Love Not the World- Part 10
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Discerning the World
Discerning the World
The Necessity of Applying Biblical Teaching to Matters Not Explicitly Mentioned
The Necessity of Applying Biblical Teaching to Matters Not Explicitly Mentioned
An Erroneous View
An Erroneous View
Some well-meaning Christians adopt an erroneous view by citing the Reformation principle of sola scriptura.
What is sola scriptura?
“Scripture alone” this is opposed to the Roman Catholic adherence to Scripture plus tradition.
The argument goes:
Since Scripture does not specify such details and we are forbidden to add tradition to Scripture, it follows that believers are at liberty of personal choice in such matters.”
Since God judges the heart rather than the outward conduct, then insisting on standards that the Bible does not specify is a form of legalism.
Sola scriptura means that the Bible is enough, so where the Bible says nothing, nothing needs to be said, and to say something anyway is to add to the Word of God.
“The Bible is indeed enough; however, some Christians fail to do enough with the Bible. The Bible itself demands that we apply its teachings to matters beyond what it explicitly states.” —Randy Leedy
How do we know that?
Indications that Application is Required
Indications that Application is Required
Use of General Words and Expressions
Use of General Words and Expressions
We know that the Bible demands we apply its teaching to matters beyond what it explicitly states because of words like such.
Key Passages
Key Passages
Three passages that support the claim that the Bible not only allows but requires its readers to apply its teaching to parallel matters not specifically mentioned.
2 Timothy 2:4-7
2 Timothy 2:4-7
4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
This passage intentionally says more than it says. Paul gives us three illustrations. What are they? Soldier, athlete, farmer.
Then he says in v. 7 “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.”
What does Paul mean by this verse?
Could Paul have gone on in v. 8 and explain in detail exactly what he had in mind? Did he?
Who did Pau leave it up to? Timothy and then every reader since…
What does Paul expect of us? To infer not only the correct interpretation of these statements but also their what? application to specific issues in our lives.
Mark 2:23-28
Mark 2:23-28
23 One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees were saying to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
What was the issue the Pharisees are upset about?
What law are the disciples breaking according to them?
How does Jesus respond?
25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?”
OK, what was the original issue? The disciples breaking the Sabbath law.
Does the passage that Jesus uses in response have anything to do with the Sabbath?
David is on the run from Saul. He and his men ate the showbread, which, under law, only priests were allowed to eat. Yet, this OT passages says nothing about Sabbath observance, but Jesus makes it clear- this passage says more that it says.
27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Jesus wants to draw our attention not to a parallel between David and his disciples, but David and Jesus Himself.
Jesus wants us to see that God’s anointed King may deal with ceremonial regulations in unusual ways. Jesus is THE King of David. He is THE Lord even of the Sabbath.
Go back to v. 25
25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him:
Jesus didn’t merely allow for such an application of an OT text to a specific situation- he required it! He faults the Pharisees for their defective reading of the Scripture.
“The Bible said enough to justify the actions of Jesus’ disciples on this occasion, but the Pharisees had failed to do enough with their Bibles to recognize it.” — Randy Leedy
I Corinthians 8-10
I Corinthians 8-10
In this passage Paul deals with one of the Corinthian’s questions.
1 Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”
25 Now concerning the betrothed, I have no command from the Lord, but I give my judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy.
1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.
In I Cor 8-10 Paul is dealing with this question of food offered to idols. This is not a simple issue. It is multifaceted, based on the various situations in which idol meat might be eaten.
10 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?
You might have this meal in an actual temple facility.
25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience.
You might be eating meat sold in the market that is left over from an idol sacrifice.
27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.
You might be invited into the home of an unbeliever and there be served idol meat.
Another fascinating consideration about this whole topic is the letter of recommendation that the church in Jerusalem sent to the church in Antioch about the behavior of Gentile Christians.
28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
So why does Paul not settle the matter in Corinth by simply quoting this letter? He could have gone the “legalistic” approach and said “DON’T!”
Instead, Paul is exercising and calling for spiritual discernment.
How does Paul do this? By developing Scriptural truths that enable his fellow Corinthian believers to exercise wise application.
4 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.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 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.
What is the first principle that Paul develops here as he answers the Corinthians’ question?
Principle #1: An idol is in fact nothing (v. 4).
Notice in the ESV the phrase “an idol has no real existence” is in quotation marks. Why? This is perhaps another Corinthian slogan. They were using this slogan to rationalize their ability to eat meal offered to idols.
