The Immorality and The Idolatry

The Immorality and The Idolatry

Through the redemption in Christ, the salvation was given not only to the Jews but also the gentiles. But because of that, there were some problems related to Mosaic Laws among the Jews and the Gentiles. Some Jews taught the Gentiles to keep the Mosaic Laws as they used to do in the Old Testament. So as the story written in Acts 15, some Jews forced the Gentiles to get circumcised in ordered to be saved. So in Acts 15, Paul taught the Gentiles that the least things they have to be aware of are “the things polluted by idols, sexual immorality, and the things that has been strangled”. He also talked about the things that are related to idols in 1 Corinthians. Especially in 1 Corinthians 7-8, Paul talked about the sexual immorality and the idolatry. So what kind of problems did these things brought into the Corinthian Church?

“Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:1

The Immorality and the Corinthian Church

Paul repeatedly commanded the church to keep themselves away from the sexual immorality. So in order to teach them “what’s right”, Paul taught them about marriage and the right relationships between Christian men and women. Because as Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5, the Corinthian Church had a big problem among them about sexual immorality. Even though the apostles taught the chosen Gentiles to be aware of these sinful desires of the body, the Jews had this bad behavior among them. So Paul dealt with this problem by teaching about the right marriage and also by giving them the advice of not to get married in the circumstance that they were in.

To Stay Away from Immorality

What Paul said to man in 1 Corinthians 7:1 is to not to touch woman to keep themselves away from the immorality. He also said that man should have his own wife and woman should have her own husband to be away from these things. But when Paul wrote this letter, the persecution by the opponents of Christians aggravated so by giving himself as an example, Paul adviced them not to get married if possible. But at the same the, he said that not everyone has a gift to stay single, so those who wants to get married are allowed to get married. So by these things in mind, Paul taught the Corinthian church in chapter 7 that the marriage is not sin, but staying unmarried is recommended to keep themselves safe from the troubles in their lives.

“To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband…”
- 1 Corinthians 7:8-10

The Food Sacrifice to Idols

Paul made clear the problem that he will talk about in the very beginning of chapter 8. He talked about the food sacrificed to Idols to protect the weak brothers from stumbling. So he first clearly stated that there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ. And that there is no other gods exists in this world. This is very obvious truth among the Christians. But as Paul said, there were Christians that were not very familiar with this fact. So Paul had to teach them specifically about the food sacrificed to Idols, so that the weak brothers will not be destroyed. Because having a knowledge about the true God sometimes may lead the weak brothers to stumble. And it should not happen. For Christ died for the weak brothers as well as those who have knowledge. Paul made clear that destroying the weak brothers is a sin.

“Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth–as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”– 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”
- 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

The Solution

So Paul taught the church about the immorality and the idols in order to deal with the problems in the church. So that they will bond and unite in Christ instead of having a confliction among the Christian brothers.

“Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
- 1 Corinthians 8:12-13