The Challenge of Liberty
Notes
Transcript
Handout
I suppose not many of us, if, in fact, any of us is bothered by whether we eat ham or not; but that was a big problem in the church at Rome, as indicated in Romans 14 and 15; and I doubt really whether any of us is too concerned about eating meat that has been offered to an idol. That doesn’t really seem a problem in our society. I’m not too sure we’d care much if it were; and since it isn’t, it’s not even relevant to us; but that was a major problem in the church at Corinth.
Almost all of the meat that was purchased and provided for people to eat had been offered to a God in one way or another. Some of it had been offered as a sacrifice.
Three parts: one would be burned to the god, one given to the priest, the third part taken home and eaten; and if you happened to be at somebody’s house, you might be eating meat offered to an idol. The priest would take his third, go out the back of the temple, and put it in a butcher shop. You might be buying meat offered to an idol; and they also believed that demons liked to get in people by getting on their food and going in that way.
And … and so everybody would dedicate the meat that they would butcher to a god so that no demon would get on it, and that would prevent that.
So almost every bit of meat that the Corinthians would buy, would be in some way or in some time dedicated to an idol; and so this became a problem. Having been saved out of paganism, having been saved out of idolatry, the new Christians wanted to avoid any contact with that old kind of life. They felt much too strongly tempted toward it, and they wanted to run from it. It’s like an alcoholic who comes to Christ, and the best way for him to deal with drink is to stay as far away as he can. Or like somebody who is a … a criminal who becomes a Christian, staying as far away from old patterns and old friends and so forth as he can. His new life is so new that he must withdraw himself and turn away from that and have nothing to do with it.
Well, the Christians in Corinth were so strongly integrated into the idol worship of the age, that when they became believers, the tendency was to wanna run from everything that even related to that and, consequently, to stay away from any meat that under any condition had ever been offered to a god.
Now that raises the question the Corinthians posed to Paul in 1 Corinthians 8, and it introduces to us the whole subject of matters that are in that gray area. The Bible did not forbid them to eat meat offered to an idol; and it didn’t tell them to do it; so it was in that middle area where they had to make a decision about whether it was right or wrong; and we call this the gray area; and there are decisions in all of our lives that fall into that category. Some have chosen to call it the area of doubtful things. That is, we don’t know. We have doubts about whether it’s right or wrong; and it may vary from time to time, age to age, culture to culture, people to people, state to state even.
Now, these gray area things can be social issues. They can be amusements. They can be pleasures. They can be habits. They can be many, many different things that we don’t need to go into, because you’ll find out what they are when you face them, and you can’t find Scripture to go either way, and you’re trying to make a decision.
Now, how does a Christian decide to do something or not to do something that he doesn’t feel is wrong, because he’s looked over the Bible and definitely it’s not forbidden, and he doesn’t know if it’s right, because he’s looked over the Bible, and it doesn’t say it’s righteous act to do it. So it fits a gray area. It’s a doubtful thing. How does he decide?
Well, there are two extremes. The one extreme is to just make a list of rules; and, you know, there are some people who really love that. They … they feel much more comfortable in the kind of institutional Christianity where somebody puts a big list of rules; and all they have to do is conform to the rule.
They’ve never internalized their Christian life anyway. They believe everything. They’ve never known how it is to really walk in the Spirit, to really grow in the Spirit, to really live a Spirit-controlled life. They’re living in legalism, and they want somebody to say, “Do this. Don’t do this. Do this. Don’t do this,” and they can conform to that little set of rules and convince themselves that that’s the equivalent of spirituality.
Now, on the other hand, you have what I call libertinism. That’s the other gamut. Now, you can come to the gray area, and you can say, “Well, here’s all this stuff that I could or couldn’t do; and since I’m free in Christ, I’ll just do it all. It isn’t forbidden anyway, right? So I’ll just do every bit of it; and I’m not gonna worry about it. I mean I’m free in Christ. Everything’s permitted. There are no other considerations than my liberty.” Is that the only consideration?
Oh, not according to 1 Corinthians 8. That’s where we come.