We can eat any meat offered to idols because “an idol has no real existence” and “there is no God but one.”
Is this true? Yes, Paul acknowledges this as true. But, he takes it a step further in v. 6.
6 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.
Principle #2: We exist for God! We exist for his glory.
How should this principle cause the Corinthians to stop and think about their previous slogan? I don’t get to do whatever I want, instead I get to do whatever brings God glory— include eating or not eating meat offered to idols.
7 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. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
What principles does Paul establish here?
Principle #3: Eating food does not, in itself, bring glory to God.
Question: Why does Paul say elsewhere:
1 Corinthians 10:31 “31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
How can he say that in 10:31? And then in 8:8- food will not commend us to God?
What is the key component when it comes to eating food? HEART! What desires are ruling over your heart when you eat that food?
V. 9- what is the desire that is controlling your heart? Desire for self-glory or God’s glory? How would these desires effect the eating of food?
Principle #4: My liberty is limited by the weakness of my brother.
10 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? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Principle #5: Sinning against my weaker brother is akin to sinning against Christ. Why? He is the brother for whom Christ died- He is united to Christ! If you wound the one you wound the other!
What conclusion does Paul make based on all of these principles? What application does he draw? If food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Is it OK to eat idol meat? Not if it wounds my weaker brother’s conscience!
Does this passage only apply to eating idol meat? Does this passage require us to use discernment and apply it to other areas of our lives?
Paul then takes a slight turn in subject in chapter 9 and comes back to answering the question about idol meat in chapter 10.
He begins by making an analogy to an OT passage of Scripture.
1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
What OT narrative is Paul making reference to? Does this passage have anything to do with eating meat offered to idols? And yet, Paul uses it to make his point. This passages says more that it seems to say.
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.
Based on everything I have just pointed out- judge for yourselves what I say! What does Paul mean here? Connect the dots! Make proper application and implementation of the Scriptures.
16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
Is the bread that we eat during the Lord’s supper anything special? Is the cup that we drink anything spiritually significant in and of itself? What makes the bread and the cup meaningful? It is when we drink the cup and break the bread together as a church body in remembrance of the Lord! It is the participation in that act of worship that makes the elements significant.
18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?
Same principle as above!
19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No way- we have already established that. What point is Paul making?
20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
What is the application that Paul wants us to see here? The Corinthians could not eat meat when it was offered to idols. They could not go to the pagan temples and participate in the meals during the pagan rituals. Why not? Because it is these acts of false worship that makes the meat significant. When you eat food offered to idols during a pagan religious ceremony you are participating in demon worship!
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
Could there be more areas of life that we could apply this teaching to?
Paul made application of that from the passages concerning Moses and the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea and wondering in the wilderness.
“The Bible is indeed enough; however, some Christians fail to do enough with the Bible. The Bible itself demands that we apply its teachings to matters beyond what it explicitly states.” —Randy Leedy
Is it OK to eat idol meat?
Application #1: Not if it wounds my weaker brother’s conscience!
Application #2: Not if it means participating in a pagan religious ceremony.
Paul goes on-
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
More Corinthian slogans. And another principle- What is it? Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.”
Now take the previous principles of Paul and explain to me why it was OK for the Corinthians to eat meat sold in the market, even if that meat was left over meat from the pagan idol worship service?
27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.
Why is this situation OK?
28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience—
Why is this situation not OK?
29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
Yet, I can eat, even if I know the food has been offered in sacrifice, as long as I do not wound my weaker brother? Why? When you abstain from eating for reasons of conscience you are doing it for the sake of your bother’s conscience not yours. Your conscience is not determined by someone else’s conscience. You will not answer to another individual one day. You will answer to the Lord. So make sure you yourself can partake of the meal with thankfulness. Make sure that your conscience is right with the Lord.
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Now, did Paul cover every single situation about eating meat offered to idols? Does he need to cover every situation? Why not?
“We must allow the Bible to say all that is says on these matters—guarding against the danger of imagining that is says more that it does—and we must be able to make good judgments about our own spiritual needs, the needs of our fellow believers, and the effects that various courses of conduct are likely to produce.”
“Of all our needs, the greatest is a true love for God and neighbor that gladly denies personal pleasure in pursuit of the glory of God that emerges when we act in His and our neighbors interest, regardless of temporal cost to self.” — Randy Leedy
