SERMON: “Do All to the Glory of God Alone” (1 Cor. 10:31–11:1)
“Do All to the Glory of God Alone” (1 Cor. 10:31–11:1)
Series: “1 Cor: Holiness from Messes” #39 Text: 1
Corinthians 10:31–11:1
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: Oct. 25, 2026
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion: AM Service
Introduction
It is Reformation Day.
We remember a historic act today — on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther
nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Remember that the center of the controversy of
that day was the sale of indulgences (certificates that claimed to reduce the
punishment of sin in exchange for money). The Roman Catholic system taught people that
they could contribute something that would help secure their standing before
God.
The Reformers rightly rejected that human effort and merit
could in any way earn salvation. Instead, they insisted that if we contribute
anything, then we can claim at least some of the glory. Based on Scripture, salvation is by grace
alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Eph. 2:1–10). In other words, the glory belongs to God
alone, a doctrine known as Soli Deo Gloria.
That is the same principle leading our text this morning. After chapters of discussion about Christian
liberty and food offered to idols, Paul concludes here with a “therefore” or
“then,” and he says we should “do all to the glory of God.” He knew the Corinthians were tempted to use
their freedom for their own rights and preferences, so he redirects away from
advancing themselves toward lifting high God.
Soli Deo Gloria doesn’t just help us define our
salvation — it governs the Christian life.
Even though there are three commands in this text, the pinnacle command
tells us to do everything for God’s glory, and we’ll see three aspects of that
this morning. We’ll note the principle,
the practice, and the pattern of doing all to the glory of God. Let’s begin with the principle.
First, Note the Principle of Doing All to the Glory of God (10:31)
Whether, then, you
eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Again, we must notice the second word here. We know that when there is a “therefore,” we
must ask what that’s there for!
Sometimes, though, the same underlying Greek term is translated
“then.” This signals that Paul is taking
his teaching (in this case, the argument of chapters 8–10) and applying it to a
principle.
Before, he gave a different principle, that we should be
seeking the good of others (v. 24). This
is even more fundamental than that. If
seeking the good of others is the second great commandment, then this is the
first — to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37).
This is about exalting God above all else.
Let’s consider that.
Paul mentions eating and drinking, very ordinary and mundane parts of
our lives. Some might think that this is
about glorifying God even in the small parts of our lives, which is
important. However, remember that Paul
has been talking about their idolatrous use of food.[1] In the next chapter, he’ll discuss those showing
up drunk at the communal gatherings (11:21)!
Eating and drinking are key problems in church of Corinth.
How does Paul advise them?
He doesn’t tell them to stop eating and drinking. Rather, so far, he has told them to consider
whether their behavior was spiritually beneficial to themselves, whether it
considered the good of other people, and now, whether it glorifies God. If we can filter our choices through these
kinds of categories, then we know that we’re living in a way pleasing to God.
Yet, he isn’t binding this principle to just those two
activities. He goes on to say the words “whatever
you do,” universalizing the principle beyond food to other issues in this book
and beyond. As one commentator notes,
Sexual immorality (chs. 5–6) and
idolatry (chs. 8–10) are the antithesis to the glorification of God. They are to be countered by the manifestation
of Christian sexual purity (ch. 7) and God-honoring worship (chs. 11–14) which
reflect true wisdom (cf. chs. 1–4) as we await the return of the resurrected
Son of God (ch. 15). Any behavior that
detracts from God’s glory is to be rejected in favor of ones that promote it.[2]
Christian liberty is never license for self-preference —
it’s about the selfless glorification of God.[3]
Okay, you might say.
I understand what Paul is saying in general. But, what does it mean to glorify God?
God’s “glory” is His greatness, His worth. To glorify Him, then, is to display His excellence
and honor in some way. As God says in Ezekiel
36:23, “ ‘I will prove the holiness of My great name which has been profaned
among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh,’
declares Lord Yahweh, ‘when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.’ ” To do something to the glory of God is to act
in a way that makes much of Him rather than of ourselves, letting people see
Him through us.
