“I am allowed to do that, and nobody can tell me no!” Have you ever heard someone say that, or something similar? Someone wants to do something, and true, there is no law or regulation prohibiting it, and then someone suggests to them that maybe they shouldn’t do that, at least not in certain circumstances. The first person, however, stubbornly proclaims that they will do whatever they feel like doing. They don’t even care if it might hurt someone else, their freedom is what matters, not other people. Rather selfish, don’t you think? We’d never act like that! Or would we? Our Scripture today discusses circumstances like that, and the Apostle Paul’s admonition to avoid acting in this manner with regards to other believers.
The city of Corinth was a large, important port city at the time of Paul, with a multitude of pagan gods and goddesses worshiped there. One practice done here was that when an animal was sacrificed to one of the many pagan gods on their altars, the meat was then frequently taken to the local butcher shop and sold. This, naturally, didn’t bother any pagan. It didn’t bother some Christians, either, as they knew that these pagan gods didn’t really even exist. However, there were some Christians who felt strongly against eating such food as it had been offered to a pagan god, making it sinful, as if one were then partaking in such worship. This became a big enough controversy in the Corinthian church that Paul had to address it.
The first thing that Paul did was to explain that these pagan deities do not really exist (vs. 4-6). There is no other deity apart from Yahweh. We do not serve one God among many. We serve the only God. We are not saved by the food we eat or avoid. Paul stated that there was nothing wrong with eating the meat that had been previously offered in sacrifice. Jesus said something similar when He said that it is not what goes in the mouth that defiles a person, but that which comes out of the mouth (Matthew 15:11). God also revealed to Peter that if He calls a food clean, it is clean to eat (Acts 10:9-16).
Paul continued to explain that there are always some spiritually immature believers, those who don’t understand that what one eats or does not eat does not affect them spiritually. Rather than get all proud and puffed up with our more spiritually advanced knowledge, Paul admonishes the spiritually stronger believers to be considerate of the immature and weaker believer, the ones who might be offended. We should avoid anything that would weaken their faith. If a weaker believer saw a stronger believer eating such food, it might weaken or defile their conscience, possibly leading them to do something that they believed was a sin (vs. 7-8). Paul was saying that even though they had the “right” to eat whatever they wanted, sometimes they needed to abstain out of love and concern for others.
This is sometimes an issue in some churches today. What one might consider wrong, another might feel is okay - alcohol, being a vegetarian or vegan or not, watching TV or movies, tattoos, dresses vs. slacks for women, make-up, etc. It is destructive to disregard the sensitivities of another’s conscience. It is not enough to be convinced that we have the liberty to do something, we must consider others, as well. Where truth grants us the freedom to partake in some things that a weaker believer might be offended by, love sometimes demands that we exercise our freedom to abstain.
The spiritually stronger one, though, may complain that they have the right to eat this, drink that, wear this or that, and that the Bible does not say it is a sin. Let’s look at a similar example. Let's say I go to an archery field. I pay the price, have my equipment, know how to shoot, and know the rules. I have all legal right to shoot the arrows at the target across the field. However, if a “weaker” child steps onto the field, I am required to stop. What I am doing is not wrong. I have the right to practice archery, but the presence of the “weaker” one requires me to stop, to abstain. I don’t want to hurt the child, even if he is in the wrong by being there.
Everything we do must be done with the idea of how it affects others. Paul was willing to give up all of his rights if it meant bringing the lost to Jesus, or helping a believer grow in the faith. Are we willing to practice some self-denial so that others may come to know salvation through the Lord Jesus?
No comments:
Post a Comment