1 Corinthians 8
Daily Bread
1 Corinthians 8
Food Sacrificed to Idols
1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But the man who loves God is known by God.
4So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
Observation:
Paul, in this chapter, turns his attention to food sacrificed to idols in the marketplace. In a polytheistic world where there was a belief in many gods, animal sacrifice was seen as a way to appease the gods, so their wrath wouldn’t be unleashed. When the people in Corinth came to Christ, they realized there was but one God, and but one Lord Jesus Christ. Since there was no belief in idols for someone free in Christ, food sacrificed to idols for some believers was not an issue.
But Paul realized that some of the believers could not eat this kind of meat because their consciences were weak, or they were especially sensitive to this issue because of their past. Meaning they couldn’t distance themselves from the fact the food was offered to idols in the marketplace, in spite of the fact there is nothing inherently wrong/sinful with the meat.
So the main principle we can extract from this teaching is that though we have Christian freedom, we should use that serve a fellow Christian brother or sister. For instance, if we are with someone for whom some activity or behavior would be a stumbling block for them, we should refrain and not exercise our freedom to not cause them to go against their conscience.
Application:
Paul also uses the principle, “Though everyone is permissible, not everything is beneficial”. Meaning though we are free to do things that are not explicitly prohibited in the bible, we need to assess the situation we are in and who might be affected by the exercise of our free will.
For example (I use this example a lot because I think a lot of people can relate!) if a mature believer is with a younger believer who has had a problem with drinking in his/her past, it probably wouldn’t be a very good idea to bring him out to a bar.
Our basic call as a Christ follower and living out our beliefs in a faith community (church) is that we are to die to our selfish interests and live for others. One of the ways we practice our relationship with God is to serve one another and bear one another’s burdens. We all have weak spots in our character and lives, and we would do well to stay out situations that might put us on a slippery slope. As we get to know one another in small groups and share these vulnerabilities, we can help each other to grow and avoid compromising situations. This is a very valuable service we provide for each other!
Prayer:
Gracious Lord, we thank you for the communities you have brought us into where we can know you, grow up in what it means to follow you, and finally where we can show our love for you and each other. Help us to build each other up and not tear each other down. Help us to be an encouragement to another brother or sister in whatever they struggle with so we can all grow up to maturity in Christ. In Your Name we pray, Amen.
1 Corinthians 8
Food Sacrificed to Idols
1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But the man who loves God is known by God.
4So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
Observation:
Paul, in this chapter, turns his attention to food sacrificed to idols in the marketplace. In a polytheistic world where there was a belief in many gods, animal sacrifice was seen as a way to appease the gods, so their wrath wouldn’t be unleashed. When the people in Corinth came to Christ, they realized there was but one God, and but one Lord Jesus Christ. Since there was no belief in idols for someone free in Christ, food sacrificed to idols for some believers was not an issue.
But Paul realized that some of the believers could not eat this kind of meat because their consciences were weak, or they were especially sensitive to this issue because of their past. Meaning they couldn’t distance themselves from the fact the food was offered to idols in the marketplace, in spite of the fact there is nothing inherently wrong/sinful with the meat.
So the main principle we can extract from this teaching is that though we have Christian freedom, we should use that serve a fellow Christian brother or sister. For instance, if we are with someone for whom some activity or behavior would be a stumbling block for them, we should refrain and not exercise our freedom to not cause them to go against their conscience.
Application:
Paul also uses the principle, “Though everyone is permissible, not everything is beneficial”. Meaning though we are free to do things that are not explicitly prohibited in the bible, we need to assess the situation we are in and who might be affected by the exercise of our free will.
For example (I use this example a lot because I think a lot of people can relate!) if a mature believer is with a younger believer who has had a problem with drinking in his/her past, it probably wouldn’t be a very good idea to bring him out to a bar.
Our basic call as a Christ follower and living out our beliefs in a faith community (church) is that we are to die to our selfish interests and live for others. One of the ways we practice our relationship with God is to serve one another and bear one another’s burdens. We all have weak spots in our character and lives, and we would do well to stay out situations that might put us on a slippery slope. As we get to know one another in small groups and share these vulnerabilities, we can help each other to grow and avoid compromising situations. This is a very valuable service we provide for each other!
Prayer:
Gracious Lord, we thank you for the communities you have brought us into where we can know you, grow up in what it means to follow you, and finally where we can show our love for you and each other. Help us to build each other up and not tear each other down. Help us to be an encouragement to another brother or sister in whatever they struggle with so we can all grow up to maturity in Christ. In Your Name we pray, Amen.
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