Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?
Idolatry is broader than the worship of carved images, embracing selfishness, love of ease, and the gratification of appetite and passion. Those who eat of sacrifices become partakers with the altar they honor, made one with it, so that when professed Christians join festivals and scenes of amusement that copy worldly customs and savor worldly pleasures, they enter virtual union with the enemies of God. Mere profession of faith in Christ and boastful knowledge of the truth does not make a person a Christian. A religion that aims only to gratify the eye, the ear, and the taste, or that allows any hurtful self-indulgence, is not the religion of Christ but accords with the spirit of the world and stands opposed to the teachings of Scripture. The verse is a call to flee idolatry and to refuse all fellowship with idol worship, a warning binding in every age and with special fitness for the present day.
Idolatry is broader than the worship of carved images, embracing selfishness, love of ease, and the gratification of appetite and passion. Those who eat of sacrifices become partakers with the altar they honor, made one with it, so that when professed Christians join festivals and scenes of amusement that copy worldly customs and savor worldly pleasures, they enter virtual union with the enemies of God. Mere profession of faith in Christ and boastful knowledge of the truth does not make a person a Christian. A religion that aims only to gratify the eye, the ear, and the taste, or that allows any hurtful self-indulgence, is not the religion of Christ but accords with the spirit of the world and stands opposed to the teachings of Scripture. The verse is a call to flee idolatry and to refuse all fellowship with idol worship, a warning binding in every age and with special fitness for the present day.