When it comes to Christian Liberty, we know, We are Free!
Paul says, “There is one great principle that limits our liberty, and it is the word love.”
You can’t just say, “Because it isn’t forbidden, I can do it.” There’s a higher consideration than that, and that is love. Love sets limits on liberty, and this is the objective of 1 Corinthians 8.
It isn’t as simple as whether it’s right or wrong. It boils down to who does it affect? And maybe there are some things that are all right in themselves, but if you do them, they’ll … they’ll wound somebody who thinks they’re wrong … Do you have the right within your liberty to do whatever you want no matter how it affects anybody?… Well, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty,” 2 Corinthians 3:17 says; “And for freedom, Christ has set us free,” Galatians 5:1 says; and … and James says that our lives are governed by the perfect law of liberty; but look at verse 9 in 1 Corinthians 8.
9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
“Take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a … what?… a stumbling block to them that are weak.” Peter put it this way, “Don’t use your liberty as a cloak of maliciousness to willfully injure somebody,” 1 Peter 2:16.
Excess! Do I need It?
Excess! Do I need It?
Hebrews 12:1 (KJV 1900)
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Expedience! Is it gonna help me?
Expedience! Is it gonna help me?
1 Corinthians 6:12 (KJV 1900)
12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Emulation! Is this what Jesus would do in the same situation?
Emulation! Is this what Jesus would do in the same situation?
1 John 2:6 (KJV 1900)
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
Evangelism! Is it going to enhance my testimony to an unbeliever?
Evangelism! Is it going to enhance my testimony to an unbeliever?
Colossians 4:5 (KJV 1900)
5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
Edification! Will it Build me up?
Edification! Will it Build me up?
1 Corinthians 10:23 (KJV 1900)
23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Exaltation! Will is Exalt the Lord?
Exaltation! Will is Exalt the Lord?
1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV 1900)
31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Example! Will it set the right pattern of righteousness for my weaker brother?
Example! Will it set the right pattern of righteousness for my weaker brother?
In Chapter 8, Love is going to be the key to determining whether I do something or don’t do it.
Remember, Chapter 7 began this section of dealing with the Corinthians questions.
Chapter 7 dealt with Marriage and Being Single.
Chapter 8-10 is dealing with meat offered to idols.
Chapter 11 deals with the Lord’s Supper and Worship
Chapters 12-14 deals with Spiritual Gifts
1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
“things offered unto idols” is literally idol sacrifices.
You see, they were trying to figure out whether they could do the things the world did, now listen, whether they could do the things the world did that were not stated in the Bible as wrong … Isn’t that what we’re trying to find out? We’re trying to find out whether we oughta shop on Sunday, work on Sunday, play on Sunday, drink booze, smoke, go to movies, dance, blah-blah-blah-blah, all the way down the line, because that’s what our culture does. The Bible doesn’t say anything negative about it, and we have to decide whether we can do it or not, right?…
So, how far does your liberty go? Paul answers this question, “It only goes as far as love”
… The Corinthians, the mature ones, they had decided it was okay. Their feeling was, “Man, we’re just gonna go, and we’re gonna have a great time. We’re gonna eat whatever comes. We’re gonna just buy old, any old meat we want. Ain’t gonna worry about it. Not gonna try to be careful. Doesn’t matter. An idol isn’t anything anyway, and God isn’t really too concerned about what we eat. That’s not the issue.”
“It’s not what goes into a man that defiles him … Jesus said what?… It’s what comes out of him.”
Reason No. 1 is in verse 1. “We know that we all have knowledge.”
Reason No. 2 is in verse 4. “We know that an idol is nothing.”
Reason No. 3 is in verse 8. “But food commends us not to God.
Three reasons have led us to do this.
No. 1, we know enough to know the Bible doesn’t forbid it.
Two, an idol isn’t anything anyway.
Three, God isn’t concerned about what we eat.”
