Don't Be Participants with Demons

[Christsfreeservant]

“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” (1 Corinthians 10:14-22 ESV)​

What is idolatry? According to Webster, idolatry is “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.” An idol is anything that replaces the one true God. It is the worship of false gods in place of or over and above true worship of the one True God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. And it involves making compromises with the world and with the flesh. And it is regarded by God as spiritual adultery against him, like someone cheating on his/her spouse with another lover.

An idol can be another person such as a preacher, an evangelist, a famous person, a politician, a sports figure, and an actor. If you listen to another person above or in place of listening to the Lord and to his word, taught in context, you are in danger of idolatry. Or an idol can be your intellect or physical appearance or your talent. Or it can be your possessions, your time, games, movies, sports, TV shows, music and musicians, etc. It is anything to which you give your loyalty and devotion to above or in place of God.

So, it can also be a sinful habit such as sexual immorality, overeating (gluttony), lying, cheating, stealing, committing adultery, drunkenness, swindling, deception, trickery, fits of anger, hatred, unforgiveness, and vulgarity, etc. Many professing Christians are still living in addiction to particular sinful practices, lying about what they are doing, hiding what they are doing from others, and making excuses for why they are not free and are still living in sin, and while they are abusing those they portend to love.

[Romans 1:18-32; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Colossians 3:5-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8]

But we are to flee from all of that if we are those who truly love God and who genuinely believe in Jesus Christ with God-persuaded faith in him. For to love God is to obey him. And if we choose to not obey him but to continue in deliberate and habitual sin, then the Scriptures teach that we do not know God, we are not in fellowship with him, he doesn’t know us, we are not born of God, and we do not have salvation from sin and eternal life with God unless we turn, and we change, and we now follow Jesus with our lives.

For belief in Jesus Christ is not just a prayer that we prayed or some public profession we made or being baptized or joining a church or whatever. True belief in Jesus Christ is born of God, is gifted to us by God, is persuaded of God, and is empowered by God. It is not of our own doing, not of the flesh nor of the will of man. And so it will submit to God’s will and purposes for our lives, for biblical faith is also obedience, and disobedience is unbelief, regardless of what faith in Jesus we profess with our lips.

[John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10]

And biblical faith in Jesus Christ requires that we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And it is participation in the blood of Christ through death to sin and also via denying self and being willing to be persecuted for the sake of the gospel and for the sake of the name of Jesus. For when we believe in Jesus we take part in his death and resurrection and in his suffering.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15,21; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 4:17-24; Luke 9:23-26]

So, we are not to be idolaters. And we are not to participate with demons, i.e. with anything that is of the world of sin and of Satan and that is sinful and idolatrous and is against God and against his word taught in context. For we cannot participate with and share with Christ in his death and resurrection and in his sufferings if we are partaking in what is of the flesh and of Satan and of this sinful world, instead. We cannot walk in sin and walk in obedience to our Lord at the same time. They don’t mix.

So, we must choose which life we want to live – a life surrendered to Jesus Christ and to obeying his will for our lives, or a life centered in self and in self-will which is rebellious, disobedient, and idolatrous, in practice. We can’t have both! And this doesn’t mean we are perfect people, but either obedience to God and holy living is our practice, or disobedience and sinful practices are what we do, by habit. And if sin is our practice, and not obedience to the Lord, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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