When weeping is better than words…

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:1–13)

While this seems strange in our culture, on a holiday in Asia we saw shrines where food was offered to idols. No one told us what happened to the food when the idol didn’t consume it, but for anyone who became a Christian, idol worship would be a sin. Eating the food, if done, would also be sinful by association. So if I was hungry and snacked off that shrine and a new Christian in that culture saw me do it, I might defile their conscience. 

In other words, if another Christian thinks anything is a sin and I am convinced otherwise, I would be wounding their conscience by doing whatever they think is sin. I’m to consider my freedoms in Christ a blessing but not to the point of boasting or harming the faith of someone who has not come to that freedom. This is about loving others and not doing anything that encourages them to violate their own conscience. It is not my role to demonstrate my deeper faith, but to meet people where they are at.

At the same time, I can edify others in love by doing and saying what the Holy Spirit tells me, as the NT says:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:29–32)

Being loved as Jesus loves me has a powerful effect of setting me free from worry, hangups, discouragement, and trying to make myself a better person. This is what God wants in my treatment of others too. The passage says I might know things others do not know, but that is not a reason proudly pat myself on the back or spout off what I know. Loving people is far more helpful and more like Jesus who told His disciples only what they were ready to hear.

Jesus, in the past week You have brought into our lives an angry and alone divorced woman, a family who lost a loved one and is very upset that he cannot travel to be with the other survivors, and a man who had a stroke and will need to be in a care facility the rest of his life. You tell us to weep with those who weep and not be wise in our own eyes. Love is not always giving answers or mini-sermons, but about weeping with them.

 

I cannot dictate certain spiritual freedoms . . .

 1 Samuel 27; Psalm 44; Ezekiel 6; 1 Corinthians 8

 During this pandemic, people have various thoughts on what is safe and what isn’t. Some stay home and their food is delivered by friends. Others feel free to do almost anything. I’m okay with grocery shopping and going to church because our city has ‘rules’ that stores, restaurants and churches are following. Gyms do too but I don’t feel free to go back yet and have no explanation except that sense of ‘not yet’ that nudges me.

In the early church, many believers came out of a background of idolatry where food was offered to the idols. This is still done in several countries. Some new Christians thought it sinful to eat this food. Others were not concerned. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth with advice for those who felt the most freedom. They were not to impose their thoughts on those who didn’t feel they should touch that food . . .  

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:1–13)

Eating this food was not wrong, like robbing a bank or cheating on your spouse is wrong. The principles in this passage concerns activities that are morally indifferent. That is, I cannot look down my nose at others who are afraid to go anywhere. Buying groceries is not a sin nor is staying home and tending your garden.

A damaged conscience can be a problem, not necessarily in the eating of food offered to idols (for idols are not real, only the demonic influence behind idolatry) if a person’s conscience is instructed by truth. Paul said that he was oblivious to sin without the Law of God. However, he stresses that when another person is in the process of having their conscience shaped by God instead of things like peer pressure or even common sense, it is important that I stay out of it. I might feel free to do something that gets them in trouble.

For example: I am free to eat in restaurants yet another might go there against their conscience because I go there — and wind up getting sick.

I must respect anyone who fears something that is not intrinsically sinful. They may seem bound by ‘rules’ that make no sense to me, but I have no idea what God is doing in their lives. For instance, I am free to eat strawberries but my son refused to try them even as a small child. Later testing showed he is severely allergic to these berries. Pushing him to eat them would have been unloving.

This illustrates why God tells me to restrict my freedoms for the sake of others. I should never tell anyone what they can and cannot do when talking about non-moral issues and I would not appreciate anyone pressuring me to go to the gym when my conscience is saying it is too soon to go.

APPLY: In a way, this is less about giving up certain actions and more about keeping my mouth shut. I have tried to convince a few people that seem fearful to do what I feel free to do, but God is telling me to leave them alone. He could be using their ideas to develop their ability to hear His guidance, but He could also be using the same thing to keep them safe.

 

Don’t judge those with a weak conscience . . .

In ancient and even modern times, people worship idols. In many cases, they put food out for those idols, but since these idols are not real, the food is uneaten. Those who offer it wind up eating it themselves. Or in the case of the church at Corinth, they were offering it to their guests, some of whom were new Christians. These folks were concerned: was it a sin to eat this food?

Paul’s response is long but it does have application for today. It takes him awhile to get to the point, but he first affirms that idols do not exist, only in the imagination.  We have one God and should have no problem with eating anything. However, some were looking at this as sin so was it?

This reminds me of a Christian visitor to our home. While I was preparing the meal, our little granddaughter asked the visitor to play a game of “Old Maid” with her. The woman said she would love to play but asked for a different type of game. She explained later that she grew up in a family that gambled using cards. To her, it was a sin and rather than defile her conscience, she rejected the card game but was fine with other games.

This is what Paul said about this matter:

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. However, not all possess this knowledge.

But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.

Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1 Corinthians 8:1–13)

The issue was not so much about food but our need to consider the conscience of others. Like my friend and card games, some thought eating this food was sinful and would put a barrier between them and God. They may later realize this belief came from a weak conscience, but in the meantime, it would be a sin to make light of their weakness, so don’t eat the food. Otherwise, it isn’t a problem.

Paul also wrote about this issue of what bothers our conscience. It may be nothing in the mind of God, but not everyone understands that. However, God is concerned that our fellowship with Him is not broken even by doing something in ignorance. Paul said: “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.” (Romans 14:14)

God is also concerned that we do not cause other to defile their conscience. That is, I am not to push my friend into playing a card game that I think is innocent if it is going to make her feel guilty. She may grow in her faith and knowledge of God to realize playing Old Maid is not a problem, but in the meantime . . .

It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. (Romans 14:21–23)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, thank You for reminding me that not everyone feels free in their faith. Those who do can harm those who do not by pushing them to do what they have qualms about doing. Give me sensitivity to this and help me understand how to respond when another Christian reacts as the Christians in Corinth did. We do not live by rules about food or anything else, but by faith in You, trusting You to clarify all the issues and concerns in life, not just my life, but the lives of others.