinthians Chapters 10-12). He could hardly expect them to believe him there if in the present passage they were to understand him as teaching that the end justifies the means.

Nevertheless, modern critics of this passage continue to claim that Paul was Torah observant when he was with Jews, but ignored it when he was with Gentiles. But their misunderstanding of these verses forces them into a cul-de-sac from which their only escape is to view Paul as putting on an act for the sake of the Kingdom. For they give his circumcising Timothy (Acts 16:1-3) as an example of “becoming as a Jew to the Jews” and “as under the law to those under the law” and they cite his eating with Gentiles, whose food, presumably, was non-kosher (Galatians 2:11-14), to illustrate his “becoming as apart from law to those apart from the law.” By doing so, they reveal three misinterpretations. First, they think that “becoming as” means “behaving like;” secondly, they think that “under the law” means “expected to obey the Torah” and as a consequence equate “the Jews” with “those under the law;” and thirdly, they seem unaware of the fact that being Jewish is not something one can turn-on or turn-off at will like a water faucet.

With regard to this third point, Paul never considered himself an ex-Jew. Since he remained a Jew all his life, we can eliminate another misinterpretation of “becoming as” or “becoming something that one formerly was not.” Paul did not become a chameleon, “becoming as” the people around him. What he did was empathize with them. He put himself in their position. He entered into their needs and aspirations, their strengths and weaknesses, their opportunities and constraints, their ideas, feelings and values – in short, using the current way of saying it, he tried to understand “where they were coming from.”

Having established common ground with those he was trying to reach, Paul could then communicate the Good News in ways familiar to them, using rabbinical teaching methods with Jews, and philosophical reasoning with Greeks. With the weak, he would bear with them because he understood the origin of their weakness (8:7-12). He did everything possible to overcome all barriers to the gospel – psychological, social, and especially cultural; for he knew the task of communicating the gospel had been entrusted to him (9:15-18 and 23). He knew he could not expect others to meet him half-way. But he was never a hypocrite.

In order to win Jews (9:20b). Earlier, Paul announced that his goal was to win as many people as possible to trust in Messiah, that is, as many of all kinds of people as he could. By “winning” them, of course, he means getting them to realize that they are sinners who need ADONAI’s forgiveness, and can obtain it only by accepting Yeshua’s atoning death on their behalf. It is critical to understand that Jews are not excluded from needing God’s forgiveness through Yeshua; if they were, Paul would not be making efforts to win Jews. Those who ignore this mandate, or purposely ignore it because of replacement theology (see the commentary on Romans Ai – The Righteous Shall Live by Faith), violate this teaching.

Paul just mentioned the Jews, no need to repeat that. Now he talks about three groups of Gentiles. The first have been Judaized and subjected themselves to a legalistic perversion of the Torah; the second, pagans with no involvement with Torah at all; and the third, are the “weak” who subject themselves to their own overly strict conscience as if it were Torah.

First, with [Judaized Gentiles] in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah (Greek: upo nomon, meaning under something that is not the Torah but a perversion of it, specifically, a perversion that tries to turn Torah into a set of rules that one can supposedly go through the motions, with neither faith nor love for either God, yet earn a right standing with God). That is why David Stern in his translation of the Complete Jewish Bible translates this verse: With those people (Greek: ho) in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah (9:20c). Furthermore, people are not “under the law” in the sense of “having to obey” it, but “under” it in an oppressive sense, in subjection to it as to a slavemaster, a metaphor that Paul uses whenever the Greek phrase upo nomon appears in both Galatians (see the commentary on Galatians Bm – The Torah Became our Guardian to Lead Us to Messiah), and Romans (see the commentary on Romans Bv – The New Master in Messiah).²⁴¹

With [Judaized Gentiles] in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah (see the commentary on Galatians Ag – Who were the Judaizers), I put myself in the position to empathize with someone under such legalism, in order to win those [Gentiles] under this legalism (9:20d). The legalistic perversion of the Torah that [Judaized Gentiles] became enslaved to was not always non-Messianic Judaism. In fact, more often than not it was a watered-down form of it, perhaps binding them to observe certain Jewish holidays (Colossians 2:16-17; Galatians 4:10), or binding the men to get circumcised by not obeying the rest of the Jewish mitzvot (Galatians 5:3 and 6:13). Unsaved Gentiles who subjected themselves to some, but not all, of the Jewish practice were called God-fearers (see the commentary on Acts Bb – An Ethiopian Asks about Isaiah 53), but not all God-fearers became legalistic about their observance of Jewish customs, Paul applied the principles of the Jerusalem Council (see the commentary on Acts Bt – The Council’s Letter to the Gentile Believers).

Even though I myself am not in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah (9:20e). If the Greek phrase upo nomon meant “required to obey the Torah,” Paul could not have written this. Paul was a Jew (Acts 13:9), and Jews are required to obey the Torah . . . the true Torah. The psalmist said it this way: How blessed are those who reject the advice of the wicked, don’t stand in the way of sinners or sit where scoffers sit! Their delight is in ADONAI’s Torah; in His Torah they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams – they bear their fruit in season, their leaves never wither, everything they do succeeds (Psalm 1:1-3). The next verse reveals what Paul understood about himself in relation to the one and only Torah . . . the Torah of Moshe; this present verse only talks about his relationship to the legalistic perversion of it.²⁴²

Second, when I am with [pagan Gentiles] who live outside the framework of Torah (9:21a). Those who live outside (The Greek: tois anomois can mean to the lawless, in the sense of “wicked,” or, as here, those who do not relate to the Torah at all). In Romans 2:12-16 this would be synonymous with the Gentiles; but here, as indicated in 9:20c, it means a particular group of Gentiles – those who have neither subjected themselves to a legalistic perversion of the Torah, nor “weak” who have made their overly strict consciences into a Torah of their own. This pagan Gentile tends toward lawlessness and lack of discipline (see the commentary on Romans An – The Depraved Mind of the Gentile Pagan). Some of the people to whom Paul was writing were once in this category (6:9-11). Indeed, the whole tone of 8:1 to 11:1, and indeed the whole letter, suggests that this was the mindset Paul was dealing with among many of the leaders of the Corinthian church.

I put myself in the position to empathize with [the pagan Gentile] in order to win him to the Lord – although I myself am not a pagan, but live within the framework of the Torah of Moshe,  as upheld and modified in accordance with what Messiah has said and done to establish the B’rit Chadashah (9:21b). The Torah of Messiah is not something that does away with or replaces the Torah of Moshe; rather, as Yeshua said: Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete (Matthew 5:17). As a result, even though the Pharisees and the Torah-teachers, and the rabbis after them, teach many things about the Torah that are true, they miss the mark to the extent that non-Messianic Judaism makes the Torah a legalistic system that perverts its true intention, which is to receive the grace of ADONAI through faith (see the commentary on Romans Ct – Praying for the Jewish Community).

Paul does not say that he is in subjection to (Greek: upo, meaning under) a perverted Torah of Moshe which leads to legalism, because there is no oppressiveness, no subjection, in being within the framework of the Torah of Messiah. Yeshua Himself said: My yoke is easy, My burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30; Acts 15:10). When Paul wants to emphasize oppressiveness or compulsion in relation to something abstract, such as the Torah, he uses upo, meaning under; if that is not his intention, he uses en, meaning in, within, or in the framework of. Thus, for example, Romans 3:19 reads: We know that whatever the Torah says, it says to those living within the framework of the Torah. The last seven words translate the Greek en to nomo, or in the law. A number of English translations fail to bring out this important distinction.²⁴³

Third, when I am with the “weak” [Gentiles], I put myself in the position to empathize with the “weak,” in order to win the “weak” (9:22a). In relation to its context (see Bj – Concerning Our Freedom in Messiah), this is the main point of 9:20-22. Paul had voluntarily made himself a slave to all (9:19). Examples of this included non-Messianic Jews (9:20a-b) and Judaized Gentiles (9:20c-d-e). But now he speaks of a group the others above were willing to ignore and ride roughshod over – the weak, those with misguided consciences (see Bm – The Weaker Brother or Sister). Their scruples were not to be despised, but understood, so that they may be won to faith (in the immediate context), or their life in the Lord strengthened (in the larger context). A deeper understanding of God’s truth will free the weak from bondage: You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32).²⁴⁴

With all kinds of people, both Jews and Gentiles, I have become all kinds of things, so that in all kinds of circumstances I might save at least some of them (9:22b). He did not compromise the gospel. He would not change anything to satisfy anyone. But he would condescend in any way for anyone if that would, in any way, help bring them to Messiah. He would never set the truth of the gospel, but he would gladly restrict his liberty in the gospel. He would not offend a Jew, Gentile, or those who were weak in understanding.

If a person is offended by God’s Word, that’s their problem. It they are offended by biblical doctrine, standards, or church discipline that’s their problem. That person is offended by God. But if someone is offended by our unnecessary behavior or practices – no matter how good and acceptable those may be in themselves – their problem becomes our problem. It is not a problem of Torah but a problem of love (Matthew 5:39-41). Paul’s life centered in living out the gospel and in preaching and teaching the gospel. Nothing else was of any concern for him. But I do it all for the sake of the Good News, so that I may be a joint sharer in it (9:23).²⁴⁵ This continues to elaborate the earlier principle: Paul made himself a slave to all in order to win as many people as possible to trust in Messiah (9:19).

Paul’s example (9:24-27): The Greeks had two great athletic festivals, the Olympic games and the Isthmian games. The latter was held in Corinth, and therefore intimately familiar to those to whom Paul was writing. Contestants in the games had to prove rigorous training for ten months. The last month was spent in Corinth, with supervised daily workouts in the gymnasium and athletic fields. The race was always a major attraction at the games, and this is the figure Paul uses to illustrate the faithful life of a believer. Don’t you know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one wins the prize? No one would train so hard for so long without intending to win. Yet, out of such a large number of runners, only one would win.

So then, Paul concludes: run to win (9:24)!

A great difference between the Isthmian races, and the race that believers run is that every believer who is willing to pay the price of careful training can win. We do not compete against each other, but against obstacles – practical, physical, and spiritual – that would hinder us. In a sense, every believer runs his or her own race, enabling each one of us to be a winner in winning souls for Messiah. Paul, therefore, advises us to run to win, by setting aside anything that might hinder the Good News (see Bo – Laying Aside Rights).

Holding tightly to your freedom in Messiah to do anything you want is a sure way to lose the race of soul-winning. Many of the Corinthian believers seriously limited their testimony because they refused to give up their rights, and in doing so won few and offended many.

Now every athlete in training submits himself to strict discipline, and he does it just to win a laurel wreath that will soon wither away. But we do it to win a crown that will last forever (see the commentary on Revelation Cc – For We Must All Appear Before the Bema Seat of Christ). But for that to happen, discipline and self-control are needed (9:25). No believer will be successful in witnessing, or anything else worthwhile, without discipline. Every good thing that we accomplish – whether in learning, business, artistic skill, marriage, witnessing, or whatever – is accomplished through discipline and self-control.

If an athlete expects to excel, he voluntarily restricts his freedom. His sleep, his diet, and his exercise, are not determined by his freedom to eat, sleep or exercise any time he wants, but by his training. And thus, the illustration of the athlete’s disciplined self-control is a rebuke to the half-hearted, out-of-shape believer who does almost nothing to prepare themselves to witness to the lost – and consequently never do.

Paul had a purpose in running. Accordingly, I don’t run aimlessly but straight for the finish line. Changing metaphors, he said: I don’t shadow-box but try to make every punch count (9:26). He was always fighting the real fight, the good fight (First Timothy 1:18). I treat my body hard (Greek: hupopiazo, literally to give his body a black eye) and make it my slave so that, after proclaiming the Good News to others, I myself will not be disqualified from rewards due to faithful workers (9:27). Here is another metaphor from the Isthmian games. A contestant who failed to meet the training requirements was disqualified. He could not even run, much less win. Paul didn’t want to spend his life preaching the requirements to others, and then be disqualified for not meeting the requirements himself.

