The Corinthian Correspondence, Part 19: 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1; "Let it Go -- To the Glory of God"

The Corinthian Correspondence, Part 19; 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1 "Let it Go-To the Glory of God" Trevin Wax is senior vice president of Theology and Communications at LifeWay Christian Resources and a visiting professor at Wheaton College. When the cartoon "Frozen" came out, he commented on a blog entry, giving his opinion about it. After a few paragraphs of describing the plot Wax talks about the song, "Let it Go.". He writes: "If there ever was a song that summed up the Disney doctrine of 'being true to yourself' and 'following your feelings' no matter the consequences, it's 'Let it Go.' "Thousands of little girls across the country are singing this song - a manifesto of sorts, a call to cast off restraint, rebel against unrealistic expectations and instead be true to whatever you feel most deeply inside. What's ironic is that the movie's storyline goes against the message of this song. When the princess decides to 'let it go,' she brings terrible evil into the world. The fallout from her actions is devastating. 'No right, no wrong, no rules for me' is the sin that isolates the princess and freezes her kingdom. "It's only after sacrificial love saves her from the effects of the curse that the princess is free to redirect her passion and power - not in 'turning away' and 'slamming the door' and expressing herself - but in channeling her powers for the good of her people. If there is a moral to Frozen, it's that 'letting it go' is self-centered and damaging. What's needed is for our distinctive gifts to be stewarded and shaped by redemptive love." So, what is the point of me beginning the sermon about a song which embraces a self-centered and damaging message? It has to do with the vast difference between how people of the world see the things of this life and how Christians are to see the things of this life. The world's version of "Let it Go", wreaks havoc; God's version of "Let it Go" preserves and changes lives forever. In our passage for today, we are going to see Paul finish up answering the Corinthians' question he began in chapter 8: "What about food sacrificed to idols?" We saw over the past 3 messages that Paul was concerned with a lack of unity over this issue, as he was with just about every other issue. For Paul, disunity was a big deal in the church in Corinth and he addressed it over and over again. We saw how there were 2 camps regarding the idol meat issue. I called them "brother knowledge" and "brother conscience" and they held to points of view that were polar opposites of this non-gospel issue. We saw how through Paul's own testimony and example he told them clearly that they were free in Christ to serve one another. They could hold their opinions about the meat sacrificed to idols issue, but they needed to have their opinions take a back seat to their maintaining unity between them. With brother knowledge, he was free! He was convinced that he was able to eat meat that was sacrificed to idols--and tried to convince everybody in the church that his way was the most liberating way to see this. After all, idols are not a thing and so how can a piece of meat be off limits just because people were so naive about the reality that freedom in Christ brings? Brother conscience was genuinely saved, just like brother knowledge. His conviction about this issue was if he were to eat the meat sacrificed to idols then he would be partaking in a ritual sacrifice himself and be guilty of idolatry. Brother conscience took this issue to new levels in avoiding idolatry and probably left no stone unturned in making sure he was not guilty whenever he sat down at the table. Though we don't normally live life wondering if the meat we buy or enjoy from those who invite us over from dinner was recently used in pagan rituals, how we need to hear the principles and commands found right here, through Paul's wise, divinely inspired counsel that genuinely liberates us. As we know, over the last number of weeks we have dealt with our personal scruples with the covid issue and now the killing of George Floyd. And because life is life and people are people, we all have our opinions about these matters. And at the heart of the issues in our world, we need to ask, as people following the same Christ, will these issues get in the way of our follower ship of the Lord? As we know part of being faithful in our follower ship of Christ is our ability to live together in love and unity, and to set a good personal witness to non-Christians. Today, we are going to take a very practical look at exactly how to avoid landing into--and staying in--the pit of non-gospel issues to the detriment of the body of Christ. I'm convinced that we can indeed live lives of "no worries" in non-gospel issues, sort of like a popular song called "Hakuna-matata" in The Lion King, another Disney movie. Let's imagine our passage, 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1, as a building--let's call it a freedom tower--set on 3 pillars, all placed on God's rock solid foundation of truth as found in v.25. This truth is a quote from Psalm 24:1: "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." The