You see? Those were their three reasons for going ahead and eating no matter what. So Paul hits them at those three reasons. What he does is beautiful. In each case, he agrees with the reason, and then shows why it can’t be applied. Terrific. He agrees with the reason, and then shows why it can’t be applied …
Consideration of Self
Consideration of Self
1 Corinthians 8:1–2 (KJV 1900)
1 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. 2 And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
Knowledge Terminates at ME!
Knowledge Terminates at ME!
Knowledge Puffs up
Knowledge is not 100% Attainable.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
Love Terminates at YOU!
Love Terminates at YOU!
Love is 100% Recognizable
Love Edifies
Consider the Source
Consider the Source
3 But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
And here is simply a principle that the only true way to have the knowledge of God is to love God, and that becomes an illustration of his point.
That in terms of God, you don’t just know God. In fact, you don’t know Him at all until you what? Until you love Him, and it is when you love Him that you know Him and He knows you, right? And that’s the point. You don’t really know anything until love is there, and you don’t know the revelation of God until you have loved Him; and he’s just simply pointing out the fact that knowledge cannot be true knowledge without love, as illustrated by the fact that a man who loves God only really knows God in those terms. Does anybody who doesn’t love God know Him? No … No.
So don’t think you’ve arrived just because of your knowledge. Knowledge must issue in love, and that’s proven by the fact that the only people who really know God are the ones who have love, a love relationship with Him. So all he’s saying in verse 3 is that love and knowledge and inextricable.
Love and knowledge are cemented together.
Love and knowledge have to go together, and that’s what I was saying. A church and a Christian must be conceptual and relational. He must be able to know the truth, and he must hold the truth in … love …
Consider the Saints
Consider the Saints
4 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
Literally, it says, “There is no such thing as an idol in the world. There is no such thing in the whole world as an idol.” In other words, nobody’s home. Those gods aren’t gods at all. There’s nobody there … Now this is great theology,
Why not eat? There’s nobody there anyway. The stuff that they bring in and offer to an idol, the idol can’t respond, because there is no god there. None at all.
5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
Oh, they think there are many gods … verse 5. “There be that are called ‘gods,’ they call ‘em gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are “gods” many and “lords” many.” According to them, they’re all over the place …
6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
But to us, verse 6, “there is but … what?… one God.” What’s the diff? Boy, that’s good theology.
You know, Paul had preached this. He had to agree with it. Acts 19:26, I’ll just read it. He says, this is, of course, in Ephesus when the riot broke out, because of what happened and burning all of their gods and everything. Verse 26, “Moreover, you see and hear that, not alone at Ephesus but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are no gods which are made with hands.” In other words, there’s nothing there. They are no gods. That’s Paul’s message.
There’s a great statement on that in Psalm 115 that all of us should really know well. It’s from verses, well, we’ll start in verse 3.
3 But our God is in the heavens:
He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they speak not:
Eyes have they, but they see not:
6 They have ears, but they hear not:
Noses have they, but they smell not:
7 They have hands, but they handle not:
Feet have they, but they walk not:
Neither speak they through their throat.
8 They that make them are like unto them;
So is every one that trusteth in them.
“Our God is in the heavens … now listen … Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands … now listen to this tremendous description of an idol … They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not. They have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell not. They have hands, but they handle not; feet have they, but they walk not; neither speak they through their throat. They who make them are like unto them.” That’s a little bit sarcastic. They’re about … “The people who make ‘em are as dumb as the gods are. So is everyone who trusts in them.”
Verse 6, this great, great statement,
6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
but to us or for us the pagan religion is in verse 5. The Christian in verse 6. “But for us there is but one God … and who is He?… He is the Father. The Father from whom all things exist, and … we in Him, and … this is beautiful, look at it … one Lord … who is He?… Jesus Christ through whom all things exist and we by Him.”
Now, he’s simply reiterating the great statement of the foundation of the Christian faith. One God. “One God, the Father from whom are all things, and for whom we exist,” literally. From whom, now watch it. Here’s “God the Father from whom everything comes to us and for whom we exist.” God comes to us, and we come back to His presence, glorifying Him.
Now, the agency. One Lord, who is it? Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist, and through whom we exist.