Many believers start their walk with the Lord with enthusiasm and devotion. They train carefully for a while but soon tire of the effort and begin to “break training.” They begin to exercise their freedom in Messiah to do other things. Not necessarily bad things, but other things nonetheless. Before long they are disqualified from being effective witnesses. They do not have what it takes, because they are unwilling to pay the price. The flesh, the world, everyday life, personal interests, and often simple laziness hinder their spiritual growth and preparation for service. Even good things can interfere with the best. Indulging our freedoms can interfere with fulfillment of love. Following our own ways can keep others from knowing the Way. Souls are won by those who are prepared to be used when the Spirit chooses to use them.²⁴⁶

Laying Aside Rights
9: 1-14

Laying aside rights DIG: Why does Paul make such a big deal about being an apostle? What is the implied answer to each of the questions in verse 1? Who was apparently contending that Paul wasn’t a proper apostle? What rights did Paul have as an apostle? How did he illustrate his right to financial support? How did he lay aside his rights?

REFLECT: What “rights” do you have that God may want you to give up? Do you practice what you preach? In other words, do you walk the walk, or merely talk the talk? When was the last time you gave up your freedom in Messiah so as not to stumble a fellow believer? Have you stumbled a fellow believer and it cost you a friendship? How can you help others now?

The Lord said that those who proclaim the gospel should earn their living from the gospel.

Paul used one of the most basic of all principles of leadership: he himself practiced in his own life what he preached to others. The secret of the power and influence of the leaders of the first-century church wasn’t just in the things they said, but the fact that they were themselves a living example of their own message.²²⁶

In Chapter 8, Paul set out the limits of our freedom in Messiah, freedom that is to be determined by brotherly and sisterly love, by concern for the welfare of other believers. He summarized the principle as: Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble (8:9). Our rights end when another person is offended. In Chapter 9, the apostle illustrates how he followed that principle in his own life. In the first section of this chapter, Paul gives six reasons why he had the right to be supported by the churches in whom he had ministered.

An analogy from Paul’s own life (9:1-6): What unexpected vigor, Paul suddenly unleashes a torrent of rhetorical questions, each beginning with the Greek article ou (is it not so?), thus expecting a positive answer: Of course I am; of course I have; of course you are. Verse one is composed of four questions, all falling into their natural order in terms of the argument.

Am I not a free man? This touches immediately back to 8:13, where Paul had indicated his freedom to eat whatever he wanted, but his voluntary decision never to eat meat again if by doing so he would cause a fellow believer to stumble. Am I not a free man? Of course I am! I can eat anything I want.”²²⁷ The Corinthians believed that they had the freedom to do anything they wanted, believing themselves to be spiritually mature enough to handle the pressures and stains of going into a pagan temple. They did not understand Paul’s theology of serving the Lord as an apostle, why he did certain things, and most of all, why he did not do certain other things.²²⁸ Therefore, he set out to defend his own actions.

Closely related to the first question, Paul asks: Am I not an apostle of the Messiah? Of course I am! Most naturally, Paul includes the matter of his apostleship, since everything that follows hinged on that fact. This is the first direct statement in the letter indicating that his apostleship itself was at stake in Corinth; but such has been hinted at several times before this (1:1 and 12, 4:1-5, 8-13 and 14-21, 5:1-2).²²⁹

Paul’s significant response to any of his Corinthian detractors, who did not think he was a proper apostle, was the question: Haven’t I seen Yeshua our Lord? Of course I have! An apostle had to be an eyewitness of Messiah and of His resurrection (Acts 1:21-22). Paul was not among the original apostles who were with Yeshua during His earthly ministry, but had seen the resurrected Messiah on at least three occasions. The Lord appeared to Paul at his conversion (Acts 9:4-5), and in two visions that we know of (Acts 18:9-10 and 22:17-18). Paul could witness having personally met the risen Messiah.²³⁰

The next proof of Paul’s apostleship was the Corinthian believers themselves. And aren’t you yourselves the result of my work for the Lord (9:1)? The church at Corinth was one of the fruits of Paul’s apostolic labors. Their saving faith and their knowledge of God’s Word came from Paul’s evangelism and discipling (see the commentary on Acts, to see link click Cc – Many Respond to the Good News in Corinth). Paul already alluded to Corinth as God’s field (3:9) where he had been assigned as the servant of ADONAI at work. He planted, but God gave the growth (3:6). Paul is careful to distinguish that they were not his work, about which he might have reason to boast, but his work in the Lord, so that his boasting would be in the Lord (First Corinthians 1:30-31; Second Corinthians 10:17).²³¹

Even if to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the living proof that I am the Lord’s apostle (9:2). Who are these other people questioning his apostleship? A short time later, Paul will go into an extended tirade against some imposters in Corinth, whom he labels false apostles . . . masquerading as apostles of Messiah (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Af – The Problem of the False Apostles), and since one of their main criticisms of Paul was that he apparently didn’t feel free to accept support for his ministry from them (Second Corinthians 11:1-21), it seems as though that hints of this issue are starting to surface here. Such information may have gotten to Paul verbally from Chloe’s household (1:11). He, therefore took the opportunity to work that issue into his letter at this point, hoping that he could stop it before it spread much further.

Paul goes on to acknowledge that what he is about to write is a defense against those who were judging him. That is my defense when people put me under examination (9:3). We must be clear about one thing. What Paul is defending is the same issue that he defends so vigorously in his next letter, that he has a right to accept monetary support from the believers in Corinth, but out of his own free will he has chosen not to do so.

Dear Loving Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your awesome love that was willing to leave heaven and come to earth (Philippians 2:6-8) to ransom us from sin’s punishment and to give us your righteousness (Second Corinthians 5:21). You have the right to send all to hell as a just punishment for all have sinned (Romans 3:23), but You gave up Your rights to punish, and in unspeakable great love, You took our punishment! Your example of unselfish love is our goal to follow. To love and follow you is not just rules to obey, but a heart that shows love by our actions to our brothers and sisters in Messiah.  It is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the devil by this – anyone who does not act righteously or love his brother is not of God (First John 3:10). We love to please You by loving our brothers and sisters. You have done so much for us in love. Thank you for the joy that we can show You our love by loving others. In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Paul now asks another series of rhetorical questions, all of which once again expect a positive answer. These questions begin with (Greek: me, which means they assume a negative answer, but by virtue of a Greek double negative, in essence, these questions turn out to expect a positive answer). First year Greek students are usually told that there is no such thing as a double negative in Greek – that Greek writers pile up negatives in order to emphasize the negative nuance. However, there is a little-known Greek grammatical rule that when a second negative in a series of negatives is a simple negative (ou) rather than a compound negative (oude or oudeis), that second negative does in fact function in the same way as a double negative in English. A literal translation of 9:4 would be: It is not the case, is it, that we do not have the right to eat and drink?” The assumed answer is, “Of course not!” Put positively, therefore, we can translate this question, “We have just as much right to eat and drink as anyone else, right?” And the assumed answer is, “Of course I do!”²³²

Don’t we [apostles] have the right to be given food and drink (9:4)? That is, “As a minister of God, not to mention an apostle, don’t I have the right to expect that at least food and drink will be provided to me (First Timothy 5:17-18; Galatians 6:6)? Of course I do!”

Don’t we have the right to take along with us a believing wife, as do the other apostles, also the Lord’s brothers (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3) and Kefa (9:5)? “Don’t I have the right to marry a believing woman (Mark 1:29-31), as were Yeshua’s brothers – the sons born naturally to Joseph and Mary after Yeshua. Eusebius’ History of the Christian Church (written around 320 AD) quotes Papias (early second century) as authority that the apostle Philip was married (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Cy – These are the Names of the Twelve Apostles). We know Peter (Kefa) was married from the fact that he had a mother-in-law (Mt 8:14; Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38); perhaps Paul singles him out here from the other apostles because he had been in Corinth with his wife or because he was the hero of one of the Corinthian “fan clubs” (1:12). It is ironic that the Roman Catholics regard Peter as the first pope, yet he was married,²³³ and was never in Rome (see the commentary on Romans Do – People God Uses). In any case, Paul was probably a widower. In any case, though he chose to be single, he had every right to remarry. He also had the right, as did the other apostles, to take his believing wife with him as he ministered and to have her supported along with him.

Then, with a touch of sarcasm, Paul asks: Or are Barnabas and I the only ones required to go on working for our living (9:6)? Paul and Barnabas have as much right as the others to get their livelihood from the ministry, without having to work on the side. They did not pay their own way because they were obligated to do so. They did it voluntarily.²³⁴

An analogy from everyday occupations (9:7): Paul had the right to receive support from the churches that he founded for his ongoing ministry. He makes his point through three rhetorical questions; the expected answer to each one being “No!” Soldiers who go to war on behalf of their country are paid a salary; no soldier is expected to be self-supporting. Have you ever heard of a soldier paying his own expenses? No! A person who plants a vineyard has the right to eat the fruit of his labor. Have you ever seen a farmer planting a vineyard without eating its grapes? No! A person who tends a flock has the right to drink the milk of his flock. Who shepherds a flock without drinking some of the milk (9:7)? No one!²³⁵ All three types of workers are paid for their work. It is the customary, rightful, and expected thing.

Why should it not be true for God’s workers as well? It should!

An analogy from Deuteronomy (9:8-11): What I am saying is not based merely on human authority, because the Torah says the same thing – for in the Torah of Moshe it is written, “You are not to put a muzzle on an ox when it is treading out the grain” (Deuteronomy 25:4). Since God is concerned about cattle, all the more he says this for our sakes. Paul interprets this text in a typical rabbinic-type argument called “light and heavy” (Hebrew: qal wahomer). If something is true on a lower scale, it is certainly true on a more important, higher scale. In other words, if mere animals are given the right to eat as they are working in the fields, certainly human beings made in the image of God have the same right. In fact, God is more concerned about getting across a principle for human beings in this text than He is about getting across a principle for animals.²³⁶ Yes, it was written for us, meaning that he who plows and he who threshes should work expecting to get a share of the crop (9:8-10)?

An analogy from ministry (9:11-12): Paul follows up the previous argument with a second qal wahomer argument. If something is true on a human physical scale (for farmers, for example), then it must certainly be true on a spiritual scale. If farmers can expect to gain their food and support from working in the fields and at harvest, certainly missionaries should expect the same as they gain a spiritual harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you If others are sharing in this right to be supported by you, don’t we have a greater claim to it (9:11). Since farmers have every right to expect material support from working in the fields and at harvest, certainly missionaries should expect the same as they gain a spiritual harvest (Romans 15:26-27).²³⁷

But, we don’t make use of this right. Rather, we put up with all kinds of things so as not to impede in any way the Good News about the Messiah (9:12). How would receiving money have hampered the gospel? To whom would it have been a stumbling block? Potential converts may have shied away from receiving Messiah as their Lord and Savior if they suspected that it came with strings attached: acceptance would cause them to be financially committed to Paul on a continuing basis. Therefore, Paul sought to avoid any impression that he was preaching only for money. Yet, some of the Corinthians were actually ashamed of Paul. They did not interpret his voluntary act as conforming to the pattern of Messiah’s sacrifice: Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you, through His poverty, might become rich (Second Corinthians 8:9b). Instead, they interpreted his poverty as demeaning to himself and embarrassing to them.

