Just because you can . . .

Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  20:19
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We are reminded that God graciously reaches down in grace, even to the ignorant and the weak in faith. We are encouraged to always consider the impact of our actions on our neighbor.

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This morning our text is 1 Corinthians 8, and this is one of those texts where the best way to understand and connect to it is just to walk through it. So that’s what we’re going to do this morning, we’re going to take a few verses at a time and look at what they mean and how they touch our lives.
We’ll start with 1 Corinthians 8:1-3
1 Corinthians 8:1–3 (ESV)
Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.
If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.
But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
And what this describes when it says
1 Corinthians 8:2 (ESV)
If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.
is something I think we can observe in more worldly examples. Take the field of mathematics; for example, if you ask a bright, elementary school kid how well they understand math, they might say something along the lines of “math is easy, I get it so well, I know math.” Now ask the same question to an undergraduate student in a number theory course. They might say something along the lines of “I don’t know anything.” Now I used math as an example but I think in almost every field, the more you know about the field, the more aware you are of how much you don’t know.
And our text here applies that to God, if one is under the impression that he knows God - he probably knows very little about God. The more we learn about God, the more aware we become that we can not fully know, cannot fully understand Him.
I think that rubs against our nature, humans by nature want to know and understand things on some level. This passage pushes against that a little bit, balancing it with the emotional, relational existence we have with God. We may never fully understand God, but we are promised that
1 Corinthians 8:3 (ESV)
if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
Here, Paul is starting to prioritize our connection to God over knowledge - without discounting the value of knowledge to that relationship.
He then goes on to apply this to a question the Corinthians are facing in 1 Corinthians 8:4-6
1 Corinthians 8:4–6 (ESV)
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.”
For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”—
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.
Here, Paul is addressing an issue that was culturally relevant to the Christians living in Corinth. He’s talking about food sacrificed to idols. For us today, that requires a little bit more explanation, a little bit of context. To start, keep in mind that idols looked a lot different in the early days of the church. They weren’t as subtle as they are today. Today, when we talk about idols the top three people always bring up are money, power, and fame. And we can talk about all of the different idols we have - but not today, because I’m focused! When this was written, the idols had literal temples and were literal false gods like Baal and Asherah and Jupiter. And at these temples, animals were sacrificed in a variety of ways.
This could potentially impact the Corinthian Christians in a few different ways. First, some of the more affluent members of the church might be invited to feasts at the temple, where the meat was almost certainly from a pagan sacrifice. Second, they might receive invitations to the homes of pagans who could be serving meat that had been from a sacrifice. Finally, meat from the sacrifices might well have been sold at a local market. So they were wondering if it was appropriate for Christians to consume these leftovers from pagan rituals.
And Paul reminds them of knowledge they have, those idols aren’t real. Those temples are just buildings with statues in them. Idols cannot impact you through their sacrifices because they are not real, they have no power. They follow the one, true God - the only one with any power.
But we think back to how this chapter started, Paul’s striving for a balance of knowledge and of love here. And he says in 1 Corinthians 8:7-11
1 Corinthians 8:7–11 (ESV)
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.
Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.
But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.
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?
And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.
Well and good, you know that food offered to idols has no power. But your weaker brother in the faith - who doesn’t know that - sees you eating in a temple and that encourages them to do the same. They engage in something that they perceive to be against God’s will and in doing so they sin. Or worse, they see this Christian eating in a pagan temple, perceive it as hypocrisy, and leave the church as a result. What Paul is getting at here is this - just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
And here’s where we can start to apply some lessons to ourselves today. Because we know we have the freedom to act and engage with different things harmlessly, and that knowledge might cause our weaker brother or sister to stumble.
One easy example is with alcohol. You and I know that we can enjoy alcohol in moderation as a gift from God. But someone else might perceive that as permission to overuse it, and that leads them into a reality of sin. Or someone perceives it as a sin, perceives it as hypocrisy, and distances himself from the faith. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
Another example is how we dress to come to worship. You and I know that the clothes you wear to worship do not impact how God views you, they do not change how much God loves you. But someone else might perceive that as permission to dress disrespectfully, and that leads them into a reality of sin. Or someone perceives it as communicating that worship is not important enough to dress appropriately and does not take steps to connect with church, because it’s not that important. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
One last example is the media we engage with - the movies, TV, and music we consume. I’ll use an example from my own life. I watch a fair bit of TV with off-color humor. Now I know that I can watch these shows without harm, I know that I can reject the bad. I have the viewer discretion that is advised. But someone else might perceive that as permission to engage and mimic inappropriate shows, and that leads them into a reality of sin. Or someone perceives it as a sin, as hypocrisy on my part, and distances themselves from church. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
And Paul closes this section with verse 11
1 Corinthians 8:11 (ESV)
And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.
Because that is the priority. Because if we discount the perception of others, we might destroy their reality. Because they are a brother or sister for whom Christ was born, lived, died, and rose again. That our reality is changed by faith, changed from a future of hell and damnation to a future of eternal life with Christ. That faith is more important than anything else, because by that faith our sins are forgiven and we are redeemed. Each and every person here is someone for whom Christ died - no matter how little you understand or how weak your faith is, and that changes our reality in an incredible way.
So we temper our knowledge with love, compassion, and sympathy for our neighbor. Paul finishes the chapter saying
1 Corinthians 8:12–13 (ESV)
Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
He encourages us to recognize our brothers’ and sisters’ perception - even if it’s lacking - and act with compassion to preserve their faith. And, as far as I see it, that leaves us with two options. If something we do or say is a stumbling block to those around us we can either remove it, or guide them around it.
Paul says
1 Corinthians 8:13 (ESV)
Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Am I saying that if something, even something we are totally free to do or not do, is an obstacle to faith for our brother or sister, we might have to drop it for their sake? Yes, yes I am. I mean, what if I phrased it this way. What wouldn’t you give up for someone to go to heaven? Is your drink, or your t-shirt, or your TV show, or anything else important enough to distance someone from saving faith? I really hope the answer is no.
But that isn’t our only solution. We might also help to strengthen our brother or sister’s faith. Maybe you explain to them why it is acceptable for you to do whatever it is you’re doing. Teach them, help them to grow. And if that doesn’t work - there’s always the option of dropping it. Because you might not be able to change someone’s perception, but adjusting for it might help their reality to be changed forever. Amen.
Now may the one true God, who reaches down in our ignorance and our weakness, keep your hearts and minds in Him, deeply rooted in the faith. Amen.
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