Stumbling Blocks!
Reflection: Today
in 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses the issue of eating meat that has been offered
to idols in the marketplace. For a good
recap of what this meant for the community and some principles that can guide
us in these matters check out this link: http://www.gotquestions.org/food-sacrificed-idols.html
For Paul the bottom line is that even though we have
freedom in Christ, and we should not return to the legalism of the Old
Testament regarding what is clean and unclean, we should never use our freedom
if it would mean causing a brother or sister in Christ to stumble. Meat is “amoral”, but to the new community,
which was a mixture of Gentile and Jews, this caused issues. Jews would never eat such meat if had been
tainted in the marketplace, but for the Gentiles since they had not offered the
sacrifice they were free to eat it. You
can see how this situation is ripe for misunderstanding and division in the early
church, and so Paul gives the young church clear teaching on the matter. And at the heart of this teaching is that we
should always be aware if our actions might cause someone else to stumble, even
if the issue is not one for us.
There are many ways to apply this to our life together
today. For instance, we may want to be
sensitive to someone who is in recovery from alcoholism to suggest going to the
bar after work. That seems pretty
obvious, but I am sure there are many other applications for us as we seek to
honor each other in our life together as believers. I think the key thing is being aware of our freedoms,
and caring enough about the people around us to see when and if our actions
might cause a brother or sister to stumble.
Though God is clear on many commandments like do not kill and do not
steal, there are many areas for which discernment through the Holy Spirit is
needed for how we behave in our life together.
One of the more accepted practices in the church today is
gossip. We have all been tempted to talk
about another person when they are not there.
It gives us a sense of confidence when we talk about someone else’s
foibles, yet we all know it is wrong. As
we seek to live out our faith together in the new community God has called us
to, the guiding principle is to do unto others as you would want done unto
you. It seems so simple, yet so hard to
do. But Paul’s ultimate concern is that
this young church would glorify God and that their behavior would not be a
stumbling block for those outside the church. He wanted those outside the
church to be able to hear and see the Good News lived out in alignment with
what they believed. And I believe God
would want the same from us today!
Psalm 55:16-19
16 As for me, I call to God,
and the Lord
saves me.
17 Evening, morning and noon
I cry out in
distress,
and he hears my
voice.
18 He rescues me unharmed
from the battle
waged against me,
even though
many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old,
who does not
change—
he will hear them and humble them,
because they
have no fear of God.
Job 34:29-35:16
29 But if he remains silent, who can condemn him?
If he hides his
face, who can see him?
Yet he is over individual and nation alike,
30 to keep the
godless from ruling,
from laying
snares for the people.
31 “Suppose someone says to God,
‘I am guilty
but will offend no more.
32 Teach me what I cannot see;
if I have done
wrong, I will not do so again.’
33 Should God then reward you on your terms,
when you refuse
to repent?
You must decide, not I;
so tell me what
you know.
34 “Men of understanding declare,
wise men who
hear me say to me,
35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge;
his words lack
insight.’
36 Oh, that Job might be tested to the utmost
for answering
like a wicked man!
37 To his sin he adds rebellion;
scornfully he
claps his hands among us
and multiplies
his words against God.”
35 Then Elihu
said:
2 “Do you
think this is just?
You say, ‘I am
in the right, not God.’
3 Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me,[a]
and what do I
gain by not sinning?’
4 “I would like to reply to you
and to your
friends with you.
5 Look up at the heavens and see;
gaze at the
clouds so high above you.
6 If you sin, how does that affect him?
If your sins
are many, what does that do to him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him,
or what does he
receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself,
and your
righteousness only other people.
9 “People cry out under a load of oppression;
they plead for
relief from the arm of the powerful.
10 But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker,
who gives songs
in the night,
11 who teaches us more than he teaches[b] the beasts of
the earth
and makes us
wiser than[c] the birds in the sky?’
12 He does not answer when people cry out
because of the
arrogance of the wicked.
13 Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea;
the Almighty
pays no attention to it.
14 How much less, then, will he listen
when you say
that you do not see him,
that your case is before him
and you must
wait for him,
15 and further, that his anger never punishes
and he does not
take the least notice of wickedness.
16 So Job opens his mouth with empty talk;
without
knowledge he multiplies words.”
1 Corinthians 8
Concerning Food
Sacrificed to Idols
8 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We
all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those
who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But
whoever loves God is known by God. 4 So 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.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or
on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet 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. 7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are
still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of
it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it
is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do
not eat, and no better if we do. 9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of
your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone
with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s
temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11
So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your
knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak
conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my
brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will
not cause them to fall.
Do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted
towards your needy neighbor. Deuteronomy 15:7
Paul said, “In all this I have given you an
example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the
Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Acts 20:35
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