1 Corinthians 8 - The Precious Gift of Freedom in Christ!

1 Corinthians 8 - NIV

Enduring Word Commentary

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.

Before we can dive into what this passage means for us today, you need to understand the context of the issue of food sacrificed which was sacrificed to idols in 1st century Roman city of Corinth. 

The Context of the Problem

In the first-century Roman city of Corinth, much of the meat available in the public markets (macellum) had first been offered as a sacrifice in pagan temples. After the priests took their portion, the remainder was often sold to be eaten at home or served at banquets within the temple precincts.This created a major conflict of conscience for the church, which was made up of both Jewish and Gentile (formerly polytheistic) converts. (Got Questions.org)

Earlier in the chapter, Paul categorizes the believers in two ways in relationship to this issue. One as, "strong" and the other as, "weak".  What did he mean by this?

The "Strong": Spiritually mature Christians understood that, according to monotheism, pagan gods were not real and an idol was "nothing at all". To them, the meat was just food.

The "Weak": Believers with a background in idol worship still viewed the pagan gods with fear, or associated eating the meat with honoring the idol. Eating the sacrificed food felt like a betrayal of their faith. (GotQuestions.org)

So the question this brought up for them and it still brings up for us today is, "How do we exercise our Christian freedom?" 

The basic answer Paul gives us in Galatians is, 

"Do not use your freedom to go back to the sinful nature, but instead use it to serve your brother or sister in Christ." Galatians 5:13

One of the major issues in the Corinthian church was pride. Those who knew eating food to idols was not a sin, looked down their noses at those who still could not eat the meat in good conscience. They might say or think something like, "Well you don't really understand what freedom in Christ is like if you are still worried about this silly thing!"

The freedom Jesus gave us from sin, death, and the power of the devil when he conquered death on the cross is the greatest gift Jesus has given us. Think about a slave bound in chains his whole life, when finally he is given freedom. The day comes where he leaves his dark prison cell for the first time, and is reunited with his family and friends he hasn't seen for years. 

He can still choose to go back to his old life, which got him thrown in prison. Or, he can enjoy his newly gained freedom being a productive citizen living life with the ones he loves.

What are some ways this passage would apply to us today? Where might a newer Christian struggle with a guilty conscience when they engage in a certain activity or behavior? 

How can you use the freedom you have in Christ to serve someone else in your church? 

Are there any ways in which you are tempted to go back to the bondage of your sinful nature?

Maybe it is helpful to think of the analogy of the slave who was just freed from a dark prison cell after years of captivity. He knew certainly knew the freedom he was given. 

Do we remember the freedom Jesus has given us when he died for us on the cross? Do we take it for granted? Do use the freedom Jesus gave us and give back to Him and the ones He has given us?

Jesus, thank you for freeing us from the bondage of sin by dying for us on the cross! Give us the strength, wisdom, and courage to use our freedom to serve You and others. Help us to be on guard for the temptation to use our freedom to return to the things which you have delivered us from on the day we first believed! Amen. 


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