Paul expanded this concept of limiting his freedom in Messiah a bit when he wrote to the church in Thessalonica: We were so devoted to you that we were glad to share with you not only God’s Good News but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. For you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship, how we worked night and day not to put a burden on any of you while we were proclaiming God’s Good News to you (First Thessalonians 2:8-9). While it would have been perfectly appropriate for Paul to receive regular financial support from both of these churches – in Corinth and Thessalonica – he voluntarily laid aside his rights and limited his freedom in Messiah in order to increase the effectiveness of his ministry. It was as if Paul were saying to the believers in Corinth, “If I can lay aside my right to receive money from you, surely, you can limit your freedom in Messiah and choose not to eat meat sacrificed to idols if doing so would cause your weaker brother or sister to violate his or her own conscience and sin.”²³⁸

An analogy from the Temple priesthood (9:13): Paul added additional weight to his argument with one more analogy, but this time it’s from the Torah. Don’t you know that those who work in the Temple get their food from the Temple, and those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrifices offered there (9:13)? The priests, who performed sacred services, were supported by the tithes of crops and animals as well as sacrifices from the people to whom they ministered in the Temple (Numbers 18:8-24). Hundreds of years before the Aaronic priesthood, in fact, Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek, a priest of God Most High (Genesis 14:18-20). Since they worked in the Temple, they needed to be supported.

A teaching from Yeshua Himself (9:14): Paul raised the level of authority for his argument another notch from the Torah to the command of Yeshua. Both God’s Torah and God’s Son taught that His prophets, teachers and ministers were to be paid for their work in the Lord. Thus, the teaching in the B’rit Chadashah echoes that of the Torah. In the same way, the Lord directed that those who proclaim the Good News should get their living from the Good News (9:14). Yeshua taught this principle when He said: Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Gv – Jesus Sends Out the Seventy). The Lord commands His people to offer support to those who minister to them, but He does not command those who minister to accept the support. Paul did not. He had the right, as much as any, and more than most. But for the sake of the Good News, for the sake of his brothers and sisters in the Lord, and for the sake of love, he gladly and willingly laid aside all his rights.²³⁹

Paul’s Own Example
9: 1-27

Having entered himself into the discussion in 8:13, Paul now goes on to illustrate the basic principle he was teaching at the end of Chapter 8 – namely, that even though we may have certain freedoms in Messiah, we are not obligated to exercise those freedoms at every possible opportunity; in fact, there will be times when we specifically need to refrain from doing so in order that a fellow believer might not stumble, and that the cause of Messiah may be advanced. As Paul does so, he uses as an example an issue that will soon blossom into a severe crisis in his relationship with the Corinthians.²²⁴

If eating a piece of meat sacrificed to an idol was a big deal to the believers at Corinth, Paul completely raised the steaks (pun intended) by talking about his right to receive money in comparison to their right to receive meat. Paul had a right to be paid by the churches he started and for the ministry he rendered on their behalf. But Paul willingly chose to limit that freedom in order to maximize the effectiveness of his ministry. As he developed this illustration, we gained some significant insight into the scriptural responsibility of a church to pay its pastors.²²⁵

The Weaker Brother or Sister
8: 7-13

The weaker brother or sister DIG: What did Paul mean by “the knowledge-driven believer,” and “the weak brother?” For what purpose should “the knowledge-driven believer,” defer to “the weak brother?” Who should take responsibility for conflicts between the two?

REFLECT: What freedoms do you feel you have as a believer that might be considered controversial to others? What freedoms do you not have that other believers believe that they do have? How does this principle work in your world, where life and the Bible meet?

It is never right to cause another believer to violate his or her own conscience,
just so we can exercise our freedom in Messiah.

From general principles regarding God and idols, Paul moves to the specific issue at hand, namely, whether it is permissible for a believer to sit in a pagan temple and eat meat sacrificed to idols. His goal at this stage is to illustrate how love rather than knowledge builds up the body of believers in Corinth (to see link click Bl – Let Love Control Knowledge). But we must always keep in mind that by the time Paul reaches the end of these three chapters (see Bj – Concerning Our Liberty in Messiah), he flat-out says that it is wrong for any believer to eat a meal in the temple of an idol (10:20-21).²¹⁹

Paul reminds the knowledge-driven believer of an additional truth. One which they must have known but they didn’t take into consideration when exercising their freedom in Messiah.

Dear Wonderful Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your great love, even in times of judgment. In Your holiness You could immediately slap down all who sin, but you don’t. After people die, they will have an eternal terrible punishment for ignoring Your love and choosing to love themselves more than You (John 3:36). But while people are alive, You patiently call them to Your gracious love. You know we are weak. For He knows our frame. He remembers that we are but dust (Psalms 103:14). You, O God, are mighty in power- yet You are also gracious and kind. ADONAI is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and plentiful in mercy. He will not always accuse, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not treated us according to our sins, or repaid us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him (Psalms 103:8-11).

You are always loving and full of mercy. Not just on good days are You kind and thoughtful- but always, forever You are watching over Your children to care for and to bless them. But the mercy of Adonai is from everlasting to everlasting on those who revere Him, His righteousness to children’s children, to those who keep His covenant, who remember to observe His instructions (Psalms 103:17-18).

You have a special spot in Your heart for those who are all alone and weak. Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (James 1:27). We desire to love You by following Your example of gracious kindness to those who are weak – whether widows, orphans or brothers and sisters in Messiah who are weak in their understanding of spiritual principles. Thank You for living in us (John 14:23, Romans 8:9-11) to help us to be loving and full of mercy – just like you! We bow in worship of such a loving and awesome father! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Against his insistence that, “We all have knowledge” (8:1b), Paul now asserts that “not everyone has this knowledge.” Moreover, some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat food which has been sacrificed to them, they think of it as really affected by the idol (8:7a). Not all believers were mature in their knowledge and understanding of spiritual truths. Some were new believers, freshly out of paganism and its many temptations and corruptions. They still imagined that idols, though evil, were real and the gods represented were real. They may tell their heads that the god is only an idol, but their hearts tell them differently. They knew that there was only one true God, but perhaps they had not yet fully grasped the truth that there was only one real God.

If such people, following the example of the knowledge-driven believer, goes ahead and eats what their conscience tells them not to eat, their conscience, being weak, is thus defiled (8:7b). Even though the eating in itself was not morally or spiritually wrong, it becomes wrong when it is committed against one’s own conscience. A person who violates his conscience willingly does what he thinks is wrong. In his own mind, he has committed a sin; and until he fully understands that the act is not a sin in God’s eyes, he should stay away from it. He who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Defiled conscience is defiled faith. As the weak one cannot reconcile the difference between his head and his heart, eating meat sacrificed to idols brought on feelings of guilt, despair, and loss of joy and peace. It might also lead to sinful thoughts connected with his former pagan practices and have him lapse back into some of them. He would not lose his salvation (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer), but he would lose rewards in heaven, exchanging gold, silver and precious stones for wood, hay and straw (3:12).

You have your weaknesses and I have mine (chocolate). In that sense, each one of us is the weaker brother or sister. Paul’s primary point here is that anyone who causes such a weaker brother or sister to defile their conscience and faith helps to lead them into sin. Knowledge may well tell us that something is perfectly acceptable, but love will tell us that, because it is not acceptable to a fellow believer’s conscience, we should not take advantage of our freedom.²²⁰

“Oh, come on, Paul,” says this knowledge-driven believer, “food is morally and spiritually neutral. Food doesn’t drive us away from God or draw us closer to Him.” In a sense, of course, Paul would agree, saying: Now food will not improve our relationship with God – we will be neither poorer if we abstain nor richer if we eat (8:8). For the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, shalom and you in the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Romans 14:17). What enables one to grow spiritually is the condition of one’s heart.²²¹

But this is precisely the point. If the weak brother eats some of the food sacrificed to idols in the temple, in his heart he will be expressing devotion to that idol. That, Paul tells the knowledge-driven believer, is unacceptable: Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble (8:9). Obviously, some Corinthian believers could not handle such freedom; it would pull them down into the pit from which they had been delivered. If an immature believer sees us doing something that troubles his conscience, his spiritual growth is harmed. We should never influence a fellow believer to do anything that the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, through that person’s conscience, is protecting him from.

In fact, Paul goes on to say: You have this “knowledge”; but suppose someone with a weak conscience sees you sitting, eating a meal in the temple of an idol. Won’t he be built up wrongly to eat this food which has been sacrificed to idols? Then the weak person, the brother for whom Christ died, is ruined by your knowledge (8:10-11). It would bring spiritual disaster. In that case, a knowledge-driven believer causes the weak brother into sin by leading him into a situation he cannot handle. It is never right to cause another believer to violate his or her own conscience just so we can exercise our freedom in Messiah.

The voice of a believer’s conscience is the instrument of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. If a believer’s conscience is weak it is because he is spiritually weak and immature. The conscience is God’s guardian to keep us from doing things where we could be harmed. As we mature, our conscience allows us to go more places and to do more things because we will have more spiritual strength and better spiritual judgment. And so, when you sin against the brothers by wounding their conscience when it is weak, you are sinning against the Messiah (8:12)! Causing a brother to stumble is more than an offense against him, it is an offense against our Lord. That is a strong warning. Surely, no believer would desire to do that.²²²

Paul concludes this section with his own personal testimony: To sum up, if food will be a snare for my brother, I will never eat meat again, lest I cause my brother to stumble (8:13). Paul leaves his readers to think about this for a chapter-and-a-half; however, this is not his final word on this question, which he takes up again at 10:23. But by inserting himself into the discussion at this point, Paul leads us directly into the next chapter, which is filled with his own personal example (see Bn – Paul’s Own Example).

In deciding about whether or not to participate in any behavior that is doubtful, the following principles make a good checklist to follow:

Excess: Is the activity or habit necessary, or is it merely an extra that is not really important? Is it perhaps only an encumbrance that you should willingly give up. So then, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us, too, put aside every impediment – that is, the sin which easily hampers our forward movement – and keep running with endurance in the contest set before us (Hebrews 12:1).

Expediency: Is what I want to do helpful or useful, or only desirable? You say, “For me, everything is permitted.” Maybe, but not everything is helpful (First Corinthians 6:12).

Emulation: If we are doing what Messiah would do, our action is not only permissible, but good and right. Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Yeshua did (First John 2:6).

Example: Are we setting the right example for others, especially for weaker brothers and sisters? If we emulate Messiah, others will be able to emulate us, to follow our example. Set the believers as an example in your speech, behavior, love, trust and purity (First Timothy 4:12).

Evangelism: Is my testimony going to be helped or hindered? Will unbelievers be drawn to Messiah or turned away from Him by what I am doing? Will it help me conduct myself with wisdom towards outsiders, making the most of the opportunity (Colossians 4:5 NASB).

Edification: Will I be built up and matured in Messiah; will I become spiritually stronger? You say, “Everything is permitted.” Maybe, but not everything is edifying (First Corinthians 10:23).

Exaltation: Will the Lord be lifted up and glorified in what I do? God’s glory and exaltation should be the supreme purpose behind everything we do. Whatever you do, whether it’s eating or drinking or anything else, do it all so as to bring glory to God (First Corinthians 10:31).²²³

Let Love Control Knowledge
8: 1-6

Let love control knowledge DIG: Why did some of the Corinthians need to let love control their knowledge? What “knowledge” did the Corinthians think they had? What was the result of the “knowledge?” Although Paul did not dispute that “knowledge,” what does he mean by contrasting it with love? What caused Paul to be so intolerant of idols?

REFLECT: Have you ever been accused by a nonbeliever of doing something that a “believer is not supposed to do?” If so, how did you handle the situation? What did you learn from it? What parallels can you draw between the “eating meat offered to idols” controversy in Corinth and your own life? Are there any ethical issues that might be considered gray areas?

Love and knowledge must go together.

Smoking or eating big macs were not matters of concern in the Corinthian church. They faced other pressing issues. Namely, as they asked Paul “Are we free to eat meat sacrificed to idols?” This would be no big deal to us. After all, I can’t remember the last time I was tempted to eat an Idol Burger. But make no mistake about it – this issue not only threatened to divide the church in Corinth even further (if that were possible), but it placed at risk the fragile faith of many in that city who were saved out of a background steeped in idol worship. So, they asked Paul about it. His answer, while being rather lengthy (to see link click Bj – Concerning Our Liberty in Messiah), lays out for us a number of practical principles that will help us to navigate our lives around the gray areas that we face each and every day.

