The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of Christ?  (17) For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Christians at Corinth.   Corinth was a large, commercial city with easy access by both land and sea.  The Romans had chosen Corinth over Athens to be the capitol city of the ancient province of Achaia and it was known to be a city of many pagan temples – known also for immorality and sanctioned religious prostitution.  It was apparently difficult for the Corinthian Christians to discard all heathen customs – the religion of idols of their parents and countrymen.  Some of the Christians felt they could pass from Christian communion to heathen temple festivities, observing both Christian and pagan rites.  They were doing this in the name of Christian liberty – they decided that an idol is nothing and therefore pagan rituals are insignificant and God isn’t really too concerned.

Some of the Christian Corinthians felt they were committed to the gospel and could safely participate in pagan cultural events with no fear of backsliding.  But  Paul urges his audience to “flee from idolatry”.  He uses the Lord’s supper – which is basic to the Church as a memorial of Christ’s life given for man –  to argue that when Christians take communion they are in a very real way in communion with Christ and other worshippers and  with the one being worshipped.  That is why a Christian cannot go to an idol feast – because he/she would be involved with the idol worshippers and the one “worshipped”, like it or not.  He tells the Corinthians you cannot do both.

Paul warns his readers to beware of temptation and to not let what happened to the Israelites in the desert, who turned to idolatry and sexual immorality, happen to them.  The destroyer is real and the way to salvation is always perilous.  God is faithful and will always provide a way to escape from temptation but beware of idolatry while thinking you stand firm as Christians.  “If determined wickedness has slain its thousands, Heedlessness has slain its tens of thousands.”