Reflections on 1 Corinthians 10:22
“Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 10:22 (NIV). He is still speaking to believers who thought they could eat at the Lord’s table and then sit down at the idol feasts as well. His question goes straight to the heart: do we really think we can handle the enemy on our own ground?
Jude gives us a scene that answers it. When Michael the archangel, whom I understand to be Christ himself, contended with the devil over the body of Moses, he did not argue. He did not debate Satan’s accusations. He simply said, “The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 9), raised Moses up, and left the devil without another word. All the power in the universe, and he did not even mentally arm wrestle with the devil. He did not give Satan the satisfaction of an argument.
If Christ refused to contend with the devil, do we think it is our duty to spar with him?
Resisting is not sparring
James tells us, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). But resisting the devil is not arguing with him. It is refusing to sit at his table, never putting ourselves on his ground, where we can easily come under his deceptions. Satan and his minions have no ability to distress or annoy us unless we sit down at their table and entertain ourselves there.
We are surrounded with all the support heaven has to offer: a full set of armor, the Holy Spirit as our constant guide, and our angels always with us. We alone can break faith with our Savior and wander into Satan’s dining room. Our only job is to choose which side we will join, and to accept the invitations that come to us each day to sit at the Lord’s table.
The wrath we do not want
Phillips renders Paul’s question, “Are we trying to arouse the wrath of the Lord?” Understood rightly, God’s wrath is letting us go, allowing us to experience the results of our own poor choices, just as Romans 1 says God “gave them up.” We do not want Christ to leave us to ourselves.
He is jealous for our loyalty, not out of pettiness, but because he knows that if we put our trust anywhere else, we will be destroyed. He is Love, drawing us to himself by his Love and Grace. If we resist him, we are left with no protection against the overwhelming deceptions of the king of fantasy land. Christ will lose us. The battle for our very existence is at stake.
No partial healing
The Remedy translation puts Paul’s second question in terms of healing: the Lord will not settle for a partial cure; he wants selfishness removed from the heart completely. Do we think we can heal ourselves, that we have a more powerful remedy than his?
Every time we choose to act in a better way, however small or inconsequential the choice seems, it has an effect on our minds. We are choosing to be healed, choosing to let Christ heal our hearts and minds. Once we make that choice, Christ through the Holy Spirit fills our lives with the power we need to stick with it. It all comes from him.
So let us protect our relationship with the Lord. Let us not entertain, even for a moment, the suggestions, thoughts or emotions that would draw us back to the old table. Fill the mind with uplifting thoughts, stay active, and build new habits. They will not feel as comfortable as the old ones at first. Stay with them, and we will discover this is who we truly are.
Oct 4, 2026 · @Dara Dietz
