1 Corinthians 10:20

'But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with demons' — Paul's identification of pagan sacrifice with demonic activity draws on Deuteronomy 32:17 ('they sacrificed unto devils, not to God') and reflects the Jewish understanding that false gods are malevolent spiritual powers rather than simply nothing. The logic — participation creates koinōnia ('fellowship'), and fellowship with demons is incompatible with fellowship with Christ (verse 21) — establishes the principle that ritual action has ontological consequences regardless of subjective intent, addressing the Corinthian libertinists who assumed their spiritual knowledge made them immune to such concerns.