What does 1 Corinthians 10:14 mean?

Paul has pointed to several instances from Israel's wilderness wanderings in which God harshly disciplined His own people for their sin. The apostle has encouraged the Christians in Corinth to take this as a warning. God always provides a means to resist temptation and avoid sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). This means there is no such thing as an "unavoidable" sin. In light of that, Paul urges believers to run away from the worship of false idols.

Paul gave these believers in Corinth similar commands about idolatry and sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18). In these two areas, especially, the only wise approach is to head in the other direction. This echoes the famous choice of Joseph, son of Jacob, who literally ran away from temptation (Genesis 39:7–12).

This command is further justified by what Paul writes in the following verses. He will connect idol worship to participation with demons. Paul intends for this command to inform the Corinthian Christians' choices, as well, about when to eat meat that may or may not have been offered to an idol.