Upozorenje na idolopoklonstvo
1Htio bih, braćo i sestre, da znate što se našim precima davno dogodilo u pustinji. Bog ih je sve vodio oblakom koji se kretao pred njima i sve ih je sigurno preveo preko mora po suhome dnu. 2Svi su oni kršteni u oblaku i u moru kao Mosijevi sljedbenici. 3Svi su jeli istu čudesnu hranu i svi su pili istu čudesnu vodu. 4Pili su iz duhovne stijene koja ih je pratila, a ta je stijena bio Krist. 5Unatoč svemu, većina ih nije bila po volji Bogu te su poubijani u pustinji.
6To se dogodilo nama za opomenu: da ne žudimo za zlim poput njih 7i da se ne klanjamo idolima kao oni. U Svetome pismu piše: “Narod posjeda da jede i pije, a zatim ustanu plesati” u čast zlatnome teletu. 8Ne odajmo se bludu kao što su mu se oni odali te ih je zbog toga dvadeset tri tisuće palo u jednome danu. 9Ne izazivajmo Gospodina kao što su ga izazivali neki od njih pa su poginuli od zmija. 10Ne prigovarajte kao što su neki od njih prigovarali pa je Bog poslao anđela Zatornika da ih pobije. 11Sve se to događalo nama za primjer, a zapisano je kao opomena nama koji živimo u posljednjim vremenima.
12Misli li dakle tko da dobro stoji, neka pazi da ne zapadne u isti grijeh. 13Znajte da vas ne snalaze kušnje koje i drugi ljudi nemaju. Bog je vjeran. Neće dopustiti da vas kušnja nadvlada, nego će vam pokazati i izlaz iz nje da možete izdržati.
14Zato se, dragi moji, klonite idolopoklonstva. 15Razumni ste vi ljudi. Prosudite dakle sami je li istina što ću vam reći. 16Nije li čaša koju posvećujemo za stolom Gospodnjim zajedništvo Kristove krvi? Nije li kruh koji lomimo zajedništvo Kristova tijela? 17Time što svi jedemo od jednoga kruha pokazujemo da smo jedno tijelo. 18Pogledajte Izraelce po tijelu! Svi koji blaguju žrtve dionici su žrtvenika.
19Što želim reći? Da su žrtve idolima vrijedne ili da su idoli pravi bogovi? 20Naprotiv! Kažem da pogani te žrtve prinose demonima, a ne Bogu. A ja ne želim da vi imate išta s demonima. 21Ne možete piti i iz Gospodnjeg i iz vražjeg kaleža. Ne možete jesti i za Gospodnjim i za vražjim stolom. 22Zar da izazivamo Gospodinovu ljubomoru? Mislite li da smo jači od njega?
23Kaže se: “Sve mi je dopušteno…”—ali ne služi mi sve na korist. “Sve mi je dopušteno…”—ali sve ne izgrađuje. 24Ne mislite samo na vlastito dobro. Brinite se o tome što je dobro za drugoga.
25Jedite sve što se prodaje na tržnici i nemojte se zbog savjesti raspitivati je li žrtvovano idolima ili nije. 26Jer “Gospodinova je zemlja i sve na njoj.”10:26 Psalam 24:1.
27Pozove li vas na objed nevjernik i želite li se odazvati, jedite sve što se pred vas stavi ne ispitujući ništa zaradi savjesti. 28Ako vas tko upozori da je meso bilo žrtvovano idolima, nemojte ga jesti zaradi onoga koji vas je upozorio i zaradi savjesti. 29Ne zaradi svoje, nego zaradi njegove savjesti.
“Zašto bi moju slobodu ograničavala tuđa savjest?” pitat ćete. 30“Ako zahvaljujem Bogu za hranu koju jedem, zašto da me osuđuju zbog onoga što jedem?” 31Jer bilo da jedete, pijete ili činite što drugo, sve činite Bogu na slavu! 32Ne budite na sablazan nikome—ni Židovima, ni poganima,10:32 U grčkome: Grcima. ni Božjoj crkvi. 33Tako se i ja trudim svima u svemu ugoditi ne čineći ono što je najbolje za mene, već što je najbolje za njihovo spasenje.
Warnings From Israel’s History
1For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3They all ate the same spiritual food 4and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
6Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”10:7 Exodus 32:6 8We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9We should not test Christ,10:9 Some manuscripts test the Lord as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.
11These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13No temptation10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested. has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested. beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,10:13 The Greek for temptation and tempted can also mean testing and tested. he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
Idol Feasts and the Lord’s Supper
14Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.
18Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
The Believer’s Freedom
23“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
25Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”10:26 Psalm 24:1
27If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 29I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? 30If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
