How does 1 Corinthians 8:5 relate to the First Commandment in Exodus 20:3? Two Passages, One Voice Exodus 20:3 sets the benchmark: “You shall have no other gods before Me.” 1 Corinthians 8:5 comments on the surrounding culture: “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’)…” Paul’s Acknowledgment of Counterfeits • The world teems with “so-called gods.” • These rivals exist only in human imagination or demonic deception (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:4, “an idol is nothing at all in the world”). • Paul’s wording “so-called” highlights their illegitimacy while admitting their influence over people. The First Commandment’s Exclusive Claim • God tolerates no competitors: He alone is Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer. • “Before Me” (Exodus 20:3) forbids both ranking other deities alongside Him and placing them ahead of Him. • The commandment presumes there will be cultural pressure to divide loyalty—yet God demands wholehearted allegiance (Deuteronomy 6:4). Shared Conviction: Only One True God • Exodus 20:3 states it from Sinai’s thunder; 1 Corinthians 8:5 reaffirms it amid Corinth’s idols. • Both passages converge on a single reality: multiplicity in the spiritual marketplace does not nullify the singularity of the LORD (Isaiah 45:5; Psalm 86:10). How 1 Corinthians 8:5 Illuminates Exodus 20:3 1. Paul supplies context. Israel heard the command in the wilderness; Corinth hears it in a cosmopolitan city. Same truth, new setting. 2. Paul distinguishes appearance from reality. Idols claim devotion, but “there is no God but One” (1 Corinthians 8:4). The commandment is therefore rational, not merely ritual. 3. Paul directs believers to exclusive worship. The First Commandment is not antiquated law; it guides Christians in a pluralistic world. 4. Paul models discernment. Recognize cultural “gods,” reject their authority, and reaffirm the supremacy of the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 8:6). Living the Truth Today • Identify modern “so-called gods”: success, pleasure, self, money. • Evaluate loyalties: anything treasured above God violates Exodus 20:3. • Confess Christ alone as Lord (Matthew 4:10; John 17:3). • Walk in holiness, refusing syncretism (1 John 5:21). • Witness to the One true God among people still enslaved to idols (1 Thessalonians 1:9). Scripture Echoes Deut 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One!” Isa 45:5 “I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me.” 1 Cor 8:4 “…there is no God but One.” 1 Cor 8:6 “yet for us there is but one God, the Father… and one Lord, Jesus Christ…” Matt 4:10 “‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’” 1 John 5:21 “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” |
    |