While this dispute might seem silly to us, it was anything but silly to a young, struggling church trying to survive in a culture of paganism and polytheism. We get a glimpse of what life was like in downtown Corinth by Luke’s cryptic description of Athens as a city full of idols (Acts 17:16). As Athens was . . . so was Corinth. Statues of false gods lined the streets. Temples to those idols filled the back alleys. Many, if not most, of the members of the church at Corinth were saved out of a background of idol worship. They were troubled by vivid memories of times spent in those temples, worshiping at the feet of pagan gods.²¹⁴

We know that we all have knowledge (8:1-3): Now about food sacrificed to idols. Paul begins this section with “Now about,” a phrase that was part of Paul’s typical response to the letter that the Corinthians had sent him asking for his advice on certain issues. Now about food sacrificed to idols (8:1a). The word sacrificed to idols (Greek: eidolothytos) appears to have been a Greek word coined by believers in the first century precisely because of the concern over the issue of how to handle food that had been sacrificed to idols. In a society filled with idols and pagan temples, what should a believer do?

We know that, as you say, “We all have knowledge” (8:1b). As with his, “Now about” comment above, so here also he appears to begin with a quotation from the letter written to him. It seems that some in Corinth were justifying their behavior by claiming certain knowledge, presumably the knowledge that idols, in fact, were only made with human hands and did not really represent any true reality.²¹⁵ While Paul concedes that point, he also points out that such knowledge can easily lead to pride and arrogance. Yes, that is so, but “knowledge” puffs a person up with pride; whereas love builds up (8:1c). What is far more important than knowledge is love, especially the issue of whether this love is being used to build other believers up. In other words, our love must control our knowledge.

A know-it-all attitude is only evidence of arrogance. The person who really knows the truth is only too conscious of how much he does not know. Furthermore, it is one thing to know doctrine, and quite another to know God. It is possible to grow in Bible knowledge but not grow in grace or in one’s personal relationship with God. The test is love. Love and knowledge must go together: speaking the truth in love (Eph 4:15). It has been well said, “Knowledge without love is brutality, and love without knowledge is hypocrisy.”²¹⁶

Without actually saying so, Paul raises doubts about their possession of knowledge. Because the acquisition of knowledge about spiritual things should ultimately lead to the benefit of other believers, Paul questioned whether the Corinthians really did have the knowledge they claimed. The person who thinks he “knows” something doesn’t yet know in the way he ought to know (8:2). True knowledge is not merely Bible trivia, but in living in a way that pleases ADONAI. If our knowledge doesn’t affect the way we live it is useless to us.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for Your great love. Praise You that Your love is not mere words, but You have shown Your great love by actions – by Your willingness to offer Yourself as the sin offering of the world (Second Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 2:8) suffering pain and shame (Hebrews 12:2). It is wonderful that You made the requirement to enter heaven to not be money or knowledge – but our faith (Romans 5:2) which comes from love.

You are so wise in making love to be the greatest commandment and love for others as the second greatest commandment. And He said to him: You shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Mt 22:37-40). It is easy to love You dear Father, for You are so wonderful, but sometimes it is hard to love others. May You help us remember that showing love to you includes showing love for others, not in mere words, but in actions (1 John 3:10 and 18). Thank You for Your wonderful example of love! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

However, if someone loves God, God knows him (8:3). Paul stresses that if anyone truly loves God, which inevitably also involves loving others (Matthew 22:37-40; First John 4:11 and 19-21), then that person is known by God. Such divine knowledge is a euphemism for God’s election and salvation of that person: The Lord knows His own (Second Timothy 2:19b). What an incredible privilege to be known and loved by ADONAI.²¹⁷ After these introductory remarks, Paul brings up the specific subject at hand.

We know that an idol is nothing (8:4-6): So then, Paul begins a new topic and follows this introductory phrase with we “know,” which once again suggests that the next phrase is a quotation from the Corinthian letter to him. As for eating food sacrificed to idols, we “know” that, as you say, “An idol has no real existence in the world, and there is only one God” (8:4). This phrase seems to be the basis on which some of the Corinthians were eating food sacrificed to idols, namely, that so-called “gods” simply do not exist because there is only one God.

Paul agrees with them up to a point. For even if there are so-called “gods,” either in heaven or on earth – as in fact there are “gods” and “lords” galore – (8:5). Paul knows that the world is full of “gods” and “lords” that are real rivals to the one true God and he will not dismiss them so lightly. Yes, an idol itself is only a man-made object. But behind it lies a spiritual being who rivals YHVH . . . a demon. What the Corinthians have not taken seriously is that pagan temples are the home of demonic activity and fellowshipping where they live is to fellowship with them! Later in his letter Paul will declare: So, what am I saying? That food sacrificed to idols has any significance in itself? No, what I am saying is that the things which pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice not to God but to demons (10:19-20a).

And I don’t want to become sharers with demons (10:20b). Paul didn’t have much tolerance for idols. His attitude came from his Jewish background, for after the exile in Babylon (see the commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule), God’s people lost all attraction to idols. The message of prophets like Isaiah regarding the dangers of spiritual idolatry had finally sunk in (see the commentary on Isaiah Hy – Worship the LORD, Not Idols). Paul was deeply disturbed by all the idols he saw in Athens (see the commentary on Acts Cb – An Unknown God in Athens). He praised the Thessalonian believers for turning to God from idols (1 Thess 1:9). And notice how often Paul includes idolatry in a list of serious sins (1 Cor 5:11 and 5:9; Gal 5:20; Col 3:5). Paul had no intention of letting those arrogant Corinthians, with their “sophisticated knowledge,” engage in anything that he considered sinful, dangerous, or demonic.

Before Paul gets into “the meat” of his argument (see Bm – The Weaker Brother or Sister), he cites an expanded version of what might be called the Believers Sh’ma: Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we exist. And one Lord, Yeshua the Messiah, through whom were created all things and through whom we have our being (8:6). Paul uses this confession as the foundation of his argument against the Corinthians’ behavior. Associating with the many other false “gods” and “lords,” ruptures the relationship with the one true God and Lord (see Bt – Run From Idolatry). It bars any participation in idolatry, even if it appears harmless on the surface of things, like friends gathering for a pleasant meal in an idol’s temple.²¹⁸

The Limits of our Freedom in Messiah
8: 1-13

One of the questions that the Corinthian believers asked Paul in their letter to him centered around eating food that had been offered to idols. That specific problem still exists in parts of the world for believers saved out of idolatrous religions. Even for the rest of us, however, the basic problem that confronted the Corinthians faces all of us. How far does our freedom in Messiah go in regard to behavior not specifically forbidden in Scripture? They are neither black nor white, but gray. Such issues in one age or area may not be the same as those in other times or places; but believers in every age and every place have had to deal with the gray areas of our faith.

The first major council of the early Messianic community (see the commentary on Acts, to see link click Bs – The Council at Jerusalem) was called primarily to deal with such issues. Some Jewish believers insisted that all male Gentile converts be circumcised, while others were afraid to socialize with believing Gentiles, especially over a meal, for fear they would break Jewish kosher mitzvot. Gray areas. The council decided that Gentiles didn’t need to be circumcised, but that they should abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, and from what is strangled from blood (Acts 15:20).

Our liberty in Messiah is a central truth of the B’rit Chadashah. If you obey what I say, Yeshua said, then you are really my disciples, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32). Now ADONAI is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of ADONAI is, there is freedom (Second Corinthians 3:17). It is for freedom that Messiah has set us free (Galatians 5:1 NIV). But our freedom doesn’t mean that we can do anything we want. We are never free to sin. When exercising our freedom, we need to avoid things that in themselves are not sinful, but might lead others to sin. Peter reminds us: Act as free people, but do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond-slaves for God (First Peter 2:16).

Two common extremes are often followed in regard to these gray areas. One is legalism, and the other is license. Legalism believes that every act, every habit, every type of behavior is either black or white. Legalists live by the rules (like the Pharisees), rather than the Spirit. They classify everything as either good or bad, whether the Bible mentions it or not. They develop exhaustive lists of do’s and don’ts (like the Oral Law). Doing things on their good list and avoiding things on their bad list is their idea of spirituality, no matter what the inner person looks like (like whitewashed tombs). Their lives are controlled by their lists of do’s and don’ts, not Spirit controlled. Legalism stifles freedom in Messiah, stifles the conscience, stifles the Word of God, and stifles the Ruach Ha’Kodesh.

License is the opposite extreme. It is like legalism in that it too has no gray areas – but neither does it have much black. Almost everything is white. Everything is acceptable as long as it is not strictly forbidden in Scripture. They believe that our freedom in Messiah is virtually absolute and unqualified. As long as your own conscience is free . . . you can do as you please. This seems to have been the philosophy of the group Paul addresses here. They probably agreed with him that believers should always maintain a blameless conscience before both God and men (Acts 24:16 NASB). But beyond that, they wanted no restrictions.

But Paul teaches that it can also be wrong to offend the consciences of fellow believers when they are less mature (weak), and when what we are doing is not necessarily in our service to the Lord. In answer to the specific question about eating food offered to idols, Paul gives a general and universal principle in Chapter 8, he illustrates it in 9:1 to 10:13, and then he applies it in 10:14 to 11:1. The principle is: Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble (8:9). Before we exercise our freedom in Messiah in a given area not forbidden by Scripture, we need to think about how it will affect others, especially fellow believers.²¹³

Concerning Our Freedom in Messiah
8:1 to 11:1

Ordinarily the Greeks and Romans burned the less desirable portions of an animal in the course of their sacrifices and retained the choice parts for personal consumption at pagan temple banquets celebrating the sacrifices. If a sacrifice were made in connection with a state function, the meat which remained was frequently sold in the marketplace. The Corinthians’ questions apparently concerned (1) the acceptability of buying and eating meat from one of those sacrificial animals; (2) the acceptability of eating this meat as an invited guest in a friend’s home; and (3) the acceptability of attending one of these pagan temple sacrifices and enjoying the meal of celebration which followed in the temple precincts. Paul spoke to each of these issues.²¹² As with going to prostitutes in the pagan temples (6:12-20), the Corinthians argued that they had the “right” to continue those practices. Therefore, as we shall see, although the details relate to another era of history, the underlying principles are very relevant for life in today’s world.

Reasons for Remaining Single
7: 25-40

Reasons for remaining single DIG: What is Paul’s guiding principle in verses 17, 20 and 24? How does he apply this general rule specifically to those who are single? What advice does he give on how to live in view of the “present stress?” How does his advice in this context relate to his teaching in Ephesians 5:21-32? He suggests that singleness is an opportunity they ought to consider? What reasons does he give for that?

REFLECT: Are you living by Paul’s guiding principle? How? Whatever the Corinthians crisis was, what relevance does this passage possibly have for us today? What kind of advice would Paul give us today? How has singleness or marriage helped you serve Messiah more effectively? Whether you have never been married, are currently married, divorced, or widowed, what is one way you can show your undivided devotion to the Lord this week?

A single person can serve the Lord with a single-minded devotion.

The principle of contentment is one of the most vital dynamics of joyful living in Messiah. An attitude of contentment acknowledges that ADONAI has provided me with everything I need for my present fulfillment. Contentment is the result of focusing on everything that we have with gratitude, rather than dwelling upon what we don’t have with resentment. Contented people are thankful people; discontented people tend to be embittered and angry.