Again, this is in everything, starting with salvation. The Reformers rightly insisted that even
justification is soli Deo gloria, that God said He glorifies Himself in
wiping away our sins; we even glorify Him by not adding our own works to the
process of salvation. Paul makes the
same point about the whole of Christian living. We are not to make the Christian life about
ourselves.
Think about this with preaching. I could stand up here, read a verse, and then
spend half an hour talking about me and my family. Some people think evangelism is about getting
people to like you. These things become
an excuse for a selfish Christianity that doesn’t glorify God.
The Corinthians had a slogan — “all things are lawful.” Well, Paul replaces it here with a new one: “Do
all things to the glory of God.”[4]
When you seek to obey God’s word or
serve other people before yourself, you are glorifying God. On the other hand, any practice that leads
others to denigrate the faith or that prioritizes our rights over God’s commands
dishonors Him. Any sin causes us to fall
short of this command.[5]
So, let us make this our own slogan. If you want to know more about living out
this principle, then look with me at the next verse of this chapter as we come
to the next point:
Second, Note the Practice of Doing All to the Glory of God (10:32)
Give no offense
either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God;
Here, we have another command — “give” — stated in the
negative (“don’t give”). These verses
show how the principle of 10:31 is lived in the concrete situation Paul has
been addressing. They are not a separate
topic; they are the application of Soli Deo Gloria in the sphere of liberty and
witness.
The command is telling us to avoid giving offense to
others. Now, we can’t necessarily
control if someone finds what we say offensive or feels offended just by our
presence or message. But that’s not what
the Lord would have us consider here; we’re to avoid being offensive to
others. The term means that we should
avoid causing others to stumble morally or spiritually.
Think about it with unbelievers — we would become a barrier
to the gospel. As one commentary notes
here, “People who wish to do everything
for the glory of God cannot succeed if they act in disregard for others. Paul was always relinquishing his rights for
the spiritual benefit of others — that they may be saved.”[6] Again, we aren’t responsible because someone
feels bad for the preaching of the message, but we can avoid speaking in a way
that purposefully offends.
This is something people who are chronically online could
learn. There are people who open
anonymous accounts not because of persecution but because they want to post
some of the most vile content possible without consequence. This includes professing Christians, because
some of them include statements like “Christ is King” in their profiles. They have become stumbling blocks at the
entrance to the Kingdom of God.
Consider how Paul breaks it down here. He says to avoid offending both Jews and Greeks. Incidentally, I am shocked by how many of
these professed Christians online are attacking unbelieving Jews when God’s
Word here forbids it. Paul is even
talking about behavior here — don’t engage in activity in front of Jews that
you know will be offensive to them, like the appearance of idolatry.[7] Some point out that they are believing
falsely and are unsaved, and that’s the point: we should strive to avoid being
the reason they don’t come to Christ.
He doesn’t just focus on Jews, though. The “Greeks,” a term synonymous with
“Gentiles,” might likewise be offended by the apparent hypocrisy of the
Christians who appear to engage in idolatry with their eating habits.[8] Both the Jewish and Gentile converts were to
have concern for unbelievers from either ethnicity; Christians who don’t fail
to glorify God in their lives.
Paul doesn’t end with the unbeliever — he now turns to the
rest of humanity by mentioning “the church of God.” The Jews who converted shouldn’t be “unnecessarily
grieved nor prejudiced” against the Gentile converts or their consciences.[9] The Gentile converts should not engage in
activities that a weaker Jewish brother might interpret as veneration of idols.[10] The point is the same for unbelievers and for
believers: our use of liberty must not hinder others, either in their coming to
or ongoing belief in the gospel.
There is all manner of idolatry. The Roman Catholics will claim that they
don’t have it while venerating statues, and the Greek Orthodox can fall into it
with paintings, all of which rob God of glory.
People can also make idols out of their own liberties and freedoms,
choosing their desires over the good of others.
We Protestants can fail in this all the time.
We need to change our practice if we want to glorify God in
all we do. Thankfully, we have a pattern
to follow. Let’s look at the next two
verses, even though that takes us into the next chapter:
Third, Note the Pattern of Doing All to the Glory of God (10:33–11:1)
just as I also
please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the
many, so that they may be saved. Be
imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
11:1 belongs with chapter 10, and maybe that makes sense as
we read it together like this. Remember
that the verse numbers and chapters were added later; Paul didn’t divide his
writing into chapters like this! The
numbers are here so we can navigate the text, and unfortunately, they sometimes
fail us. Let’s consider what these
verses are teaching us together.
