…do it all for the glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 10:31
I found new depth and meaning in this verse after doing some research about Ancient Corinth and the church there. Paul was writing to a city that was thriving and flourishing – a major port city, well known within the Roman empire. However, unlike the church at Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 2:8-10), Corinth was known for its loose morals, particularly with regards to sexual immorality and the worship of idols.
Situated at the highest peak in Corinth was the Temple of Aphrodite. Here, sexual acts were conducted night and day with prostitutes as a service to the Greek goddess of love and beauty. Travelers to Corinth would have no doubt come from far and wide to cast off restraint and indulge in their sexual passions and desires.
In stark contrast to this, Paul urges believers in Corinth to develop discipline and practice restraint. He likens the restraint and discipline necessary to that of athletes when they train for the Olympics (in Corinth this would have been the Isthmus games) and go for the gold! Sure, they could eat that 4 cheese pizza with salami, but they don’t. Why? Because it is not beneficial to them in their purpose of winning the race. (1 Corinthians 9:24-26)
Likewise, Paul encourages believers to practice restraint with the freedom we have in Christ. Yes, as we say, “we can do all things,” but not everything is beneficial for us. ( 1 Corinthians 10:23)
But even more than this, not everything is beneficial for others. Right after his statement in verse 23, Paul goes on to say: “Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.” (1 Corinthians 10:23-24)
This echoes Paul’s message in chapter 8 when he discusses eating meat that has been offered to idols.
Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.
1 Corinthians 8
So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But for us,
There is one God, the Father,
by whom all things were created,
and for whom we live.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things were created,
and through whom we live.
However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.
But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.
As believers, we are to think and act in ways that contrast the world (Romans 12:2; Matthew 5:13-16). Though we are free, we should not be selfish, only thinking of ourselves, but should think of others as better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). After all, we wouldn’t want someone else, for whom Christ died, to stumble and be destroyed because of our actions.
Because of this, EVERYTHING we do, whether we eat or drink, ALL should be done for the glory of God. Like Paul, we should have the attitude:
” I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.” (1 Corinthians 10:33)
