Paul offers another example to undergird his admonition against idol-food – that of the athlete’s sacrificial self-restraint to win a prize. The Corinthians loved sports. The familiar image of the athlete’s intense training program would serve to remind the Corinthians of the difficulty of their Christian commitment – that the Christian life involves limitation as well as the enjoyment of freedom. In essence he is telling the Christians that if they fail to exercise self-control by continuing in their wonton idolatrous practices, their faith would end up fruitless. The illustration of the possibility of a disqualified athlete also serves as a transition to the warning in the example of Israel in the next section (chapter 10 vss. 1-13), which together with the verses at the end of chapter 9 lead to a call for a thorough abandonment of idolatry. Paul ends his argument against the consumption of idol-food with an insistence on exclusive loyalty to the one true God. He tries to convince the Corinthians that their fellowship with Christ should restrict them from any association with other gods. This is a warning for us to consider what idols we ought to lay down rather than try to assimilate into our Christian life as a “freedom.”
Featuring a sermon puts it on the front page of the site and is the most effective way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands including all mobile platforms + newsletter.
Text-Featuring a sermon is a less expensive way to bring this sermon to the attention of thousands on the right bar with optional newsletter inclusion. As low as $30/day.
Pastor Joseph LoSardo
Flee Idolatry! The Church in Sin City Bread of Life Fellowship
A native of New York, Pastor LoSardo was saved by the grace of God in 1986 after hearing the Gospel from his brother, while pursuing a career in scientific research. He was ordained into the ministry in 1995 and served as the Associate Pastor of a large messianic congregation...
