Daily Bread 2011 - 1 Corinthians 8
Daily Bread 2011 – 1 Corinthians 8
Food Sacrificed to Idols
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For 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? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, 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.
What Does This Mean?
This is a hugely important passage for how Paul understands the use of Christian freedom. First, he points out that for a believer to eat meat sacrificed to idols in the pagan festivals means nothing, because there is only One God. Since there is no real spiritual power inherent in idols, there is no spiritual potency in either eating the meat offered to idols or not eating it. In that sense the believer does not sin by eating meat sacrificed to idols.
Yet for some, because their consciences were so accustomed to viewing meat offered to idols as a sin, for them it continued to cause them a problem. Their consciences were weak in the sense that even though through Christ they are free to eat anything, because of the past associations with what it meant they could not eat with a clean conscience. Paul is here lifting up the difference between a human’s conscience and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. But in the end, Paul teaches the Corinthians, that for the sake of the “weaker brother or sister” they should not exercise their freedom to eat meat. The reason being once someone’s conscience is blurred, it might be easier for them to continue in a pattern of sinning in an even worse manner. This is the reason Paul says, “If what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him/her to fall.”
What Does This Mean For Us?
What this means is that it is not just all about “our relationship” with God. We make choices in the context of a community of faith, and our choices often affect others for whom Jesus died for. Therefore, though we have freedom in Christ and are not bound by the Law, we make those choices in light of how it affects the faith/conscience of others in the Christian community. A choice might not be bad for us, but for someone who struggles with this issue it could cause them to sin and harm their relationship with God. Paul says in this instance to make a choice to serve your brother in sister in love than exercise your own freedom.
For instance, if someone in your community is an alcoholic, who is newly sober, you might abstain from drinking alcohol in front of them. Having a drink might be okay for you (clearly drunkenness is a sin); but with a person in recovery it might cause them to fall off the wagon and fall back into addiction. This principal would be true with any of the various addictions we see out there today (i.e. gambling, eating, sexual addiction, credit card spending, drugs)
Part of the life of discipleship is dying each day to our rights and living to serve God and others. And of course there is a freedom in this as well.
Jesus thank you for dying on the cross so that we would be free of sin. Help us to use our freedom in You to serve others and help them grow closer to a life of obedience based on what You have done for them and for us, Amen.
Food Sacrificed to Idols
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For 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? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, 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.
What Does This Mean?
This is a hugely important passage for how Paul understands the use of Christian freedom. First, he points out that for a believer to eat meat sacrificed to idols in the pagan festivals means nothing, because there is only One God. Since there is no real spiritual power inherent in idols, there is no spiritual potency in either eating the meat offered to idols or not eating it. In that sense the believer does not sin by eating meat sacrificed to idols.
Yet for some, because their consciences were so accustomed to viewing meat offered to idols as a sin, for them it continued to cause them a problem. Their consciences were weak in the sense that even though through Christ they are free to eat anything, because of the past associations with what it meant they could not eat with a clean conscience. Paul is here lifting up the difference between a human’s conscience and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. But in the end, Paul teaches the Corinthians, that for the sake of the “weaker brother or sister” they should not exercise their freedom to eat meat. The reason being once someone’s conscience is blurred, it might be easier for them to continue in a pattern of sinning in an even worse manner. This is the reason Paul says, “If what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him/her to fall.”
What Does This Mean For Us?
What this means is that it is not just all about “our relationship” with God. We make choices in the context of a community of faith, and our choices often affect others for whom Jesus died for. Therefore, though we have freedom in Christ and are not bound by the Law, we make those choices in light of how it affects the faith/conscience of others in the Christian community. A choice might not be bad for us, but for someone who struggles with this issue it could cause them to sin and harm their relationship with God. Paul says in this instance to make a choice to serve your brother in sister in love than exercise your own freedom.
For instance, if someone in your community is an alcoholic, who is newly sober, you might abstain from drinking alcohol in front of them. Having a drink might be okay for you (clearly drunkenness is a sin); but with a person in recovery it might cause them to fall off the wagon and fall back into addiction. This principal would be true with any of the various addictions we see out there today (i.e. gambling, eating, sexual addiction, credit card spending, drugs)
Part of the life of discipleship is dying each day to our rights and living to serve God and others. And of course there is a freedom in this as well.
Jesus thank you for dying on the cross so that we would be free of sin. Help us to use our freedom in You to serve others and help them grow closer to a life of obedience based on what You have done for them and for us, Amen.
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