first pillar holding up our freedom tower is found in vv.23-24 where Paul tells the Corinthian Christians, and us, to seek the good of one's neighbor, specifically one's non-Christian neighbor. The second pillar girding up our freedom tower is an example Paul uses in vv.25-30, where he encourages us to "let things go." Because of the truth of Psalm 24:1, the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, we can relax and trust him. This is his world. The third pillar of God's glorious freedom tower is found in vv.31-11:1, where God through Paul commands us to do all to his glory, even with the mundane but vital activities of eating food and drinking drink, and how that shakes out in our relationships both with our spiritual siblings and with non-Christians as well. So, let's look at 1 Corinthians 10:23-24: "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. In these verses, Paul gives a small but powerful rebuke to the philosophy of the day in Corinth, which can pretty much sum up many of our attitudes in our culture as well: "all things are lawful". Of course, this Corinthian meme this was not divine wisdom. This statement embodied, "I am free to pursue my own interests"--which also embodied the errors and sins that Paul addressed throughout this letter. It's like what the descendants of Israel experienced when the Lord delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. God's people were so often guilty of living out the meme: "you can take Israel out of Egypt, but it's so much more difficult to take Egypt out of Israel." And what happened just a few short weeks after their deliverance from slavery in Egypt--even while God wrote the 10 Commandments with his own finger on tablets of stone? The descendants of Israel were extremely busy breaking the first 2! "These are your gods who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." "Then the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play." May we set apart Christ as Lord in our own minds and hearts, not seeking to pursue our own interests, but to consider whether our actions will be helpful or serve to build others up. And Paul crystallizes this when he writes, "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." And this sets the tone for the rest of the passage today. Paul grants here that whether one is in the brother knowledge camp or brother conscience camp regarding food offered to idols, there is nothing inherently sinful about satisfying one's scruples or moral standards, regarding their issues. Members of both camps are free to strongly hold their opinions about non-gospel issues. In this case it's what to eat, or not eat in order to please the Lord. But those in both the brother knowledge and brother conscience camps have a problem. They have gotten preoccupied with their issue. For brother knowledge, he lets everybody know that they can live in the same freedom he has, for after all, an idol is nothing, therefore food sacrificed to idols carries with it no curse. Brother conscience, being more sensitive to such matters, feels compelled to do his research and just can't bring himself to "just trusting" that it's ok to eat this food. Both brother knowledge and brother conscience just can't let this go--they both are wrapped around the axle regarding this non-gospel issue. But Paul offers true freedom among brothers in so many words, "it does not really matter, brothers, what your opinion is about this issue. You don't have to broadcast it. What matters is that you seek the good of someone else, not whether you can express your well-reasoned opinions on why you cannot eat meat sacrificed to idols or can decisively win an argument promoting the freedom you have to eat idol meat. Love is far and away more concerned with the welfare of others than satisfying your scruples about certain issues, as important as they may be. Later as Paul wrote the letter to the Romans, he addressed the same issue. And upon further reflection to them, Paul's counsel is this in Romans 14:22 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. So, being others centered, and not so much an expert on your spiritual hobby horse is the first pillar upon which our freedom tower is built. "Seek the good of one's neighbor" is what Paul wanted them to focus on regarding issues that may be important, but not essential doctrines and practices like what salvation is, who Christ is and so on. In vv.25-30, Paul goes to the heart of this discussion by painting a hypothetical but very plausible scenario. Here he will help the Christians in Corinth, and us as well, to put God's sovereignty up front and center in our hearts: "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Let's read these verses together: Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For "the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." 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. 