What is he saying? He’s simply saying, God, the Source, coming to us. We going back to Him. Christ, the agency. God came to us in Christ. We go back to God through Christ. The through is the key in defining Christ. God, the ultimate and only source, and Christ, the agent.
He’s simply saying here, “I agree with you that there’s nobody there anyway. There’s only one God, and that settles it, and if that’s the case, man, we really might as well eat up. That’s a great argument. Really a potent argument. I mean how can you argue with it? Offering something to an idol is absolutely nothing, doesn’t mean anything …
But Paul isn’t finished. Look at verse 7. Now here’s his response to their reasoning.
7 Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
“However, with as good an argument as that is … listen … however, there is not in every man that knowledge.”
Now stop there for a second. Everybody doesn’t yet have that knowledge, that … what knowledge? That idols are nothing.
Now, they may have it in their heads. They had been taught the same basic truth, but they don’t have an inner understanding of it. Put it this way, that knowledge has not yet been emotionally integrated into the pattern of their living. You know, you can know something in your head that doesn’t really get to you yet to make a difference in your life.
Now, the conscience of some has not yet grown up to understand the liberty. They are weak. They’re immature. They’re over-scrupulous. They’re somewhat legalistic. They’re not free to grasp their liberties, and so you don’t do it …
Now, the weaker brother knows there’s only one true God. He knows it in his head; but he’s not able to let go of a lifetime of belief. He’s not able to just say, “They’re not real,” and really, really mean and believe it, because it’s just too quick, too sudden. He has to grow into that comprehension.
And so look at verse 7. “For some, with conscience of the idol unto this hour, eat it as a thing offered unto an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.”
Now notice the phrase “conscience of the idol.” The word conscience is not the best translation. It should be translated one of two ways. Maybe both of them together. It means intimacy, and it means being accustomed to. Lemme put it together and read this way. “For some, who are accustomed to being intimate with an idol,” you see? Some people are so accustomed to this intimate life of devotion to idols, long accustomed to this, and notice in verse 7, “unto this hour”; and here’s the idea that they are just new. That they … it’s just right till now that they’ve still been hung on this. Maybe they’ve been saved a little while; but, even until then, they’re still holding some of those old associations and thoughts, even though they’re Christian. They can’t shake the feeling that an idol is something real and … and it would be wrong to do anything at all connected with idol worship.
Now watch. With this feeling, if they go ahead and, verse 7, “eat it as a thing offered to an idol, their conscience, because it is still so weak, will be … what?… defiled.” Now, the man who eats … is gonna … defile his conscience if he believes it’s wrong. You know what … what I mean by that? His conscience tells him, “Don’t do that.” That little voice in there, “Don’t do that. That’s … that’s a part of paganism. You can’t touch that. That’s a part of that stuff offered to that false God.” His conscience tells him not to do it; but he sees everybody do it; so he goes and does it.
You know what happens? Immediately, his conscience is defiled. What does that mean? His conscience begins to beat on him. His conscience begins to make him feel sinful. It begins to make him feel guilty. It begins to make him feel condemned. It begins to make him feel God has failed him. It makes him have hatred and resentment toward the Christian brother who set the pattern that he followed. It creates division in the body. It pushes him deeper into legalism, deeper into weakness, deeper into sorrow; and it may tempt him because, if he can’t handle even the meat, maybe when he begins to indulge in that, he’ll get caught up in the whole orgy that goes with the eating of the meat; and he’s in a terrible situation of falling into sin, just because he violated that conscience that wasn’t yet liberated.
“You’re better off … says Paul … to let that guy live by his conscience, even if it’s confining him.” Better for him to avoid it until his conscience is liberated.
So if it’s gonna be a problem for you, he says, don’t do it; and if it’s a problem for somebody around you, don’t you do it, because you’ll set a pattern that, if he follows, will wind up being defiling to himself …
Now, lemme explain it, if I can, another way that may help … Knowledge says you can eat … Love says think about how it affects somebody else … and then decide. Knowledge says an idol is nothing. Let’s eat. Love says wait … I choose not to eat, though I may, because my brother believes it’s wrong, and I’ll bow to his belief until he matures to understand.