The present stress (7:25-27): Paul acknowledged that he was about to embark upon a subject that Yeshua never addressed. Now the question about the unmarried: I do not have a command from the Lord, but I offer some godly advice as one who by the Lord’s mercy is worthy to be trusted (7:25). At the end of his teaching on this matter, however, Paul informs the Corinthians that he too has the Spirit of God (7:40). Thus, it becomes clear he is God’s mouthpiece. The problem in this case is that he cannot lay down a fixed, universal rule. What should be done depends on individual circumstances.²⁰⁴

I suppose that in a time of stress like the present it is good for a person to stay as he is (7:26). What was this present stress (Greek: ananke)? What is this trouble (Greek: thlipsis) in his life? Paul never uses ananke to describe an end-time phenomenon, even though there is plenty of eschatology in his letters. He uses this word either to describe a compulsion a person is under for a certain type of behavior (for example Romans 13:5; First Corinthians 9:16; Second Corinthians 9:7; Philemon 14), or to denounce some persecution or hardship connected with his ministry (for example Second Corinthians 6:4, 12:10 and First Thessalonians 3:7). Moreover, in general, Paul uses thlipsis for personal suffering and persecution (for example Romans 5:3; Second Corinthians 1:4, 6:4; First Thessalonians 1:6, 3:3 and 7). Finally, the word Paul uses for present here generally points to that which is present in contrast to what is yet to come (for example Romans 8:38; First Corinthians 3:22 and Second Thessalonians 2:2). Again, what was this time of stress?

We know from the book of Acts that Paul experienced many troubles in his ministry. Furthermore, some of his churches suffered at the hands of enemies as well (notably the church in Thessalonica in Acts 17:1-9; First Thessalonians 1:6-10 and 3:1-5). Paul knew that such pressures could easily move south to Corinth, and he was fearful that they might. And he also knew that during such times, those who were married would have a much more difficult time emotionally because of family concerns, than those who were single. Consequently, Paul recommended that people remain single. He is speaking here with the heart of a pastor, addressing the well-being of his flock (Second Corinthians 11:28-29). That means that if a man has a wife, he should not seek to be free of her; and if he is unmarried, he should not look for a wife (7:27).²⁰⁵

The problems of married life (7:28): Paul recognized that there would be married couples in Corinth reading his letter, and even though he demonstrates a strong preference for celibate singleness, he does not look down on the institution of marriage. But if you marry you do not sin, and if a girl marries, she does not sin. It is just that those who get married will have the normal problems of married life, and I would rather spare you (7:28). Of course, it is not sinful to marry. But the sea of matrimony is rough, even under the most favorable conditions.

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for being such a wonderful Husband! For your Maker is your husband – Adonai-Tzva’ot is His Name – the Holy One of Isra’el is your Redeemer. He will be called God of all the earth (Is 54:5). Marriage relationships are important, but the most loving relationship of all is having You as our husband (2 Cor 11:2). When we live our lives to please You as number one in our lives, it brings such great peace and comfort. Though the world may be swirling out of control and other circumstances and relationships are crashing around us – yet with You as our husband to whom we are united (Rom 6:5), we can rest in Your loving arms and put our problems and trials into Your hands. It is so comforting to trust You, our Father and the one we love as our husband, for You are always there to help and to guide us. Since You are my rock and my fortress, You lead me and guide me for Your Name’s sake (Ps 31:4). You are the perfect husband. In holy Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Our crises today are not exactly the same as the one faced by the Corinthians. Ours is a time of moral uncertainty, and that fact is undermining the efforts of many to build godly marriages. The failure of so many marriages, even within the church, is causing many young people to have doubts about ever getting married. With this in mind, I can imagine Paul writing to your Messianic synagogue or church and saying, “Because of the present stress and problems of the flesh, I have several bits of advice. First, don’t marry so young but take time to grow up. Second, make sure you marry the right person, someone with common interests, common goals, common values, and a common faith in God. Third, before you marry, be sure you know what marriage is, instead of using the pagan concept of ‘romantic love,’ discover all the richness of God’s ideals for marriage. Fourth, understand that it takes work to make a good marriage. The present pagan world will keep on trying to undermine your relationship. Finally, draw from all the resources of your immediate family, and your synagogue or church family for strengthening your marriage.”²⁰⁶

The passing of the world (7:29-31): What I am saying, brothers, is that there is not much time left (7:29a). When Paul uses the word time here, it is not the Greek word for chronological time (chronos), but for qualitative time or opportunity (kairos). It is not so much that Paul senses the imminent return of Messiah from heaven; rather, he knows that in the total time scheme of God’s history of salvation there is only one event left to occur, and we should live in readiness for that event.²⁰⁷

Believers are to have a totally new perspective to their relationship to the world. This perspective is given in the form of several illustrations. Taken literally, these illustrations become absurdities, not to mention contradictory, to what Paul has clearly said about marriage (7:2-6), and what he will elsewhere say about rejoicing and mourning (Romans 12:15). Therefore, these illustrations are not to be taken literally; this is hyperbole, pure and simple. The question is, “What is the point of such hyperbole?”

What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them (7:29-31a). These clauses show some similarities with both Stoicism and Jewish apocalyptic. But Paul is advocating neither the Stoic’s “aloofness” from the world, nor the apocalyptist’s “escape” from the world. What he is calling for is a radical new stance toward the world. Messiah’s death, and resurrection have changed things for us. Just as in Messiah, the slave is a free person, and the free person is a slave, we do not live “detached” from the world, but we are totally free from its control. We live our lives like everyone else – marrying, mourning, rejoicing, buying, and making use of it – but none of these determines our lives.²⁰⁸

What point is Paul making? Using hyperbole, Paul is saying that being married or single is not the crucial question. Buying things and using them is not the most important thing in life. He is saying don’t get caught up in, or distracted by, the cares and emotions of this world; for this world in its present form is passing away (7:31b). In Messiah’s death and resurrection YHVH has already determined the course of things, and this world, in its present form, has already been brought under God’s judgment. As a result, as far as your life goes, there is not much time left (7:29a). So, get busy doing the Lord’s work.

The preoccupations of marriage (7:32-35): This section is the heart and soul of Paul’s reasoning. A single person can serve the Lord with a single-minded devotion. Without a spouse and children to care for, one who is single enjoys a mobility that a married person cannot have. Those who are single should enjoy to the full the freedom that comes from not having to meet the needs of an immediate family, and should use their freedom to serve the Lord without the distraction of a family.²⁰⁹

What I want is for you to be free of concern. An unmarried man concerns himself with the Lord’s affairs, with how to please the Lord; but the married man concerns himself with the world’s affairs, with how to please his wife; and he finds himself split. Likewise, the woman who is no longer married or the girl who has never been married concerns herself with the Lord’s affairs, with how to be holy both physically and spiritually; but the married woman concerns herself with the world’s affairs, with how to please her husband. Married believers should not feel guilty about being married and single believers should not feel guilty about being single. Marriage does not prevent great devotion to the Lord, and singleness does not guarantee it. But singleness has fewer hindrances and more advantages. Lest there be any confusion about why he was explaining these things to the Corinthians, he said: I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to put restrictions on you – I am simply concerned that you live in a proper manner and serve the Lord with undivided devotion (7:32-35).

The promises of the fathers (7:36-38): Apparently some of the believers in Corinth were asking, “Should fathers arrange marriages for their daughters, or let them choose who to marry?” During biblical times, marriages were arranged, usually by the father of the bride. It seems that there were some dads in the congregation who, out of devotion to ADONAI, dedicated their daughters to the Lord’s work as single servants. Their intentions were commendable. If their daughters agreed, so much the better! However, what if the daughter, as she grew up, did not agree to remain single for her entire life? She wanted a family, a husband and children. What was a father to do? Having dedicated her to the Lord’s work, should he refuse her desire and keep her single? Or should he violate his commitment and give her away in marriage?²¹⁰

If anyone (her father) thinks he is not treating his (unmarried virgin) daughter properly, and if she is past the flower of her youth (if she is now of marriageable age), or if her passions are too strong (and she really wants to get married), and he feels she ought to marry because she didn’t possess the gift of singleness (7:7), he should not feel obligated to his previous commitment. He is not sinning. He should let her get married (7:36). But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, that is, does not change his mind about the promise, who is under no compulsion by the daughter to change his mind; but has control over his own will (and has a good and pure motive), and is deeply committed (who has made up his mind to keep his virgin daughter unmarried) – this man also does the right thing. So then, he who gives his virgin daughter in marriage does right, but he who does not give her in marriage does better (7:37-38 NIV). Once again, Paul is saying that being married or single is not the crucial question. The main thing is serving the Lord.

The permanency of marriage (7:39-40): Marriage is one of the few choices that we make in life for which there is no exit strategy except the death of a spouse, over which we have no control; or a divorce, which causes enormous heartache for everyone involved. Given that reality, singleness should be, for some, a viable option. A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives, but if the husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, provided he is a believer in the Lord (7:39). There is no doubt that a believer is to marry a believer (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Bi – Do Not be Unequally Yoked with Unbelievers). But must a Jew marry a Jew (Deuteronomy 7:3; Judges 3:6)? Only if she wishes. May a Jewish believer marry a Gentile believer (Ephesians 2:14)? Only if she wishes. She is free to marry anyone she wishes. A marriage between Jewish and Gentile believers demonstrates to all the unity of Jew and Gentile in the Body of Messiah. But if she chooses to restrict her marriage pool to other Jewish believers, she testifies to the Jewish community that she wants to preserve the Jewish people, and that Messianic Judaism does not imply assimilation (see the commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah Bo – Ezra’s Prayer about Intermarriage).²¹¹

Just like Paul’s own celibate singleness, and the value it had for dedicating service to the Lord, Paul expresses the same for the widow contemplating remarriage. However, my advice would be that she will be happier if she remains unmarried, and in saying this I think I have God’s Spirit (7:40). All this was sound advice, but only advice. Ultimately, when it comes to matters of singleness and marriage, each believer is free before God to make up his or her own mind as God leads them.

Grow Where You’re Planted
7: 17-24

Grow where you’re planted DIG: What does the principle mean? Why is it restated three times? What two conditions does Paul address? What historical factors have made it all but impossible for a Jewish believer to obey Paul’s instruction here? Why did Paul tell Gentile believers not to convert to Judaism? How were slaves treated during Paul’s day?

REFLECT: How does the principle “grow where you’re planted” have to do with you? Where have you been planted? How are you growing? How are you affecting others by your growth? Does being circumcised mean nothing to the Jews? In what sense does Paul say that it means nothing? In what sense are you a slave to Messiah? In what sense does Messiah free you?

Let each person live the life the Lord has assigned them.

The Corinthian church was made up of both Jews and Gentiles, an improbable fellowship. Paul uses it and applies it to two “conditions” – being Jewish or Gentile, and being enslaved or free, repeating at the end and in the middle of each of these encouragements not to seek unnecessary change in one’s religious or social or economic status when the time can be better spent serving the Lord.¹⁹⁴

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise You for being such a wonderful and gracious Heavenly Father – always caring and always there with Your children to help and to guide us. For God Himself has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Thank You for allowing Your children the blessing of serving You and being able to serve You in the place that You have put us in. Our heart and love is new for it is now focused on pleasing You rather than on ourselves, but our life work may, or may not, change. What is important is the heart change of love putting God first. Now You work in circumstances to give us a new way to live out our love for You. Thank You for giving us Your Ruach Ha’Kodesh to live within those who love You and to help and to guide us how to live. You call us to walk as children of love (Ephesians 5:1), children of light (Ephesians 5:8) and as wise children (Ephesians 5:15).

As we spend time in Your Word and meditate on what it says, we will have the knowledge how to walk in ways of service that please You. How wonderful that we can live a life of thankfulness to you (Ephesians 5:20; Philippians 4:6; First Thessalonians 5:18) no matter how hard the situation is. Though earthly trials seem long and hard, they are really only momentary. For I consider the sufferings of this present time not worthy to be compared with the coming glory to be revealed to us (Romans 8:18). Eternal joy and peace (Revelation 21:1-4) awaits Your children. You are a wonderful father and it is a delight to serve You always! In Your holy Son’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

The principle established (7:17): Only let each person live the life the Lord has assigned him, whether single or married, and let him live it in the condition he was in when God called (Greek: kekleken, in the perfect tense hints at the continuing effects of that call) him (7:17a). Paul repeats this principle in 7:20: Each person should remain in the condition he was in when he was called, and like bookends, he repeated it for a third time in 7:24: Brothers, let each one remain with God in the condition in which he was called. I think Paul was trying to tell us something! Then, to make sure that the Corinthians realized he was not treating them any differently from what he expected from any of the other churches he had started, Paul went on to say: This is the rule I lay down in all the congregations (7:17b). One gets the feeling that some in Corinth may have been charging Paul with treating them differently from, or perhaps more harshly than, his other churches.¹⁹⁵

To be, or not to be Jewish (7:18-20): Those in the church at Corinth who were Jewish when they received Messiah wondered if they needed to stop being Jewish in order to follow Yeshua. Paul assured his Jewish readers that that wasn’t the case, saying: Was someone already circumcised when he was called, that is, a Jewish believer? Then he should not try to remove the marks of his circumcision (7:18a). This had both a symbolic and a literal meaning.