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-I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? Notice how masterfully Paul addresses both the knowledge and conscience camps. But first he addresses brother conscience in v.25-the first part of v.29. But let's look again at vv.25-26: Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For "the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." Notice how Paul sets the stage before he actually goes into the scenario. Paul intends for this stage to serve as the motivation for both brother conscience and brother knowledge which would underlie their actions in order to be pleasing to the Lord. Whether one was part of the brother conscience or brother knowledge camps, Paul tells them to implicitly trust the Lord. It's as if Paul is saying to them, "listen guys. You have gotten wrapped so tightly around the axle over this meat sacrificed to idols thing, that you have forgotten something: the earth is the Lord's and everything in it." And so Paul urges members of both camps: believe the word of God over the superstitions of man or even evil forces. Brother conscience's job is to not turn over so many stones to satisfy his scruples in getting to the bottom of the issue of this particular cut of meat. And that may mean he won't know where the meat actually came from before he eats it. Brother knowledge's job is to tone down his rhetoric and stop proclaiming his freedom so loudly. Paul is asking for a huge commitment on both of their parts. A commitment that is very risky. Can even be scary. I'm reminded the scene in one of the Indiana Jones movies. He was in a cave and on the edge of a very deep precipice. In order to accomplish what he needed to, he had to somehow get over this very deep hole. As Indy stood there he declared that what he needed to do was "impossible." Jones had to let go of his fear and step out. There was no going back. He could not go back. And in a masterful way that seldom comes out right in real life but almost always right in the movies, Indiana Jones put his foot out and discovered that he landed on solid footing. And here is where Paul is asking for both brother conscience and brother knowledge to let things go. They were to put into action the truth of Psalm 24:1--the earth is the Lord's. And like any good teacher, Paul now illustrates what it means for brother conscience to apply Psalm 24:1 to his life. Let's look at v.27 again: 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. I can hear it now, can't you? "What do you mean, Paul? Isn't this a contradiction of all that you have taught? Didn't you just say earlier in this letter that meat that is sacrificed to idols is in fact sacrificed to demons?" Here is what Paul is doing. In a word, he is telling brother conscience to "let it go" and trust the Lord that he is not partaking in idolatry on the basis of the truths he just laid out. Let's look at some of the details of the situation geared toward brother conscience in this scenario. Brother conscience has accepted a gracious invitation to have dinner with a non-Christian. He is footing the bill. What a kind gesture! Even in our country, who would turn down a meal that someone else is paying for? Brother conscience walks in, sits down. He has no knowledge of the origin of the food. Remember the heart of brother conscience. A couple of things going on here. First as a Christian, he wants to be a godly witness, so he accepts the invitation of hospitality--a much bigger deal than even now. Second, what would the dinner be like if brother conscience would automatically refuse the dinner that the non-Christian was going to pay for? What kind of a witness would that be? Third, brother conscience does not know where the dinner came from. Again, how would it be for the non-Christian host to endure an interrogation from brother conscience about where this meal came from? I would venture to say things would go south in a hurry. But now, was it "lawful" for brother conscience to probe and dig to satisfy his scruples? Certainly! All things are lawful. The culture of the day made it so. But would it be helpful in this witnessing relationship? Would brother conscience's probe build up his neighbor? Probably not. So, how can brother conscience survive this nightmare scenario? "The earth is the Lord's, [not demons, not the powers of darkness, not Caesar], and everything in it [to include the dinner a non-Christian host provided]. In other words, "let it go. Cling to the truth." The bottom line? Eat the steak. "Brother conscience, you don't know where it came from. So, trust the Lord's goodness to you." But what if? says Paul. What if someone says, "this meat has been offered in sacrifice?" What then? If nothing is said about the dinner, brother conscience is in the dark. He is ignorant as to where the steak came from. And Paul implied that it was ok to be there. Paul's encouragement was to not pursue where the meat came from and therefore not to interrogate his host. But now that brother conscience has a new piece of knowledge, everything changes. What is brother conscience to do when he hears that the meat was used in pagan religious practices? Let's look at the end of v.28 and part of 29: do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience-I do not mean your conscience, but his. Given new information, brother conscience must act. Or more appropriately refrain from acting. He must not eat the food. But why should he refrain? Because brother conscience's scruples are now informed? Is it because of his very strong opinion to not eat idol meat that he should refrain? No. It