Watch. Verses 8 to 12. Thirdly, their argument is this.
8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
“We know that food is no issue with God,” verse 8, and this’ll expand on that whole concept again. You’ll see it. Now here’s their third argument. “Now, we’re eating because food commends us not to God.”
The word commend, peristaymaymeans to draw near to. Food doesn’t bring us nearer to God. God could care less what you eat.
Now, it doesn’t mean … God does care if you’re gluttonous, and God cares if you’re overindulgent, and God cares if you are wasteful and all that; but God doesn’t care whether you have broccoli, cauliflower, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, or whatever. God doesn’t care. There aren’t any religious rules. All the spiritual people aren’t vegetarians. That’s the idea. It doesn’t matter to God what you eat in terms of, you know, whether you like gravy or not, you know, that isn’t the issue.
There are no dietary laws within Christianity other than using your head. You don’t wanna eat something that’s gonna hurt you, and you don’t wanna overindulge yourself, and you don’t wanna live to eat. But God doesn’t care what the food might be. Those laws have all been set aside, right? Acts 10, Peter saw the vision. God says, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat. No more dietary laws.” Jesus said it Mark 7 when He said, “It’s not what goes into a man that defiles him. It’s what comes out of a man.” Timothy, Paul told him in 1 Timothy 4, “Everything is to be received with … what?… thanksgiving.”
Eat it all. God’s provided all of it; and so the dietary laws are set aside. So they’re just reiterating what Paul had said many times. It doesn’t matter what we eat.
Verse 8, “Neither if we eat are we any better, neither if we eat not are we any worse.”
There is no spiritual consequence to eating or not eating. God doesn’t care. It brings us no advantage … either way. So why not eat? I mean if it’s there, and it’s tasty, and it’s wonderful, what’s the difference? God doesn’t care what we eat. Well, God doesn’t. Specific, but that God does care about His other children; and they care what we eat,
9 But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
verse 9. “Take heed lest by any means or in any way this liberty that you have might become a … what?… stumbling block to them that are weak.”
A stumbling block is an occasion to fall into sin. Something that makes somebody fall into sin. You’re gonna make a brother fall into sin. You’re gonna set an example; he’ll follow it; it’ll go against his conscience; he’ll feel guilty; he’ll feel bitter; it’ll push him deeper into legalism; and so forth and so forth; and it’ll get him in a situation that he can’t handle.
Maybe he shouldn’t be in that idol temple, and maybe God doesn’t want him there, because he’s not as strong as you. You can go there and just eat the meat. If he goes there, he’s gonna get caught up in the orgy along with the eating; and that’s the reason God has given him a closed conscience—to keep him out of the area he’s not ready to go into yet.
Now, in verse 10, he explains how this can happen.
10 For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
“For if any man sees you, who have knowledge.” You’re the one with all the knowledge. You’re the Bible scholar; and here you are literally reclining at the table in the idol’s temple. You’re just flaked out there, leisurely enjoying your meat. You’re having a feast. Maybe your sister’s getting married, and you’re at the wedding, and they had the wedding in the temple. It’s a pagan temple, a pagan ceremony. You’re a Christian; but you felt you should be there with your family; and you’re just reclining, eating away; and here comes your weak brother, brand new Christian saved out of paganism. Hates everything about it. He sees you, and he says to himself, “Well, look, the conscience of him who is weak will be emboldened.”
In other words, all of a sudden, his conscience is gonna get real bold.
He’s emboldened to eat the things offered to idols … verse 10. Now watch 11 …
11 And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
and through your knowledge … shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?”
The word perish doesn’t mean die and go to hell, incidentally. It translates ruined. You’re gonna ruin him, and ruin isn’t even a good English word, because it has such a finality to it. But at this point in time, you’re gonna bring him down. You’re gonna crush him. You’re gonna smash him down. You’re gonna force him into sin. Here he comes.
Now, I’m gonna give you something that’s very critical, and I want you to listen to this, because it’s a principle. Don’t ever violate your conscience. Whatever that voice is saying in you, listen to that. It is never a good habit to start violating conscience.