Paul is saying that he models what it means to glorify
God. He begins by saying “just as,”
meaning that he intends to be copied in his behavior. He’s demonstrating a pattern.
He says he is “not seeking my own profit but the profit of
the many, that they may be saved.” Now,
don’t be confused; this is not mere people-pleasing. Elsewhere, Paul warns that seeking to please
other people is at odds with pleasing God (Gal 1:10). The trouble is valuing the opinions and
feelings of other people over our own convictions and what God has revealed.
Here, Paul is highlighting a different problem. He warns against seeking to please ourselves
above pleasing other people, valuing our own desires above others. Being a self-pleaser is just as antithetical
to God’s glory as being a people-pleaser, and it can be just as deceptive. We may wrap it in terms of self-love and
self-care, but it really comes down to being selfish at times.
Paul modeled setting aside his own advantages at times to
seek the good of others. Paul repeatedly
set aside personal advantage and safety for the sake of the gospel, including
his willingness to go to Rome as a prisoner (Acts 25). In Romans 15:2, he says, “Each of us is to
please his neighbor for his good, to his building up.” This is glorifying God in his life, and we
should consider the model.
In 11:1, he then supplies the standard. He gives us the final command we have today as
he calls them to imitate him. How?
Christ is the ultimate example, the one Paul (and we) should
imitate. Remember that in Philippians
2:4, Paul says that no one should be looking for his own interests alone, but
also for the interests of others; he then tells of how Christ did this very
thing (vv. 5–7). Jesus Christ was willing
to set aside His own glory and advantages for the salvation of others — ultimately,
through going to the cross for our sins (Isa. 53; 1 Cor. 8:11; 10:16; 15:3).
Paul sought to give up his rights for others, too, saying, “that
they may be saved.” His purpose was evangelism
(cf. Rom. 11:14; 1 Thess. 2:16). To be
clear, the “they” here would refer both to the Jews and Gentiles of the
previous verse, and if we want to follow Paul, we should seek to glorify God by
being inoffensive and sharing the faith with unbelievers.
I want you to notice something else: this is a passive
statement. Paul doesn’t say he does the
saving, for that would also detract from God’s glory. This is a divine passive — God does the
saving though our works and behavior.
Paul isn’t saying to imitate him in particular, then. He’s human with sins and imperfections. Rather, he wants the reader to imitate his
imitation of Christ. Our Lord is the
ultimate standard.
This is soli deo gloria. The Son seeks the Father’s glory by seeking
the salvation of others at the cost of Himself. When the Corinthians (and we) regulate our
liberty by love, we are following that pattern. The result is a life free from the tyranny of
our own rights and preferences, oriented entirely toward the honor of God and
the good of others.
Conclusion
Christian freedom is freedom from ourselves to glorify God
by becoming like Christ. On this Reformation
Sunday, the glory of God isn’t just about your salvation — which I hope you
trust in the hands of the Lord Jesus alone.
It is also the practical demand of this text.
Do you live soli deo gloria? Whether the issue is food, drink, social
customs, or any other use of liberty, the question is not “What am I free to
do?” but “What will honor God and advance the gospel?”
May we live lives to the glory of God alone.
[1] Roy E. Ciampa and Brian S. Rosner, The
First Letter to the Corinthians,
The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William
B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 495–496.
[2] Ibid., 496.
[3] John F. MacArthur Jr., 1
Corinthians, MacArthur New
Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 248.
[4] Andrew David Naselli, “1 Corinthians,” in Romans–Galatians,
eds. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, (Wheaton, IL:
Crossway, 2020), X, 309.
[5] MacArthur, 248–249.
[6] F. Alan Tomlinson, CSB
Study Bible: Notes, 2017, 1826.
[7] Ciampa and Rosner, 497.
[8] Ibid., 497–498.
[9] Matthew Henry, Matthew
Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 2263.
[10] Ibid.