is because of the one who made the statement--the one who invited brother conscience to dinner. There was a reason the host stated that the food was sacrificed to idols. Why do you think the host would make the statement, especially when he did? Let's play this out. Imagine being there. You just sat down at the table with the one who provided dinner. Your host knows you are a Christian. He does not inform you that the food was sacrificed to idols until the plate was right in front of you. Why would your host tell you at that time? It could be a test. "Alright, Christian. You said you were a follower of Christ. Let me see if my applying a little pressure would get to you compromise your loyalty to your god. Let me see if I can catch you in a gotcha moment." Or perhaps the host really was curious as to why brother conscience had a problem with food offered to idols. Or perhaps the host really didn't think anything of it when he invited brother conscience to share a meal with him and out of respect for brother conscience all of a sudden it dawned on him. And almost as a "watch out" at the last second, he informed him. It seems to me that it would be more along the lines of a test. It was not cool to be a true Christian in the First Century. Followers of Jesus were known as highly moral people, living in the midst of a very immoral Corinthian culture. They were probably accused of being atheists as well, for Christians did not have statues of Jesus as object of worship, like everybody else did when they worshiped their gods. The point here is that there was a reason for the non-Christian to raise the issue when he did but Paul did not include it in his scenario. And since brother conscience did not know why the host said that, Paul said, for the Christian to refrain. Again, it was not because brother conscience finally knew where his meal was coming from. It was a conscience issue--but that of the host. For the sake of maintaining a good witness before the non-Christian, for his good, not because brother conscience's curiosity was satisfied, therefore, Paul said, refrain from eating. Obviously brother conscience would have to explain himself and even risk the relationship. But now that he knows, brother conscience must be faithful to the Lord and be true to how the Lord led him. Brother conscience now has an opportunity to give a verbal witness to his non-Christian host. Now notice how Paul suddenly seems to pivot and address brother knowledge. Let's look again at the end of v.29 and 30: For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? Until now, Paul was concerned with brother knowledge's loud and proud proclamation to brother conscience that he was set free from idols. They mean nothing, and therefore so does any food offered to them. Now Paul reminds brother knowledge that he has a duty to tone down his rhetoric even to non-Christians. In essence, Paul says, "For the good of your non-Christian neighbor, brother knowledge, limit your liberty if he brings up the issue of the food being offered to idols. It is not for your sake, but for that of the non-Christian. He is still tied up in the tentacles of darkness. And if you, brother knowledge begin to lambaste people because they worship idols, then what have you done with the relationship?" Like brother conscience, could brother knowledge push his agenda and boldly proclaim the ridiculousness of idols to his dinner host? Is it lawful for him to do so in that situation? Certainly. But would it be helpful for the witnessing relationship? Would brother knowledge's steamrolling over his dinner host of the non-existence of idols build him up? Or would it destroy the relationship? Probably destroy the relationship if it was done then. Now of course, whether it be brother knowledge or brother conscience there comes a time when the truth is to be shared. And just like Paul's admonition to brother knowledge to limit his liberty toward brother conscience in this non-gospel issue, so Paul is telling him to limit his liberty even toward a non-Christian. And there is a reason for that, which we will see in a moment. So the first pillar upon which our freedom tower is built is the truth of followers of Jesus seeking the good of their neighbor. The second pillar is to refuse to engage, to let it go, when it comes to non-gospel issues, for the sake of maintaining a gospel witness with a non-Christian. The follower of Christ is to cling to the truth that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it. It's not demons. It's not the powers of darkness. It's not Caesar. The earth is the Lord's. And based on that knowledge, we don't have to fully engage in issues that are not critical to communicating the gospel. We don't have to pry and probe and risk witnessing relationships for the sake of our own religiosity. We trust that the Lord is sovereign. And only when we are informed of new information about a certain issue, we then can change our minds and act on the new information if we must, always seeking to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and loving our neighbor, even our non-Christian neighbor, as our selves. The third pillar holding up our freedom tower is found in vv.31-11:1: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. This third