First, literally, this had a very specific application. Circumcision was an embarrassment in the Roman world. According to the Maccabees, some Jewish men “made themselves uncircumcised.” Josephus tells us that during the Greek rule of the eastern Mediterranean several centuries before Messiah, some Jewish men who wanted to be accepted into Greek society had surgery performed to make themselves appear uncircumcised when they bathed or exercised in the gymnasiums. They literally became uncircumcised surgically. The Roman encyclopedist Celsus, in the first century AD, wrote a detailed description of the surgical procedure for decircumcision (De Medicina VII. 25).¹⁹⁶

Secondly, symbolically, we can reasonably infer that Paul meant that Jews should not try to assimilate into Gentile, or so-called “Christian” culture, but should remain strictly Messianic. Paul drew the principle that he opposed Jewish believers removing the mark of circumcision, most likely using an example from the Maccabean crisis of the Second Century AD (First Maccabees 1:11-15; and allusions to the phenomenon in the Assumption of Moses 8:3 and in Avot 3:11), and how it would it would lead to Jewish apostasy away from ADONAI. Why some Jewish believers may have thought circumcision was unnecessary is because Paul opposed Gentile circumcision (Galatians 5:11).

Curiously, when a Jew come to believe that a fellow Jew, Yeshua, is the Jewish Messiah promised in the Jewish Scriptures, today’s Jewish community considers it the very essence of assimilation into the Gentile world. Yet here is a verse from one of the books of the B’rit Chadashah that strongly discourages a Messianic Jew from assimilating. These conflicting views result from five historical factors which have made it all but impossible for a Jewish believer to obey Paul’s instruction.

First, since B’rit Chadashah times, a Jew who acknowledges Yeshua as the Messiah has usually been excommunicated by his own Jewish people, or at best regarded with suspicion; so that even if he wants to follow Jewish customs, participate in the Jewish festivals, and remain loyal to his Jewish roots, it isn’t easy for him to do so in isolation.

Second, no longer welcomed in the Jewish community, he goes to a church. But there, even though Jews and Gentiles are equal in God’s sight, Gentiles are the vast majority. He finds himself a lone Jew in a sea of Gentiles, vastly outnumbered, with few or no other Jewish believers to support him in his efforts to preserve his Jewishness. Most Gentile believers are generally oblivious to this challenge and wonder why Jews aren’t just happy in church, asking such questions as, “Why would you want to go back under the Law!”

Third, the Church has usually maintained a mistaken view of conversion. Instead of understanding that a Jewish believer converts from sin to righteousness (the same as a Gentile believer), it is thought he converts from Judaism to Christianity. By the fourth century AD the Roman Catholic Church was requiring Jewish believers to sign documents in which they had to agree to stop following Jewish customs or associating with unsaved Jews. Further, since the Roman Church decreed this view, it was not surprising that the Jewish community used it as evidence that a Jewish believer was no longer Jewish. If this was true (which it was, and is not), then it would be appropriate to urge Jewish believers to eliminate all of their Jewish practices. But this was, and is not true, showing that the first Jewish believers remained fully Jewish, and encouraging today’s Jewish believers to do the same.

Fourth, the Church has misunderstood the B’rit Chadashah’s teaching about the unity of Jews and Gentiles in the Messianic Community (12:13) and therefore misused it to force Messianic Jews to assimilate. Members of every other ethnic group are encouraged to maintain their culture and express their faith within it. But when a Messianic Jew does so, he may be accused of “legalizing” (Romans 6:14), “Judaizing” (Galatians 2:14), and “raising the middle wall of partition” (Ephesians 2:11-16).

Fifth and last, it cannot be denied that some Jewish believers have had a measure of self-hate (although this unfortunate phenomenon is also found among non-Messianic Jews). In their desire to be accepted by their new Gentile friends in the Church they may have said or done things that depreciate Judaism or Jewishness. On the one hand, Judaism’s failure to recognize Yeshua as the Messiah is a sin of grievous dimension. On the other hand, no Messianic Jew should ingratiate himself with Gentile Christians by appealing to antisemitic impulses. Jewish self-hate is simply not a concomitant of the gospel.

The challenge for today’s Messianic Jews is to establish, despite these factors, a Messianic synagogues in which they can express fully their ties with both Messianic Jews and believing Gentiles in the Lord since the dividing wall of hostility which divided us has been broken down (Ephesians 2:14).¹⁹⁷

Was someone uncircumcised when he was called, that is, a Gentile believer? He shouldn’t undergo circumcision (7:18b). That is, a Gentile believer shouldn’t convert to Judaism and be circumcised. This does not speak of a Gentile believer who wants to give up his faith in Yeshua and convert to non-Messianic Judaism – of course, Paul would never approve of that. Rather, he says that Gentile believers should not undergo conversion to Judaism while retaining their faith in Yeshua because at the time of Paul’s writing there was a strong Judaizing movement (see the commentary on Galatians, to see link click Ag – Who Were the Judaizers), but he does not deal with that corrupt teaching here. He is basically saying that for believing Gentiles to convert to Judaism was unnecessary. There were more important things to do, namely, serving the Lord.

Being circumcised means nothing, and being uncircumcised means nothing. By themselves, out of context, these words are a slap in the face of Judaism, in which circumcision confirms a man’s and a woman’s membership in God’s people under the covenant with Abraham (see the commentary on Genesis En – For Generations to Come Every Male Who is Eight Days Old Must be Circumcised). This verse does not teach that Jews should give up their Jewishness. Many Jewish believers of the past have assimilated their way into the Gentile church and stopped circumcising their sons, remembered the Sabbath or appointed times, or ate kosher. It is absolutely appropriate for Jewish believers to oppose this sort of assimilation. Also, it is quite clear that God has a special, national, calling for Isra’el, “For all Isra’el will be saved” (Romans 11:29).¹⁹⁸

But in the Corinthian context, Paul is talking about an individual calling to salvation. And in that regard, Jews and Gentiles have an equal standing before ADONAI (Romans 3:22-23 and 29-30; First Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 2:13, 3:28, 5:6 and 6:15; Colossians 3:11). Ethnic ties, cultural expressions, customs and social or religious status have no bearing in individual salvation; in this regard, being Jewish or Gentile means nothing. However, what does mean something is keeping God’s commandments (7:19b). The entire Torah is summed up in a single command, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14).¹⁹⁹

And repeating for the third time: Each person should remain in the condition he was in when he was called (7:20). It is important to remember that Paul didn’t suggest that we should never change our status. He said that we should remain as we are, in relationships and service, until ADONAI assigns us new tasks.²⁰⁰

To be, or not to be a slave (17:21-24): Paul now moves to his second example, this time concerning slaves. His point is not to approve of slavery or to suggest that it is as good a condition to live under as freedom. His point is that, if a person is a slave, he is still able to serve the Lord. No circumstance, no matter how terrible, painful, or unjust, can keep us from being salt and light in the world (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Df – You are the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World). A slave can, in fact, serve Messiah through his slavery (Ephesians 6:5-8). Paul consistently taught that principle. Slaves were to serve their masters honestly and sincerely: Whatever work you do, put yourself into it, as those who are serving not merely other people, but the Lord (Colossians 3:23). Slaves had a unique opportunity to testify for the Lord. They were to show their human masters that they worked hard and honestly, not because they were forced to, but because they wanted to, out of love for and their obedience to their true Master and Lord. They could demonstrate true contentment and peace in the midst of slavery, thus showing the inner provision of salvation.

The book of Philemon centers around the runaway slave Onesimus, whom Paul had led to Messiah while in prison (Philemon 10). As it happens, Onesimus’s owner was a believer. He was Paul’s beloved brother and fellow worker and the church in Colossae met in his home (Philemon 1-2). The apostle makes a strong personal and spiritual appeal for Philemon to forgive Onesimus and to take him back, not just as a slave, but as a brother in Messiah (Philemon 16). Yet, as sticky as it is for some social activists today, Paul did not condemn slavery or question Philemon’s legal rights over his slave. He did not ask for social justice for Onesimus. In fact, he even used slavery as an analogy for the believer’s walk with God.

In the Roman empire of Paul’s time, around fifty percent of the population were slaves. But unlike most slaves throughout history, the slave of that day often was better educated, more skilled, and more literate and cultured than the average free person. A large percentage of the doctors, teachers, accountants, and other professionals were slaves. Many of them lived in relative ease and were treated with respect. Others, of course, lived in constant poverty and humiliation under cruel and merciless masters.

Paul made no distinction. Were you a slave when you were called? Any slave, in any circumstance, was to be willing to remain as he or she was. Only sin can keep us from obeying and serving the Lord . . . circumstance cannot. Therefore, if we are in a difficult, uncomfortable, and restricting situation, don’t let it bother you, but be determined to be faithful as long as the Lord leaves you there (7:21a). However, even having affirmed that principle, Paul makes it clear that he did not consider slavery to be the most desirable condition: Although if you can gain your freedom, take advantage of the opportunity (7:21b). Freedom is immeasurably better than slavery, and believers are not more spiritual for staying in slavery. If a believer had the opportunity to become free, as did many slaves in B’rit Chadashah times, a believer should take advantage of it. Paul was content to be in jail and to serve the Lord as long as he was jailed. He carried on much of his ministry from a jail cell. But when he was freed, he left jail. If a slave who was a believer had the opportunity to become free, he should take advantage of the opportunity.²⁰¹

Now Paul uses a “reverse thinking” that is similar to Ephesians 6:5-9 and Colossians 3:22 to 4:1, where he likewise deals with slavery. Slaves should indeed be obedient to their masters, but they should also realize that in the Lord, they have an inner freedom that no one can take away. For a person who was a slave when he was called is the Lord’s freedman. Similarly, a slave owner should realize that, even though he may be able to command other people, in the eyes of the Lord, he himself is a slave. Likewise, someone who was a free man when he was called is a slave of the Messiah (7:22). We belong to another, Messiah, who is Lord.

It is perhaps for this reason that Paul reiterates here what he said in 6:20. You were bought at a price, so do not become slaves of other people (7:23). That is, we are owned by Someone who has with His blood paid the purchase price for us, namely, Yeshua Messiah. The statement, do not become slaves of other people, perhaps reflects the situation brewing in Galatia, where Paul considers that those who, after becoming believers, were being tempted into submitting themselves to all the 613 commandments of the Torah, were, in fact, submitting themselves to a new form of slavery. Therefore, he wrote to those Galatian churches: It is for freedom that Messiah has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).²⁰²

For the third time Paul gives the principle: Brothers, let each one remain with God in the condition in which he was called (7:24). However, it is that we have been called (saved), and in whatever condition we are now in, we should be willing to remain. ADONAI allows us to be where we are and to stay where we are for a purpose. Conversion is not the signal for us to leave our social condition, our marriage, or singleness, our boss, or other circumstances. We are to leave sin and anything that encourages sin; but otherwise, we are to grow where you’re planted until God moves us.

