The Ekklesia Project - Episode 62

A freedman of God hosting a journey to discover the lost ekklesia of God.
In this episode, we analyze 1 Corinthians 10:5-13. In the last episode, we saw Paul compare the people of Israel in the wilderness, as the designated people of God of the Old Covenant, with the ekklesia of God in Corinth, as a people of God under the New Covenant. In this passage, Paul references trials that took hold of the people of Israel in the wilderness and presents them as examples of trials that may take hold of the Corinthian ekklesia. We recognize that the rebellious seeds of those trials referenced by Paul, i.e., idolatry, immorality, testing of God, and grumbling about those set over the ekklesia as overseers, including Christ as Head, were already present within the Corinthian ekklesia. The trials referenced by Paul shared the following pattern:
1. A rebellious sin would spread through and dominate the holy people of Israel.
2. God's response to the rebellious sin was to either to express His desire to eliminate the obstinate Israelites or simply begin terminating the lives of the people of Israel.
3. A number of Israelites are killed, from 3,000 to 24,000.
4. An intercessor (provided by God) would rise up and intercede, or perform a zealous act to turn away, the wrath of God, allowing the people of God to escape His full wrath and endure the trial, remaining as a people of God.

We then discover that this pattern is summed up in vss. 11-13, as both a warning and a reason for hope for the Corinthian ekklesia. Finally, we compare the above understanding of this passage to the typical teaching by the church system as a demonstration of how Scripture must be twisted in its interpretation to protect the counterfeit system promoted as the proper way for New Covenant believers to gather.

This passage gives a whole new meaning to the request in the Ekklesia's Prayer, "Lead us not into trial, but deliver us from the Evil One."