It’s not smart to say to a weaker brother, “I know it bothers you, but take my word, keep doing it. Keep doing it, and you’ll feel better about it.” He’ll feel worse about it. You’ll teach him to violate his conscience, and God will lose one very important way to guide the man. Don’t ever start out violating conscience. Teach people to obey conscience, because that’s the voice of the Spirit of God leading them into areas that He feels they can handle.
Now, listen. Conscience is God’s doorkeeper, to keep us out of the areas we don’t belong in yet … As we mature, conscience gradually opens more and more doors; and we can go in without stumbling, without falling, without being defiled.
In fact, brother and sister, if you’re mature, limit your conscience for their sake.
Have you ever thought of this? You know, there are some things as parents that we wouldn’t do, because we wouldn’t offend our children. That we might have the liberty to do, but wouldn’t do because they wouldn’t have the liberty to understand us doing them? Now, that’s true in all dimensions of the Christian community … You say, “Man, you mean I’m supposed to govern my life about how it affects somebody else?” Yeah. You say, “Why?” I’ll tell you why. Verse 11. What a zapper this is. “Through your knowledge shall the weaker brother ruin … be ruined … listen … for whom … what?… Christ died?” …
How would you … how would you treat somebody?… How would you treat somebody that Jesus died to save? How should you treat them? That’s a interesting thought.
Listen, you may not agree with his view of life. You may not agree with what he does or doesn’t do; but he is one for whom Christ paid a penalty on the cross, for whom He shed His blood; and you oughta treat him as such. There is a beautiful dignity, beloved, in every Christian; and I am thrilled. I am thrilled to limit my liberty by love for the brother, if Jesus loved him, I wanna love him, right? If Jesus gave his life for him and died for him, at least I could live conscious of him.
Take it a step further in verse 12. This will knock you right out.
Consider the Savior
Consider the Savior
12 But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
“When you sin so against the brother, when you disregard him and just go ahead and do what you want, just anything that’s on your mind, and you wound his conscience, you sin … what?… against Christ.”
What a statement. Why? Because that believer is one with Jesus Christ; and when you do something to ruin him, you have sinned against Christ.
Jesus said, “Listen, it’s better for somebody to hang a millstone around his neck and be drowned in the sea than it is to harm or offend one of these little ones that belong to Me.”
In Matthew 25, Jesus said this. “Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these, my brother, you have … what?… done it unto Me.” Be careful, beloved, not to beat up your brother. That’s what the word there means, tupto, wound; not to strike him, ‘cause in so doing, you sin against Christ. Beloved, let us love one another how? By limiting our liberty for the sake of each other …
Having all that said, Paul concludes, here’s the principle. Are you ready for this? Here’s the principle to govern the area of gray, the doubtful thing. “Wherefore, if food makes my brother to offend, I will … what?… eat no meat as long as the world stands, lest I make my brother offend.” What’s the principle, beloved, in deciding whether to do something or not do it? The principle is love. How will it affect my weaker brother? Not, “Well, I don’t care. He’s weak. He doesn’t understand. He’s got his own problems.” No, no. Christ died for him. You sin against Him, you sin against Christ.
Having all that said, Paul concludes, here’s the principle. Are you ready for this? Here’s the principle to govern the area of gray, the doubtful thing.
13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
“Wherefore, if food makes my brother to offend, I will … what?… eat no meat as long as the world stands, lest I make my brother offend.”
What’s the principle, beloved, in deciding whether to do something or not do it?
The principle is love. How will it affect my weaker brother? Not, “Well, I don’t care. He’s weak. He doesn’t understand. He’s got his own problems.” No, no. Christ died for him. You sin against Him, you sin against Christ.
Would to God we had that kind of love in the church so that we weren’t scandalizing our weaker brothers, but rather holding them up, building ‘em up.
Are you encouraging and edifying your brothers and sisters in Christ?
No Christian has the right to indulge in anything that offends another Christian, for that’s an offense against Christ …