There is the story of the pastor who was out eating dinner at a restaurant, when a woman recognized him and came over to his table. She said, “I feel like I should go into the ministry.” He asked her, “Are you married?” She said that she was. “How many children do you have?” She answered that she had five children. He said, “That’s wonderful. God has indeed called you into the ministry, and He has already given you your congregation!”²⁰³

A Biblical View of Divorce
7: 10-16

A biblical view of divorce DIG: What does the Bible say were biblical grounds for divorce? Some rabbis allowed divorce for nearly any reason a husband wanted it? What was their casual attitude towards divorce promoting? How were they misusing Moses’ allowance for divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1)? What inner quality is Yeshua seeking instead? What are the legitimate grounds for divorce? Is divorce the unforgivable sin? Does divorce cause a person to lose their salvation? What are the consequences of divorce in this life and the next? What are the two choices for an illegitimate divorce among believers?

REFLECT: In today’s contemporary society (even Jewish culture), how easy is it to get a divorce? How can you apply the principles of marriage stressed here? Do you think the Lord would give the same response to someone in a troubled marriage that asked sincerely, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?” Why or why not? What do you need to work on to have the marriage God desires? When divorce does occur, what hope does Yeshua offer someone? What steps can you take to give yourself the best chance possible of never being divorced?

Apparently some of the believers in Corinth were asking, “If I am divorced, can I get remarried?”
And, “What should I do if I am married to an unbeliever?”

Guidelines for believers married to other believers (7:10-11): To those who are married I have a command, and it is not from me but from the Lord (7:10a): In case there be any doubt as to the source of the teaching here, the apostle adds: It is not from me but from the Lord. Yeshua taught the truth during His earthly ministry. Quoting from Genesis 2:24, Yeshua said: This is why a man is to leave his father and mother and stick with his wife, and they are to be one flesh, and then He added: Thus, they are no longer two, but one. So then, no one should split apart what God has joined together (see the commentary on The Life of Christ, to see link click Ij – Is It Lawful for a Man to Divorce His Wife?). In answer to the apostles’ question, Yeshua explained that God allowed Moshe to permit divorce only because of His peoples’ hardness of heart, and that it was permissible only in the case of adultery (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Dj – It Has Been Said: Do Not Divorce).

Paul first stated the general policy to be followed: A woman is not to separate herself from her husband. But if she does separate herself. This is the second best advice – “Don’t do this! But if you do, then proceed as follows . . . “ she is to remain single or be reconciled with her husband. He followed this with similar instructions to men: A husband is not to leave his wife (7:10b-11). The terms separate and divorce were not distinguished in Paul’s day as they are in many churches today. To separate was to divorce. If a believer does divorce another believer, except for adultery, neither partner is free to marry again. For cases of illegitimate divorces, the inspired apostle offered two choices: They need to stay single or reconcile with their former spouse. In God’s eyes the union had never been broken.¹⁸⁸

These are not a counselor’s suggestions, but the Lord’s commands.

In a culture in which divorce has become something of a norm, this text has understandably become a bone of considerable contention. Some find Paul and Yeshua too harsh and try to find ways around the plain sense of the text. Others turn the text into law and make divorce the worst of all sins under heaven. Neither of these seems an appropriate response. On the one hand, there is little question that both Paul and Yeshua disallowed divorce between two believers, especially when it served as grounds for remarriage.

One the other hand, Paul does not raise this norm to a law. Divorce may happen, and such a person is not to be ostracized from the church. But what was not allowed was remarriage, both because for him that presupposes the teaching of Yeshua that such is adultery and because in the church reconciliation is the norm. If the believing husband and wife cannot be reconciled to each other, how then can they expect to become models of reconciliation before a fractured and broken world.¹⁸⁹

I hate divorce, God declared through His prophet (Malachi 2:16). You don’t need a PhD in clinical psychology to understand why. No one comes through a divorce unscarred – not the husband, not the wife, nor the children. The collateral damage from every divorce is incalculable. Divorce not only destroys families; divorce tears at the very fabric of society. When God designed marriage and created the family, He did so with the intention that marriages would last a lifetime.

That being said, divorces do happen. When they do, it is incumbent upon a church to become a hospital for wounded souls, who lavish upon a repentant divorcee the love and support they need in order to rebuild their life. Divorce is not the scarlet sin (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Em – Whoever Blasphemes Against the Holy Spirit Will Never Be Forgiven). Divorced individuals should not be ostracized, degraded, or made to feel as though they are second class believers. God forgives divorce. So should we.¹⁹⁰

Dear Heavenly Father, Praise Your love that is so deep that when there is a repentant heart – no sin is unforgivable. The unforgivable sin, blasphemy against the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, means the heart is not repentant for it is not sorry but is full of pride and not listening to the Ruach Ha’Kodesh. How wonderful that when the heart grieves in a godly way, there is repentance that leads to salvation and desires to be done with sin. For the grief that God wills brings a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret. But the world’s grief brings death.  For see what this very thing- this grieving that God wills – has brought you! What diligence, what defense, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what rendering of justice! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter (Second Corinthians 7:10-11).

When someone in holiness fears to offend You, Lord, then their repentance opens the door for You to forgive them- no matter what has been done. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy for those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so Adonai has compassion on those who fear Him (Ps 103 11-13). Thank You for being such a compassionate, loving and forgiving Heavenly Father. In Yeshua’s name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Guidelines for believers married to unbelievers who want to stay married (7:12-14): Yeshua, in the course of His ministry, had never addressed this issue. But Paul, with no less authority did. With two sets of perfectly balanced sentences, he says that believers are not to initiate divorce proceedings: To the rest I say – I, not the Lord: if any brother has a wife who is not a believer, and she is satisfied to go on living with him, he should not leave her. Also, if any woman has an unbelieving husband who is satisfied to go on living with her, she is not to leave him (7:12-13). While Paul does not reflect on this here, it certainly must have been difficult for a woman in Corinth to stand out alone in a marriage and to accept Yeshua Messiah as her Lord and Savior. In most cases in Greco-Roman society, the religion of the father in the family was the religion of the whole household (Acts 16:33-34). Undoubtedly, then, for a wife to go against the religion of the household and become a believer must have, in some cases at least, led to intense friction in the home.¹⁹¹

Believers married to unbelievers were not to worry that they, themselves, their marriage, or their children would be defiled by the unbelieving spouse. On the contrary, just the opposite is true. Divorce was to be avoided because the believing spouse was, and is, a channel of God’s grace in the marriage. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Being unequally yoked (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Bi – Do Not Be Unequally Yoked with Unbelievers), one flesh with an unbeliever, can be frustrating, discouraging, and even costly. But it need not be defiling because one believer can sanctify a home. Sanctified here refers to being set apart. Sanctification in this context is matrimonial and familial, not personal or spiritual.

Furthermore, God looks on the family as a unit. Even if it is divided spiritually, and most of its members are unbelieving and immoral, the entire family is sanctified by the believer among them. Therefore, if an unbelieving spouse is willing to stay, the believer is not to seek a divorce. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy (7:14 NIV). Just the presence of one believer will protect the children. It is not that their salvation is assured, but that they are protected from undue spiritual harm and that they will receive spiritual blessing because they share the spiritual benefits of the believing parent. Often the testimony of the believing parent in this situation is especially effective, because the children see a clear contrast to the unbelieving parent’s life, and that leads them to salvation.¹⁹²

Guidelines for believers married to unbelievers who want to leave (7:15-16): Paul now moves to the next step; there is an exception to the rule of no divorce. But if the unbelieving spouse leaves (Greek: chorizo, meaning separate), let him leave. In keeping with the whole argument, Paul once more qualifies the ideal with an exception. The believer may not pursue divorce, but if the pagan wants to leave, let them do so. This verse does not say, “If the pagan begins divorce proceedings.” Words mean something, and chorizo simply means to separate, or to leave. If a wife had to rely on a vindictive fleeing pagan husband to begin divorce proceeding, she would be left in a state of slavery. Her only crime was faith in Messiah. However, in circumstances like these, the brother or sister is not enslaved, and is able to divorce and remarry. God has called you to a life of peace, not slavery (7:15).

Marriage was not designed for an evangelistic tool. Missionary dating is a bad idea; and missionary marriages are bad if the unbelieving spouse leaves. Far too many young brides or grooms have been led away from Messiah as a result of the influence of the unbelieving spouse. For the wife has no assurance that she will save her husband, and the husband has no assurance that he will save his wife (7:16)? To cling to a marriage in which the pagan is determined to end would inevitably lead to frustration and tension. The certain strain is not justified by the uncertain result. The guiding principle must be peace.¹⁹³

To Marry or Not to Marry
7: 1-9

To marry or not to marry DIG: What were the circumstances in Corinth at the time Paul wrote? Why are those circumstances so important to understanding almost everything that he wrote in this chapter? What did Paul advise for unmarried believers? Why should married couples maintain a sexual relationship? What does the issue of celibacy especially impact the contemporary Messianic community? What are the advantages of remaining single?

REFLECT: Have you seen baby believers (perhaps yourself at one time) make crazy changes in their lives based on their new-found “freedom” in Messiah? What problems can that cause, which could have been avoided by applying Paul’s principles here? When is pursuing a change in circumstances appropriate? How do you view single people? With compassion? With sympathy? With disappointment? With awe? What gift has ADONAI given to you?

Apparently believers in Corinth asked if celibacy within marriage was appropriate.

As with their many other problems, much of their marital trouble in the church at Corinth reflected the pagan and morally corrupt society in which they lived. As has been said many times, the problem wasn’t that the church was in Corinth, the problem was that Corinth was in the church. Their society tolerated sex outside of marriage, adultery, homosexuality and polygamy. Nevertheless, ADONAI saved a number of Corinthians out of that lifestyle of sexual impurity. Sadly, some had dragged their past sins into the church.

Celibacy is good (7:1): Now to deal with the questions you wrote about: “Is it good for a man not to touch a woman (7:1 NASB)?” To touch a woman was a common Jewish euphemism for sexual intercourse. The phrase is used in that sense in passages such as Genesis 20:6; Ruth 2:9 and Proverbs 6:28-29. In other words, Paul was saying, “It is a good thing for believers to be single and not married.” He does not say, however, that singleness is the only good condition, or that marriage is in any way wrong or inferior to singleness. He says only that singleness, as long as it is celibate, can be good.

ADONAI Himself declared at creation that it isn’t good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a companion suitable for helping him (Genesis 2:18). Everyone needs companionship and God ordained marriage to be, among other things, the most fulfilling and common means of companionship. YHVH allowed for singleness and did not require marriage for everyone in the Dispensation of Torah; however, Jewish tradition not only looked on marriage as the ideal state, but looked on singleness as disobedience of the LORD’s command to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth (Genesis 1:28 NASB).

It is possible that, as a result of this, some of the Jewish believers in Corinth were pressuring single Gentile believers to become married. Some of the Gentiles, on the other hand, perhaps because of past experiences they had had, were inclined to remain single. As the Jews had done with marriage, those Gentiles, reacting to the sexual nature of their past, come to look on celibacy not only as the ideal state but the only truly godly state as well. Paul acknowledges that singleness is good and honorable. But he does not support the claim that it is a more spiritual state, or that it is more acceptable to God than marriage.¹⁷⁹

Celibacy is tempting (7:2): Well, because of the danger of sexual immorality, let each man have his own wife and each woman her own husband (7:2). This did not mean that every Corinthian believer was immoral, although many of them were. Paul was speaking of the danger of sexual immorality for those who were single. Sexual temptation goes beyond physical desire; there is a spiritual component to it. Satan understands how powerful the urge to impurity can be, and he exploits it as a human weakness.¹⁸⁰ Because of the immoral society in which they lived, where sexual liberty was feely practiced and glorified, it would be a great temptation for single believers, as it is today.

