1 Corinthians 10 (NKJV) (2024)

Old Testament Examples

10Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under ^(A)the cloud, all passed through ^(B)the sea, ²all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³all ate the same ^(C)spiritual food, ⁴and all drank the same ^(D)spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. ⁵But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies ^(E)were scattered in the wilderness.

⁶Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as ^(F)they also lusted. ^7(G)And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ^(H)“The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” ^8(I)Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as ^(J)some of them did, and ^(K)in one day twenty-three thousand fell; ⁹nor let us ^[a]tempt Christ, as ^(L)some of them also tempted, and ^(M)were destroyed by serpents; ¹⁰nor complain, as ^(N)some of them also complained, and ^(O)were destroyed by ^(P)the destroyer. ¹¹Now ^[b]all these things happened to them as examples, and ^(Q)they were written for our ^[c]admonition, ^(R)upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

¹²Therefore ^(S)let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. ¹³No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but ^(T)God is faithful, ^(U)who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to ^[d]bear it.

Flee from Idolatry

¹⁴Therefore, my beloved, ^(V)flee from idolatry. ¹⁵I speak as to ^(W)wise men; judge for yourselves what I say. ^16(X)The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the ^[e]communion of the blood of Christ? ^(Y)The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? ¹⁷For ^(Z)we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

¹⁸Observe ^(AA)Israel ^(AB)after the flesh: ^(AC)Are not those who eat of the sacrifices ^[f]partakers of the altar? ¹⁹What am I saying then? ^(AD)That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? ²⁰Rather, that the things which the Gentiles ^(AE)sacrifice ^(AF)they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. ^21(AG)You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and ^(AH)the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the ^(AI)Lord’s table and of the table of demons. ²²Or do we ^(AJ)provoke the Lord to jealousy? ^(AK)Are we stronger than He?

All to the Glory of God^(AL)

²³All things are lawful ^[g]for me, but not all things are ^(AM)helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things ^[h]edify. ²⁴Let no one seek his own, but each one ^(AN)the other’s well-being.

^25(AO)Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; ²⁶for ^(AP)“the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”

²⁷If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, ^(AQ)eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. ²⁸But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it ^(AR)for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake; ^[i]for ^(AS)“the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” ²⁹“Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For ^(AT)why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? ³⁰But if I partake with thanks, why am I evil spoken of for the food ^(AU)over which I give thanks?

^31(AV)Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ^32(AW)Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, ³³just ^(AX)as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Don’t Be Like the Jews

10Brothers, I want you to know what happened to our ancestors who followed Moses. They were all under the cloud, and they all went through the sea. ²They were all baptized as followers of Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³They all ate the same spiritual food. ⁴And they all drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from that spiritual rock that was with them. That rock was Christ. ⁵But God was not pleased with most of them. They died in the desert.

⁶And these things that happened are examples for us. They should stop us from wanting evil things as those people did. ⁷Do not worship idols, as some of them did. It is written in the Scriptures: “The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up and had wild parties.”^{[a] 8}We should not take part in sexual sin, as some of them did. In one day 23,000 of them died because of their sins. ⁹We should not test the Lord as some of them did. They were killed by snakes. ¹⁰And do not complain as some of them did. They were killed by the angel that destroys.

¹¹The things that happened to those people are examples. And they were written down to be warnings for us. For we live in a time when all these things of the past have reached their goal. ¹²So anyone who thinks he is standing strong should be careful not to fall. ¹³The only temptations that you have are the temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to stand it.

¹⁴So, my dear friends, stay away from worshiping idols. ¹⁵I am speaking to you, as to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶We give thanks for the cup of blessing.^[b] It is a sharing in the blood of Christ’s death. And the bread that we break is a sharing in the body of Christ. ¹⁷There is one loaf of bread. And we are many people. But we all share from that one loaf. So we are really one body.

¹⁸Think about the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices share in the altar? ¹⁹I do not mean that the food sacrificed to an idol is something important. And I do not mean that an idol is anything at all. ²⁰But I say that what is sacrificed to idols is offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to share anything with demons. ²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons, too. You cannot share in the Lord’s table and the table of demons, too. ²²Do we want to make the Lord jealous? We are not stronger than he is, are we?

How to Use Christian Freedom

²³“We are allowed to do all things.” Yes. But not all things are good for us to do. “We are allowed to do all things.” Yes. But not all things help others grow stronger. ²⁴No one should try to do what will help only himself. He should try to do what is good for others.

²⁵Eat any meat that is sold in the meat market. Do not ask questions about the meat to see if it is something you think is wrong to eat. ²⁶You can eat it, “because the earth and everything on it belong to the Lord.”^[c]

²⁷Someone who is not a believer may invite you to eat with him. If you want to go, eat anything that is put before you. Do not ask questions about it. ²⁸But if anyone says to you, “That food was offered to idols,” then do not eat it. Do not eat it because of that person who told you and because eating it would be something that might be thought wrong. ²⁹I don’t mean that you think it is wrong. But the other person might think it is wrong. My own freedom should not be judged by what someone else thinks. ³⁰I eat the meal with thankfulness. And I do not want to be criticized because of something I thank God for.

³¹So if you eat, or if you drink, or if you do anything, do everything for the glory of God. ³²Never do anything that might make others do wrong—Jews, Greeks, or God’s church. ³³I do the same thing. I try to please everybody in every way. I am not trying to do what is good for me. I try to do what is good for the most people. I do this so that they can be saved.