NOTES for Co1 10:23-33
Continuing the discussion of food offered to idols, Paul places at the center not the food itself or the pagan gods to whom it may have been dedicated, but relationships with one’s neighbor and witness. From Paul’s point of view, the Christian’s chief task was to remain an inhabitant of the Kingdom; otherwise Christianity is out of the question. The apostle understands perfectly well that relationships with God and with Christ must be at the center of a Christian’s life. Everything that could in any way harm these relationships must be excluded. For an inhabitant of the Kingdom there are no prohibitions, but not everything benefits him precisely as an inhabitant of the Kingdom (vv. 23–24). In our world, which is not yet fully transfigured, there may indeed be something that can prevent a Christian from remaining a Christian.
Of course, the dedication of anything to any pagan god means nothing in itself to one who lives in the Kingdom. Such a person need not worry about provisions bought in the market or food served at a table in a pagan home (vv. 25–27). If a pagan offers a Christian food simply and sincerely, giving him what he has, the Christian may accept it with a peaceful heart and a clear conscience, thanking God and the hospitable host. The Christian will not lose the Kingdom in this case, for his relationship with the neighbor at whose table he sits will not suffer, and therefore neither will his relationship with God (vv. 30–31).
But every Christian has another task no less important than remaining an inhabitant of the Kingdom: to bear witness to Christ and to the Kingdom in which he lives. If, for example, a pagan offers a Christian food while emphasizing that it is dedicated to one of the pagan gods, the Christian will have to refuse it despite all the host’s hospitality. To accept it would mean not merely being courteous to the person offering it, but also sharing his allegiance to a god alien to the Christian (vv. 28–29). This would no longer be a manifestation of love, but a counter-witness, for the Christian would thereby show everyone around him that Christ and the Kingdom are not what matters most to him. One should not support a religious person when he places religion above the Kingdom, just as one should not support a pagan in his paganism (v. 32), for neither brings a person closer to the Kingdom. The chief task of every Christian as a witness to Christ is precisely to show the path of salvation to everyone who wants to be saved (v. 33).