However, marriage cannot simply be reduced as God’s escape valve for sex drive. Paul does not suggest that believers should go out and find another believer to marry only to keep from getting into moral sin. He had a much higher view of marriage than that (Ephesians 5:22-23). His purpose here was to stress the reality of the sexual temptations of singleness and to acknowledge that they had a legitimate outlet in marriage. Although celibacy is good, it’s not superior to marriage, and it has dangers and temptations that marriage doesn’t have.¹⁸¹

Dear Heavenly Father, Marriage is often thought of as The place to find love, but Your love for Your children is the best. See how glorious a love the Father has given us, that we should be called God’s children – and so we are (First John 3:1)! How awesome that Your perfect love is always with Your children. For God Himself has said: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). It is so wonderful to know that when we run to You for help – You know all about the situation before we say a word about it, and You are mighty to work it all out. You are familiar with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, ADONAI, You know all about it (Psalms 139:3b-4). Praise You for Your great love that surpasses knowledge. May You have strength to grasp with all the kedoshim what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Messiah which surpasses knowledge (Ephesians 3:18-19).

Everyone longs for deep love and often looks to marriage to find love, but it is Your love that is so deep and long-lasting. For your Maker is your husband – ADONAI-Tzva’ot is His Name -the Holy One of Isra’el is your Redeemer. He will be called God of all the earth (Isaiah 54:5). How wonderful that Your love is not a long distance away, but You live within all who love You. Yeshua answered and said to him: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him (John 14:23). No matter how good the earthly marriage is – Your love is so much better and deeper and richer than any human marriage ever could be. Thank You for Your wonderful eternal love! In Yeshua’s holy name and power of His resurrection. Amen

Celibacy is wrong for people who are married (7:3-5): Evidently, some of the Corinthians were practicing celibacy within their marriage and had asked if it was appropriate, to which Paul responded with an emphatic, “No! Celibacy is not more spiritual than marriage.” Extremes spawn extremes, so where extreme excess flourishes, one often finds extreme self-denial as a reaction. Paul warned his readers that the husband should give his wife what she is entitled to in the marriage relationship, and the wife should do the same for her husband (7:3). Paul made it clear that physical relations within marriage are not simply a privilege and a pleasure, but a responsibility. Husbands and wives have a duty to give sexual satisfaction to each other, lest the Adversary take advantage of their human weakness. There is no distinction between men and women. The husband has no more rights in this regard than the wife.

Then Paul reinforces the mutuality of the obligation. The wife is not in charge of her own body, but her husband is; likewise, the husband is not in charge of his own body, but his wife is. One aspect of selfless love that makes for a good marriage involves one marriage partner giving more of himself or herself sexually to his or her mate in recognition of, and with a desire to meet, those needs. When a husband or wife willingly deprives his or her spouse of having that need met, he or she opens the other up to satanic temptation. Thus: Do not deprive each other, except for a limited time, by mutual agreement, and then only so as to have extra time for prayer; but afterwards, come together again. Otherwise, because of your lack of self-control, you may succumb to the Adversary’s temptation (7:4-5).¹⁸² The length of time for physical separation and the specific need and purpose of the prayer should be agreed on in advance.

Celibacy is a gift (7:6-7): Commenting on what he had just said, Paul continues: I am giving you this as a suggestion (Greek: sungnome, meaning to think the same as someone, to have a joint opinion, a common mind or understanding), not as a command (7:6). This refers back to what he had been saying up to this point. Paul was aware of the goodness of being single and celibate, yet also aware of the privileges and responsibilities of marriage. His comments were not meant as a command for every believer to be married. Marriage was instituted by God and is the norm for man-woman relationships, and it is a great blessing to mankind. But it is not required for believers or for anyone else. His point was, and is: If you are single that is good, and if you are married or get married, stay married and retain normal marital relations, for that is for God. Spirituality is not determined by marital status.¹⁸³

Actually, I wish everyone were like me (7:7a). It’s as if Paul was saying, “I wish that everyone were as little distracted by wayward sexual impulses as I am. Then they would have self-control and would be able to devote themselves fully to the Lord’s work with undivided attention. However, I realize that such a tendency cannot be willed into being, but is a gift from God, which is not given to everyone.¹⁸⁴

This chapter makes it clear that Paul was not married at the time he wrote this letter, but we know that he had been married at some point (8:7). Jewish men were required to be married and bear children (Mishnah, Yevamot 6:6). Within the Jewish theological tradition, it can be easily seen how celibacy was greatly frowned upon. Rabbi Eleazar said, “Any man who has no wife is not a proper man” (Talmud, Yevamot 63a), while Raba Ishmael taught that God watches a man to see when he will marry; then “As soon as one attains twenty and has not married, He exclaims, “Blasted be his bones” (Talmud, Kiddushin 29b).

But those who have not received the gift of singleness should not try to remain unmarried. Each has his own gift from God, one this, another that (7:7b). Our purpose should be to discover the gifts that ADONAI has given us and to use those gifts faithfully and joyfully in His service, without either envying or finding fault with the gifts we do not have. Celibacy, just as much as marriage, is a gift from God.¹⁸⁵

Celibacy among contemporary Messianic congregations: On the whole, today’s Messianic people – with various roots in both Judaism and evangelical Protestant Christianity – do not know what to do with the large number of young men and women in their twenties, thirties, and forties, who are unmarried, often for legitimate reasons beyond their control. Many, for whatever reason, will either subconsciously or even consciously, mix spiritual maturity and marital status in their minds – meaning that the ideal spiritual setting for someone is being married with several children. When a young man or woman approaches his or her late twenties unmarried, then it is often thought that such an individual is probably spiritually deficient, and likely also selfish and self-serving.

In a relatively new and small faith community such as the Messianic movement, we should recognize that with our size being what it is, that it will be difficult for many young men and women to find a suitable spouse – at least for an extended season. Rather than shunning such people as being spiritually immature or unfit for service within the Kingdom of God, a review of the legitimate and blessed biblical option of celibacy, should be in order.¹⁸⁶

Celibacy is not for everyone (7:8-9): Apparently, some of the Corinthians who had been married and divorced before being saved were asking if they could remarry. No doubt this was a key question in the Corinthian church. Paul’s response here is uniquely crafted for those who wanted to know their options. Now to the single people (Greek: agamos, meaning married with a negative prefix a) and the widows (Greek: chera) I say that it is fine if they remain unmarried like me (7:8). By that statement Paul affirms that he had formerly been married because marriage was required for membership in the Great Sanhedrin (Acts 26:10). He was probably a widower. The point is that those who were single when saved should know that it was good for them to stay that way. There was no need to rush into marriage.

One of the most beautiful stories associated with Yeshua’s birth and infancy is that of Anna (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Au – Jesus Presented in the Temple). When Joseph and Mary brought the baby Yeshua to the Temple to present Him to ADONAI and to offer a sacrifice, the prophetess Anna recognized Yeshua as the Messiah. Much as Simeon had done a short while before. Her husband had lived only seven years after their marriage, and she had remained a widow ever since. At the age of 84 she was still faithfully serving Ha’Shem night and day in His Temple. She did not look on her lot in life as inferior and certainly not as meaningless. She had the gift of singleness and used it joyfully for YHVH.

But if they can’t exercise self-control, they should get married (Greek: gamesatosan, in the aorist imperative, indicating a strong command). A person cannot live a happy life, much less serve the Lord, if he or she is continually burning with sexual desire – even if it never results in actual immorality. And in a society such as Corinth’s, or ours, in which immorality is so prevalent and accepted, it is especially difficult not to fall into temptation. I believe that once a couple decides to get married, they should do it fairly soon. In the day of lowered standards, free expression, and constant suggestiveness, it’s extremely difficult to stay sexually pure. So, it is better to get married than to keep burning with sexual desire (7:9). The practical problems of arranging for an early marriage are not nearly as serious as the danger of starting a marriage with immorality.

Deciding about marriage is obviously more difficult for the person who had strong sexual desires, but who has no immediate prospect for a husband or wife. It is never, I repeat, NEVER, God’s will for believers to marry unbelievers (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Bi – Do Not be Unequally Yoked with Unbelievers), but neither is it right to just marry the first believer who will say yes. Although we very much want to be married, we should be careful. Strong feelings of any sort tend to dull judgment and make one vulnerable and careless.

There are several things the believers in this dilemma should do:

First, they should not simply seek to be married, but should seek a person they can love, trust, and respect, letting marriage come as a response to that commitment of love. People who simply want to get married for the sake of getting married run a great risk of marrying the wrong person. If possible, marry your best friend. Believe me, you will need that friendship, trust and commitment when the hard times come. And they will.

Secondly, it’s fine and normal to be on the lookout for the “right person,” but the best way to find the right person is to be the right person. If believers are right with God and it is His will for them to be married, He will send the right person – and never to late. One caution, the Adversary will oftentimes send his “best” before the Lord sends His “best.” You must rely on the Ruach Ha’Kodesh for wisdom and discernment because the Adversary himself masquerades as an angel of light (Second Corinthians 11:14).

Thirdly, until the right person is found, our energy should be directed in ways that will be the most helpful in keeping our minds off temptation. Two of the best ways are using your spiritual gifts to serve the Lord, and physical exercise. We should avoid listening to, looking at, or being touched by anything that is tempting. Program your mind to focus only on what is good and helpful. We should take special care to follow Paul’s instruction to the Philippians, “In conclusion, brothers, focus your thoughts on what is true, noble, righteous, pure, lovable or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8).

Fourthly, we should recognize that, until God gives us the right person, He will provide the strength to resist temptation. No temptation has seized you beyond what people normally experience, and God can be trusted not to allow you to be tempted beyond what you can bear. On the contrary, along with the temptation He will also provide the way out, so that you will be able to endure (10:13).¹⁸⁷

Fifthly, and most importantly, pray you would be filled with the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, and ask for wisdom and guidance every day.

Concerning Marriage
7: 1-40

As we study this chapter, it is important to keep in mind that Paul is replying to a series of definite questions. He is not spelling out a complete “theology of marriage” in one chapter. It is necessary to consider as well what the rest of the Bible has to say about this important subject. Paul, under the inspiration of the Ruach Ha’Kodesh, had to answer questions that Yeshua never discussed; but when a question arose that the Lord had dealt with, Paul referred to His words (Matthew 5:31-32, 19:1-12; Mark 10:1-12; Luke 16:18).¹⁷⁵

The church in Corinth had unmarried couples living together. It also had those who had multiple marriages and divorces. Not only that, but some believers had gotten the idea that being single and celibate was more spiritual than being married, and they rejected marriage entirely. Perhaps some were teaching that sex was “unspiritual” and should be forsaken altogether. The situation was difficult and perplexing even for mature believers. However, for the baby believers, it was especially confusing. The great question was, “What do we do now that we are believers but not married? Get married? Have one move out? Should we become, or remain, single? What should one do if married to an unbeliever? Get a divorce? Or stay married? The chaos of marital possibilities posed many questions.¹⁷⁶

In evaluating Paul’s teaching here, one must keep in mind the circumstances in which he wrote, especially these three points. First, the Corinthian church had emerged from a wildly pagan background and even at the time of this letter was not fully able to control its impulses toward sexual license. Second, Paul tailored his remarks to his audience, who were still spiritual babies (3:1). That meant that he had to provide clear-cut guidelines since he could not count on their spiritual discernment to know what to do in each individual case. It’s risky to entrust babies with decisions beyond their capacity. Third, and most importantly, the whole tone of the letter has an underlying sense of urgency: What I am saying, brothers, is that there is not much time left (7:29a). The situation in Corinth was deteriorating rapidly as a result of the teaching of the false apostles (see the commentary on Second Corinthians Af – The Problem of the False Teachers).¹⁷⁷

Something had to be done . . . and quickly.

So, it is important to understand that Paul was writing a letter, not a handbook on how to have a happy marriage. As a result, his letter sounds much more conversational in tone than a tightly outlined book manuscript. In some places Paul seems to go off on tangents. In others, he begins a topic, sets it aside while addressing another, and then returns to the earlier one. In other words, he wrote it as he might speak if we were meeting him for coffee at Starbucks. We’ll discuss each section of this chapter in chronological order, keeping in mind that we might find ourselves dancing to the drumbeat to which Paul wrote.¹⁷⁸