“But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”
My Notes
What Does 1 Corinthians 10:20 Mean?
Paul is addressing the Corinthian controversy over meat sacrificed to idols, and he cuts through the cultural complexity with a spiritual claim that most comfortable Christians prefer to ignore: the sacrifices go somewhere. The recipients are real. And they're not God.
"The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils" — Paul doesn't say the pagan gods are real deities. He says the sacrifices reach real beings — daimonia, demons. The idol is nothing (as he said in 8:4). But behind the nothing is a something. The carved image is wood or stone. The spiritual reality behind the worship system is demonic. The pagans think they're worshipping fertility gods and weather deities. They're actually feeding demons.
"And not to God" — the clarification matters. The sacrifice doesn't reach God. It reaches His enemies. The worship directed at an idol doesn't arrive at a neutral address. It arrives at an address hostile to God. There's no middle ground between God and demons. What isn't offered to God is offered against Him.
"And I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils" — the word "fellowship" (koinōnos) means partnership, communion, participation. The same word used for the Lord's table in verse 16. Paul draws a direct parallel: you can have fellowship with Christ at His table or fellowship with demons at theirs. But not both. The participation is real in both cases. When you eat the Lord's Supper, you commune with Christ. When you participate in idol worship, you commune with demons. The communion isn't symbolic. It's actual.
The next verse makes the exclusivity explicit: "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils." The table of Christ and the table of demons are mutually exclusive. You choose one. The attempt to sit at both is the provocation Paul warns against.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What modern 'idols' might be receiving the worship and allegiance you're directing away from God?
- 2.How does Paul's claim that real spiritual beings are behind idol worship change the way you think about what competes for your devotion?
- 3.Where might you be trying to drink from both cups — maintaining fellowship with Christ while investing deeply in something that contradicts Him?
- 4.How does the 'fellowship' language — communion, partnership, participation — elevate the stakes of what you worship beyond mere preference?
Devotional
Behind every idol is a demon. That's Paul's claim, and it's one modern Christians rarely take seriously. We've been trained to think of idol worship as quaint — primitive people bowing to statues, a problem of the ancient world that doesn't apply to us. Paul says the ancient worship systems fed real spiritual beings. Not imaginary ones. Real ones. And they were hostile to God.
The application extends beyond carved images. Whatever you worship — whatever you sacrifice your time, energy, devotion, and allegiance to — reaches a recipient. If it's God, the offering is received by God. If it isn't God, the offering is received by something that isn't God. And Paul says the something is demonic. Not in a Hollywood-horror way. In a real, spiritual, transactional way. The career you've made an idol of. The approval you sacrifice everything for. The pleasure you've built your life around. If these things occupy the place only God should occupy, the worship they receive doesn't vanish into neutral space. It goes somewhere.
The fellowship language is what makes this verse bite. Paul isn't saying proximity to idolatry is inconvenient. He's saying it's communion with demons. The participation is real. When you invest your deepest allegiance in something other than God, you're not just making a bad choice. You're entering a relationship with a spiritual reality hostile to the One you claim to serve.
You cannot drink both cups. You cannot sit at both tables. The exclusivity isn't God being possessive. It's God being honest about the nature of the alternatives. The other table looks inviting. The cup looks full. But the host of that table is not who you think. And the fellowship on offer will cost you the one fellowship that actually gives life.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
But I say,.... This is my sense and meaning,
that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice unto devils,…
But - The negative here is omitted, but is understood. The ellipsis of a negative after an interrogative sentence is…
In this passage the apostle urges the general caution against idolatry, in the particular case of eating the heathen…
they sacrifice to devils, and not to God Third reason. The worship of idols is a worship of devils. The words here used…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture