FIRST CORINTHIANS
Chapter 8
Introduction
"Can a Christian gamble?"
It’s a question that a lot of Christians ask – especially in light of the California lottery and the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore.
It’s a question that gets asked about all questionable practices. A "questionable practice" is a behavior that some believers feel to be wrong but that is not specifically forbidden in Scripture. The list would include things like:
The Bible does not specifically forbid these practices, but some believers find that their conscience forbids them from participating. This creates conflict between brothers and sisters in the Lord. One believer has the liberty to participate in a questionable practice; one does not have the liberty to participate and must abstain. That’s fine… Until we get together! Then our beliefs and behaviors affect one another. We need to arrive at an answer to the question of questionable practices.
A big part of the answer is here in our text. There was a question about a questionable practice in Corinth: Could a Christian eat the meat that had been sacrificed to an idol? Some of the believers had the liberty to do so; but others found their conscience forbidding them from doing so.
They undoubtedly wanted what we always want – a "Yes" or a "No" answer. There is no "Yes" or "No" answer to the question of questionable practices. There is instead a principle to apply: Love for your brothers and sisters limits your liberty to participate in questionable things.
You’ll see two things in the text: #1 Your Liberty Is A Building-Block When It Is Limited By Love, and #2 Your Liberty Is A Stumbling-Block When It Leaves Out Love.
#1 Your Liberty Is A Building-Block
When It Is Limited By Love
(v1-8)
Every believer is called upon to edify every other believer. The word "edifies," found in verse one, means build up. As you fellowship with other believers, you want to build them up in their walk with the Lord. If you are not careful, however, you can instead become what is described in verse nine: a "stumbling-block." How you approach your liberty in questionable things determines whether you will build-up or stumble your brothers and sisters in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning things offered to idols…
"Things offered to idols" is one word in Greek and can be translated simply as "idol sacrifices." Let me explain exactly what was happening in Corinth. The "things offered to idols" were food offerings, symbolically presented in worship to the god in whose temple they were given. The particular issue was that of eating food that had been offered in those sacrifices.
The Greeks and Romans were polytheistic, worshiping many gods. They had a god, or a group of gods, for every circumstance, every need, and every activity of any consequence. They were also polydemonistic, believing in many evil spirits. They believed the air was filled with evil spirits of all sorts.
It was believed that the evil spirits were constantly trying to invade human beings and that the easiest way to do that was to attach themselves to food before it was eaten. The only way the spirits could be removed from food was through its being sacrificed to a god. The sacrifice therefore served two purposes: it gained the favor of the god and cleansed the meat from demonic contamination.
Idol offerings were divided into three parts. One part was burned on an altar as the sacrifice to the idol. The second part was given as payment to the priests who served at the temple. The third part was kept by the offerer. Because of the large number of offerings, the priests were not able to eat all of their portion, and they sold in the marketplace what they did not need. That meat was highly valued by the general population because it was cleansed of evil spirits, and was thus the meat served at public feasts and to house guests. And it was cheaper in price than other meats – so it was a good deal all the way around.
There were believers in Corinth who had no problem eating meat that had been offered to idols. They could go to public feasts or into private homes and not even give it a second thought. They bought the meat at discount prices and served it in their own homes. Putting it in spiritual terms, we would say that they had liberty to eat it, and they were exercising their liberty. But there were other believers who did not have a clear conscience about eating such meat. They felt it was wrong.
Now apparently the believers who had liberty to eat the meat were ignoring the concerns of their brothers and sisters who were troubled by it. They were insisting on their liberty. Whenever confronted by those whose conscience bothered them, those with liberty had logical arguments for why eating things offered to idols was no big deal. Their arguments were not resolving the issue – so the church asked Paul to resolve it.
It was an issue that could only be resolved by love:
1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
"We all have knowledge" is a phrase that probably summarizes the logical arguments the meat eaters were using. The knowledge they had, according to verse four, was that "an idol is nothing… and that there is no other God but one." In other words, offering meat to the idol of a false god does not in any way affect the meat. It is still perfectly good meat and can make for a great barbecue!
They were right about the meat; but they were wrong about eating it without concern for how their behavior affected others. Paul answers them by saying "knowledge puffs up, but love edifies" – it builds-up. Simply put, love for their brothers and sisters should have been more important to them than exercising their liberty.
Knowledge is essential; you should know God’s Word and be guided by it into maturity. Conscience is not an infallible guide; it must be trained by reading the Bible. Knowledge of God’s Word is what teaches your conscience what is truly right and wrong. It was more mature to be free to eat the meat. But you must also be maturing in love for your brothers and sisters! If you are truly maturing, you have the ability to apply biblical truth in your own life, and you have the humility to apply biblical truth in your relationships with others.
1 Corinthians 8:2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
You can be orthodox, but arrogant. Knowledge is proud; wisdom is humble.
1 Corinthians 8:3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
Your relationship to God is a love relationship. You love Him; and you are "known" by Him – intimately, wonderfully, lovingly known to His heart. Paul is implying that if you are loved by God, and you love God – then you will show it by loving those whom God loves.
Having established love as the answer to the question of questionable practices, Paul gives his opinion about meat offered to idols:
1 Corinthians 8:4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.
1 Corinthians 8:5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),
1 Corinthians 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
An idol only reflects the imagination of the person who made it, or the impersonation of a demon who deceives people through it. Some idols are outright fakes; others are manifestations of demons – "so-called gods" – but either way they are inferior to God your Father in heaven. Unbelievers may invent "many gods and many lords," but none are truly gods. There may be some reality behind an idol if a demon is involved; but there cannot be deity. God alone is God!
This teaching is meant to liberate the conscience of the believers who refused to eat meat. Liberty is a great blessing in the Christian life.
1 Corinthians 8:7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
1 Corinthians 8:8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.
You are free to eat things offered to idols – just as soon as your conscience will allow you to do so. Knowing you can eat it is a first step; but you still must be personally convinced. For many personal reasons, believers struggle against certain questionable practices. Whether or not you ever have liberty in certain areas "does not commend [you] to God." In other words, it doesn’t make you more spiritual, or leave you less spiritual. These are personal issues to be decided in your heart between you and God. No one can or should overrule your conscience.
Do you love God? If the answer is "Yes," then you will love your brothers and sisters in the family of God. Since you love them, you will limit your liberty in questionable practices so you can build them up. Love takes priority and limits your liberty. If it doesn’t, your liberty isn’t really setting you free; it’s enslaving you to selfishness and self-gratification to some habit you have acquired.
#2 Your Liberty Is A Stumbling-Block
When It Leaves Out Love
(v9-13)
Paul directly addressed the believers who insisted on exercising their liberty around others with a weaker conscience:
1 Corinthians 8:9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
A "stumbling-block" is serious. It is the same thing Jesus was saying when He said that it would be better for you to have a millstone hung around your neck and you be thrown into the sea rather than offend your brother or sister.
1 Corinthians 8:10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?
Like it or not, since you’re a Christian, people scrutinize your life. You are a part of the body of Jesus and along with your rights you have responsibilities. You must consider how your behavior affects others – especially your participation in questionable practices.
1 Corinthians 8:11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
"Perish" can be translated ruined. Here it has the meaning of being led into sin. It happens more frequently than you realize that believers insist on exercising their liberty indiscriminately. This encourages others to participate in something that their own conscience forbids, which is sin for them. Sin ruins them - either for a short time or for a lifetime.
Those ruined are not the only ones sinning:
1 Corinthians 8:12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
The mature believer, who has liberty and insists on exercising it without caution, is actually sinning against other believers, which is sinning against Jesus Christ!
1 Corinthians 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Love limits your liberty. It is the answer to all questions about questionable practices. What you ought to do takes priority over what you want to do and are free to do.
Conclusion
There is a practical problem with all of this we need to address. There will always be "weak brothers" and sisters whose conscience forbids them from questionable things. There is always going to be someone who is offended by your liberty in some area. Does that mean you can never really exercise your liberty for fear of stumbling someone?
No, it doesn’t mean you can never exercise your liberty. It does mean you must always be considerate of their conscience and limit your liberty by love when it is appropriate to do so. It does mean that you must carefully calculate the exercise of your liberty in questionable practices so as not to risk becoming a stumbling-block to others.
Our text in First Corinthians addresses the believer who insists on exercising his or her liberty without care for how it affects others. They are to love their brothers and sisters. But the weaker Christian also has the responsibility of showing love to fellow believers!
Both of these believers are addressed in Romans 14:13, where Paul writes,
Romans 14:13 Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way.
This verse applies to both those who have liberty and those who do not:
You could put it this way:
You must always be willing to limit your liberty, and you must always be willing to not limit the liberty of others!
The answer is always love for your brothers and sisters.