FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5
1 Corinthians 8:4-6
Deuteronomy 6:1-15

“… an idol is nothing in the world …”

ONLY ONE GOD!

1 Corinthians 8:4-6 is a restatement and expansion of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

The adjective “one” teaches us two things:
1. The LORD is unique. This affirms the LORD’s superiority over all the gods of the nations. He is the only one worthy of all worship.
2. The LORD stands alone. He alone should be our sole object of devotion and adoration.

Some of the younger Christians in Corinth were avoiding food offered to idols with a wrong understanding and basis. Having had a pagan upbringing, they thought that these foods had some intrinsic power from the idols, and by eating the food, they would be allowing the idols to have power and control over their lives.

Paul thus lovingly corrected their fallacious understanding with his exposition of the Shema. Since the LORD was the one living and true God, it meant that all the idols of the world were but a big fat zero. The idols were just the works of man, made of wood, stone or metal. There was no intrinsic power or life in them. Therefore, should any of them eat food which had been offered to idols without their knowledge, there was no need to fear that such food would have any effect on them. Was not the Holy Spirit indwelling them greater than any that is in the world (1 John 4:4)? The doctrine of monotheism is thus a most comforting doctrine. It also exposes the foolishness of idolatry. Are there any idols
in your life?

THOUGHT: The LORD our God is one!
PRAYER: Father, may Thou always be first in my life.