Reflection on 1Cor 10:20-21
The word “No” refers to the preceding verse which asks: “Is an idol anything?” So a wooden idol as such is nothing; it just symbolizes a demon.
As for sacrifices offered to these idols made of wood, metal or other material, the Scripture says that food or whatever else that is offered to them is by no means offered to God but to demons. The Word of God testifies that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God.
It is good to read carefully chapter 10, verses 1-21. It recounts how God through Moses led the Israelites in a miraculous way across the Red Sea from slavery in Egypt. It says that they were all spiritually united to Moses, and it also points out the mystery of their unity with the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. Christ had not yet come in the flesh as the Saviour, but being the Second Divine Person, He is in the same Godhead with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
After crossing the Red Sea, they all ate manna in the wilderness which God would give them wondrously every day. Although they were witnesses to great wonders, many did not surrender their hearts to God and His will. God had no pleasure in most of them, and when they were put to the test, it only revealed evil and idolatry hidden in their hearts. They made an idol, a golden calf, and worshipped it in place of God. They talked absolute nonsense about that idol leading them out of Egypt. Church representatives offended our God in a like manner in Assisi where they worshipped a so-called common god together with pagans. They thus presented the redemptive death of Christ and the worship of pagan cults – demons – as equally valid ways to salvation.
The Israelites committed spiritual fornication and twenty-three thousand of them fell that day. When they tempted God, many died of a snakebite. Similarly, when they grumbled, many were killed by the destroying angel. All these things happened as a warning for us too. The most important thing for us is to put all our trust in God who is Almighty, so that we do not grumble or tempt Him in time of trial, and, above all, we must be aware that we cannot receive Holy Communion and read horoscopes or seek help from fortune-tellers or extrasensory individuals at the same time. Divination, magic and spiritualism are pagan practices behind which are so-called energies, in fact demons.
True Christianity built on a true relationship to Christ, when we trust in Him and make sacrifices for His sake, cannot be associated with various occult practices or superstitions which are false beliefs and lead us away from Christ and salvation.
For two weeks we are going to repeat the words of God which are extremely topical for these days, as neopaganism is promoted worldwide and many Christians are influenced by it.
A Christian who partakes of the table of the Lord and receives the Body and Blood of Christ is inwardly united to Jesus Christ who said: “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” The Apostle says: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons” – that means, you cannot receive – drink spiritually – various occult or esoteric doctrines associated with superstitions or paranormal practices. These include yin-yang philosophies, feng shui house design and the false belief resulting from it which associates an elephant with happiness, toads and frogs with other superstitions, etc. Health care is being penetrated by occult acupuncture, homoeopathy, popular Chinese massage based on the occult principles of yin and yang, or other practices connected with so-called energies, i.e. demons.
A true Christian who has received Jesus as his personal Saviour and Lord must renounce these practices which influence him from all sides in order to bring him under their control. One must know clearly that the Church has always taught that pagan cults do not lead to the true God but to the worship of demons. Many practices are transported to us from pagan Buddhism, Hinduism or even Satanic voodoism (stabbed voodoo dolls…). There are many other pagan practices associated with shamans and gurus, Oriental meditations or a belief in reincarnation. All this is a sin against the First Commandment: You shall not bow down to them or offer sacrifices to them because the Lord is your one God! (cf. Deu 5:6f)
We have the true God, and there is salvation in no one else but Jesus Christ. He who believes in Him has eternal life. Therefore one cannot believe in Jesus Christ and receive Holy Communion and at the same time accept the spirit of the world which promotes neopaganism.
Download: Reflection on 1Cor 10:20-21
