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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadBob Utley You Can Understand the Bible - 1 Corinthians 10:31 - 11:1
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1Co_10:31 to 1Co_11:1
31Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; 33 just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved. 1Co_11:1 Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
1Co_10:31 "do all to the glory of God" This is the universal principle applicable in every area of the believer's life (cf. Eph_6:7; Col_3:17; Col_3:23; 1Pe_4:11). See hyperlink at 1Co_2:7.
1Co_10:32 "Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God" This seems to refer to three groups. The first two are related to evangelism; the last group to fellowship in the church.
The term "church" is obviously being used in a universal sense as in Mat_16:18. The term is used in the NT in
1. a local sense (most occurrences)
2. a regional sense (cf. Act_9:31; Gal_1:2)
3. a universal sense (cf. Php_3:6; Heb_12:23)
4. a cosmic sense of all the saints of all ages alive and dead (cf. Eph_1:22; Eph_5:23-25; Eph_5:27; Eph_5:29; Eph_5:32; Col_1:18; Col_1:24)
▣ "church" See Special Topic: Church at 1Co_1:2.
1Co_10:33 "just as I also please all men in all things. . .so that they may be saved" Evangelism, not self-rights, is the priority of mature believers (cf. 1Co_9:19-22).
▣ "the many" In English this might be understood as a large part of the whole group. However, in Hebrew thought it is just a literary variation of "the all." This parallelism can be seen in
1. Isa_53:11, "the many"
Isa_53:12, "of many"
Isa_53:6, "of us all"
2. Rom_5:18, "to all men. . .to all men"
Rom_5:19, "the many. . .the many"
3. In Corinthians 1Co_10:17, "we who are many" (here Paul uses the term "many" to refer to the whole group of believers)
▣ "so that they may be saved" This is the goal of gospel preaching and Christian living (cf. 1Co_9:19-22). God's promise of Gen_3:15; Gen_12:3 has now been fulfilled. The broken fellowship (i.e., the marred image of God in mankind) has been restored through Christ. "Whosoever will" may come (cf. Eze_18:23; Eze_18:32; Joh_1:12; Joh_3:16; 1Ti_2:4; 2Pe_3:9).
1Co_11:1 This verse seems to go with chapter 10, not 11. Paul's evangelistic motives and actions parallel the life and teachings of Jesus. As Paul mimicked Him the believers at Corinth were to focus on (1) the good of the body (the church) and (2) the salvation of the unbelieving world.
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