Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; Romans 14:1-4

Theme: Christian liberty is allowed where Scripture is silent.

Date: 10/17/2021 Title: 1_Corinthinas_15 ID: NT07-08

Between 1618-1648 Europe fought one of the most destructive wars in European history.

It was called the The Thirty Years' War and was a conflict fought largely within the Holy Roman Empire.

Estimates of total deaths caused by the conflict range as high as 8 million.

Some areas of Germany experienced population declines of over 50%.

It didn’t start as a religious war, but the stark religious divide between Protestants and Catholics fueled passions, divisions, and atrocities.

In 1626, half-way through the conflict, German-Lutheran theologian, Rupertus Meldenius published a book calling for peace among the contending parties, and unity among Christians.

The most famous quote from the book is: "In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”

The great strength of evangelicalism has been to unite Christians from diverse theological traditions around the gospel.

The message of the incarnation, life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is certainly the essential of the Christian faith in which believers from different denominational identities can unify around.

The question for this morning is “What are the non-essentials of the Christian life where believers must offer liberty?”

This a question the Apostle Paul has addressed on any number of occasions.

He speaks to it in 1 Corinthians 8-11, Romans 14, and Galatians 5.

In 1 Corinthians, as the Apostle comes to chapter eight, he address a specific issue the Church at Corinth has asked about, “Now concerning food offered to idols: ... “ (1 Corinthians 8:1, ESV).

The most common problem for Christian liberty in 1st century New Testament churches was the clash between Jews and Gentiles uniting in the same congregation.

The Jews had a background rooted in the Mosaic laws of clean and unclean — the ceremonial laws.

The Gentiles had a background in the pagan religions as well as the culture of Rome and Greece.

The Jews tended to practice the customs of the Mosaic Law even in the church, often insisting the Gentiles conform as well.

The Gentiles often refused because of their understanding of the New Covenant and the Apostolic teachings.

How were these issues to be resolved?

Three Kinds of Conduct

Two Kinds of Christens

One Essential Attitude

I. THREE KINDS OF CONDUCT

1. distinguishing between right and wrong in matters of cultural issues is often difficult

a. this is evident from the fact that there is so much disagreement among Christians as to what behaviors are sinful

b. practices which are approved of — even condoned — by some Christians are rejected, and condemned by others as being inconsistent with a Godly lifestyle

ILLUS.

Case in point: Many of you will recognize the name of Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Spurgeon is considered the greatest English preacher of the 19th century.

He was a Baptist, and pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle Church — probably the world’s first mega-church.

Even today Spurgeon is referred to as the “Prince of Preachers.”

When churches all over England were surrendering to theological liberalism, Spurgeon remained a rock-solid biblicist.

His life and theology and sermons are still studied in Evangelical Seminaries around the world.

Rev. Spurgeon was a Baptist preacher who thoroughly enjoyed cigars — especially Cuban cigars.

Everyone in his church knew he smoked cigars.

He smoked a cigar every evening before he went to bed, and he smoked a cigar every Sunday on his way to church to, according to Spurgeon himself, “Prepare my throat for preaching.”

In the Fall of 1874 Spurgeon had invited the prominent American evangelist, George F. Pentecost to preach at the Metropolitan Tabernacle Church in London.

Dr. Pentecost stepped into the pulpit and proceeded to preach a fiery message against the sin of smoking, not knowing that Spurgeon was an avid smoker.

Dr. Pentecost preached away, telling Spurgeon’s people how God had delivered him from the foul practice.

As he preached the people in congregation just got quieter and quieter.

After Dr. Pentecost concluded his message, Charles Spurgeon stood up, and said, “Let’s open our bibles to Romans 14.”

He used the passage to talk about Christian liberty.

He told his congregation, “For some Christians, their conscience won’t let them smoke cigars.

I have no such qualms.

If anybody can show me in the Bible the command, 'Thou shalt not smoke,' I am ready to keep it; but I haven't found it yet.

I find ten commandments, and it's as much as I can do to keep them; and I've no desire to make them into eleven or twelve.

Not only do I smoke cigars, I smoke cigars to the glory of God.”

1) there are a lot of Baptists who wince at that statement, and wish Spurgeon had never said it

2) on the other hand there are a lot of Baptists in North Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia whose livelihood comes from growing tobacco who say Amen and amen!

ILLUS.

Spurgeon finally did resolve to stop smoking when, one day, he passed a haberdashery with a display in the window advertising cigars to teenagers.

It had a picture of Spurgeon and declared “Spurgeon Smokes!”

2. what do we do when we have such a profound difference of opinion over whether-or-not a behavior is sinful when the bible says nothing about it?

a. this is what the apostle addresses in this chapter

b. he addresses it because Christian unity is at stake within the church at Corinth

3. there are three kinds of conduct talked about in the Scriptures

A. WRONG CONDUCT (i.e.

... SIN)

1. obviously there are many areas of conduct, attitude, and behavior where the Bible clearly speaks

“Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

(Romans 13:13–14, ESV)

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21, ESV)

a. in these, and similar passages, the bible lists behaviors that are always wrong

1) there's no way that a confessing Christian can shoplift something off of a store shelf and say with a straight face, "Well, I really don't believe stealing is a sin — especially if I really need it."

2) there is no way that a confessing Christian can engage in premarital sex, or adulterous sex, or homosexual sex, and confess, "You know, I just don't think that's wrong.

God made me this way.

Who are you to judge?"

3) there is no way that a confessing Christian can drink themselves into a drunken stupor and say, “I’m blitzed to the glory of God!”

2. there are some behaviors that are wrong because the Scriptures clearly tell us they are wrong

a. every Christian is fully accountable for their behavior in those areas where the Bible clearly speaks

b. and, we are accountable to the church, and it’s spiritual discipline when we continue to practice a conduct which is specifically forbidden

c. the culture may preach that there are no moral absolutes, but the confessing Christian knows better because we have the absolutely inerrant Scriptures

B. RIGHT CONDUCT

1. just as there are many kinds of behavior that the Scriptures thoroughly condemn, there are also many kinds of behavior that the Scriptures thoroughly condone

“Rejoice in the Lord always.

I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all.

The Lord is near.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:4–6, NIV84)

“Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.

13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

Live in peace with each other.

14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.

15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:12–18, NIV84)

a. in these, and similar passages, the bible lists behaviors that are always right

1) there is no reason for a confessing Christian to ever ask, “Gosh, I wonder if I should respect the leaders of my church or not?”

2) there is no reason for a confessing Christian to ever ask, “I wonder if I should express gentleness toward that obnoxious believer in the pew behind me?”

3) there is no reason for a confessing Christian to ever ask, “I wonder if I should be patient with that weak believer who is struggling in their faith?”

2. there are some behaviors that are right because the Scriptures clearly tell us they are right

a. we act righteously, because we have received the righteousness of Christ by faith, and we are a new creation

C. DISPUTABLE CONDUCT

“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.

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.