First Corinthians 12:2 reads, “Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.” Paul wrote the Corinthian letter to the church in Corinth, which was primarily Gentile. These Christians had not grown up in the Jewish religion. They had grown up worshiping many different gods. There were statues to Poseidon, Athena, Asklepius and many other gods. These idols could not speak. That is what the word “dumb” in our verse above means. The Corinthians were also very familiar with the Oracle of Delphi. There was a cave where a few chosen women over the age of fifty would take turns sitting and supposedly answering questions. The worshiper would enter the cave and ask the Oracle a question. The Oracle would be in a trance and simply moan, groan and mumble the answer. Then, a priest would interpret with a poem. Most of the time the poem did not make any sense. The worshiper went away not knowing any more than when he came.
The Corinthians were reared in a culture where lifeless statues who could not speak were worshiped, and even if there was ‘communication’ from an Oracle, one had no idea what had been said.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul told the Corinthians that they have easily understood communication from God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Spirit. They have a God who is not silent. They have a God who communicates with them. Paul said that they need to obey God. They needed to use the communication from God in a proper manner and in the proper attitude.
Study your Bible. Learn what God wants you to know, and if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
