Thank you for the interpretation question on correct doctrine, “As pertaining to Christianity, is there a thin line between love and hate (I Corinthians 10:21) or we will be accursed (Galatians 1:6–9)? Does it mean we must get all our beliefs right (Hebrews 6:1–3) or be damned (Mark 16:16–18)?“
For one’s consideration, context of the verse is critical in interpretation and integrating it with other verses. This can lead to incorrect doctrine and conduct.
Let’s look at the context of I Cor. 10:21 and Gal. 1:6–9. I cite the broader context.
I Cor. 10 says this, “Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. 25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (NIV).
Gal. 1 says this, “6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! 10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ” (NIV).
As one looks at the context, I Corinthians 10 is addressing food being offered to idols while Galatians 1 is addressing the distortion of the Gospel. In other words, there are two different subjects.
The person who is accursed is the one who perverts the Gospels of salvation. The person who partakes in the Lord Table and then goes to the Greek Temple to feast is dual minded. One can only be true to one.
It’s like one goes to the Christian Church to worship the Creator God and then goes to the Buddhist Temple to worship Buddha. If I may use a human term that neither the Creator God or Buddha would be pleased with that person. Now if that person advocates that one can be saved by believing in Buddha and or believing in Jesus that is consider heresy. One can’t say that Jesus is the Only Way and then say that Buddha is the Way too. It’s one or the other, but not both.
Thus in I Cor. 10 and Gal. 1 are different subjects on food and the preaching of the Gospel content.
The same applies to Hebrew 6 and Mark 16. The subjects are different. Hebrew 6 is speaking about relearning the elementary teachings of the Christian faith while in Mark 16 is about the destiny of a person who rejects God’s offer of salvation.
John 3:16–18 confirms that the person who refuses to accept God’s offer of salvation is already condemn. “16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (NIV).
There is the difference of learning doctrine by believers which is distinct from non-believers rejecting God’s offer of salvation. One is a believer and the other is not a believer. One has accepted God’s salvation while the other person has not accepted God’s salvation. One is growing in the Lord while the other has nothing to do with the Lord.
Believers are not condemned for not knowing all the correct doctrines or upholding the practices of Scriptures. Once a person becomes a family member, God doesn’t condemn or reject him/her from his family for failing to live up to the Scriptures. For the non-believer, the biblical truths and standards are irrelevant to that person.
SUMMARY: Context is important in interpretation a passage. The subjects must be the same to correlate truth otherwise a false teaching may arise by combining Scriptures.