pillar undergirding our freedom tower is very powerful. Its strength is supernatural. In v.31, Paul says, in essence, when a follower of Jesus chooses to let a non-Christian have his opinion over a non-gospel issue to maintain a relationship, this serves as a powerful material to build the tower. A Christian glorifies the Lord often by what he does not say, as well as by what he does say. Now don't misunderstand. I'm not talking about not giving a verbal witness regarding the gospel of Christ, and one's need to repent and believe it. I'm talking about issues of morality. Or even what is going on today with the covid issue and even now with Black Lives Matter and Antifa, as they are associated with the brutal killing George Floyd. As ratcheted up as the rhetoric and the emotions are, it is tempting, and even demanded by some, that everybody weigh in on the issues of our day. My question is: "do we need to weigh in?" Can we as Christians glorify God by "letting it go"? Let me talk more about that when I apply this message to our lives today. In v.32, God through Paul delivers a command: Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God. "No offense" literally means "be blameless." It does not mean sinless. It means that no one can point the finger at us and accuse us of persistent, non-Christian behavior and attitudes. In other words, don't be the kind of Christian who when they see you coming would rather go the other way, because of your abrasiveness of spirit. Let's be as winsome as possible to both our brothers and sisters in Christ and non-Christians as well. James speaks living our lives by the way of wisdom. Here how he describes it in James 3:17-18: But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. This my brothers and sisters is fleshing out divine wisdom! It shows itself in being peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, sincere, and even seeks to make peace. Isn't this the kind of life that would be attractive to the non-Christian in the midst of all the chaos? Finally, in vv.32-11:1 we see Paul's personal testimony. Once again he lets the Corinthian Christians know that his conviction is to be pleasing to everyone so that he can maintain the relationship and thereby draw even non-Christians up close so that Paul can show them a dynamic witness. And Paul sums up his discussion of giving up his rights, of actively serving others as a worthy example to follow. So what do we do with this? The foundation of freedom is that we cling like a child to the fact that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Because the Lord owns the earth, therefore we can relax. We can let go of the firm grip we so often find ourselves having regarding the issues of the day. Because we can seek the welfare of others, we don't have to convince others of our way of looking at things. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I could not care less about your view of the covid issue. And I'm sure you could not care less about my view. And let me apply our need to make the gospel attractive to the George Floyd issue as well. Here is the fact of life. Racism as we have come to understand it will never go away. You might find that a startling statement coming from a pastor. Racism is an issue of the human heart. James addresses the issue of discrimination in the 2nd chapter of his letter, only it is couched in terms church members showing favoritism toward those who seem to be wealthier than others. James sums up the favoritism in one word: sin. It is sin, just like any other sin. And since sin will be with us until Jesus comes back, I submit to you that the sin of racism will never be eradicated until Jesus sets up his kingdom upon his return. In the meantime, how is any sin, including the sin of racism dealt with? The gospel of Christ. A person who has a racist orientation is in need of salvation that only Jesus can give. And even among Christians, discrimination based on the shade of one's melanin is sin as well. How do Christians deal with melanin based discrimination? 1 John 1:9 tells us if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So, how can we live in the midst of the chaos, just letting it go? How can we sing "Hakuna-matata" -- a worry free philosophy? Be an imitator. But not of the world. Let's refuse to grip the issues of the day too tightly as the world demands we do. Instead, let's imitate Jesus. Let's not forget Paul lived in volatile times, even more chaotic than ours. This was his testimony: Galatians 6:14-18: Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And let me add here. For neither what some consider right nor wrong views of covid or George Floyd count for anything, but a new creation. Let me continue. And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. So, how can we let it go--to the glory of God? Three ways: The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof--cling to it. Because we are to seek the good of our non-Christian neighbor and spiritual siblings--do it. Because we are to imitate others who imitate Christ--follow them who genuinely follow him. "Only one life will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." Let's give ourselves to what is of true lasting value. Let everything else go--to the glory of God.