When Using Your Freedom May Not Be Helpful! 1 Corinthians 8

 

Food Sacrificed to Idols

8 Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. 3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.[a]4 So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. 5 There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. 6 But for us,

There is one God, the Father,
    by whom all things were created,
    and for whom we live.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,
    through whom all things were created,
    and through whom we live.

The other issue the Corinthians had asked Paul about was food sacrificed to idols.  Because the Corinthians cherished the newfound freedom they had in Christ, they felt there was nothing wrong eating food offered to idols. After all, they didn't believe in idols anyways.  Paul calls this, "having knowledge".  

While knowledge is certainly important, Paul warns the Corinthians that knowledge can "puff" a person up.  We all know what it is like to be around people who "know it all".  Knowledge may make us feel important, but it doesn't do much to build others up unless it is acted out in love. 

7 However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. 8 It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.

Though some may have had "knowledge" regarding the issue of eating food offered to idols, others from different backgrounds had not come to this conclusion.  Because they were used to thinking of eating this kind of food offered to idols as idolatry, they couldn't disconnect the two.  For them because they think it is a sin, it is sin to them.   If they were to eat it would be to act against their conscience. For those who had not problem eating the meat there was nothing wrong with eating the meat, they didn't HAVE to eat the meat.  It was a freedom they had, but they don't gain anything before God if they eat or don't eat.  

9 But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. 10 For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? 11 So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer[b] for whom Christ died will be destroyed. 12 And when you sin against other believers[c] by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. 13 So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.

Paul then gets to heart of what he wants to teach the church.  Though they are free to eat the meat because of it is not inherently sinful, they should NOT use their freedom if it causes another brother or sister to stumble.  Paul goes as far as to say when you are knowingly using your knowledge and not being sensitive to a weakness of another, you are sinning.  Just because you have knowledge does not give you the right to flaunt your freedom needlessly.  Finally, Paul is so serious about this issue that he says if what he eats causes another person to stumble, he will never use that freedom again.  We might say for Paul the right of an individual does not trump the obligation we have to each other in the body of Christ.  If it were just all about me, it wouldn't matter, but my goal as your brother in Christ is to build you up.  This does not mean to take responsibility for your decisions, but encouraging you to be obedient to God.  

Though eating meat is not an issue in our culture, what other issues might be similar to this one? Where might using your freedom in Christ cause another to stumble?  Why is having the freedom to say "no" to things that are not beneficial to you so important in the Christian faith?