1 Corinthians 8

1 Corinthians 8

[Prayer for illumination]

Introduction

Corinth was a land of a multitude of religion and secularism; of these religions was Paganism. Within paganism is the idea of many gods and idol worship.

The city of Corinth would have feasts of large gatherings and meat would be offered. This meat being offered was sacrificed to the gods or idols.

The Church of Corinth is at standstill of are we allowed to eat and partake in these activities? One side of the Church is stating no, while the other side is stating yes, we can; and of course, there are always those who don’t know what side to take.

Paul would address this issue from the standpoint of who the Christians worship and how that frees us to live in a world of paganism.

Paul would address the issue of fellowship with believers who are not as confident in their faith and liberty.

While this is an odd concept in today’s culture, we often don’t think about going to different parties and what food is being offered. However Christians do disagree on the same issue Corinth face.

For example; can a Christian go to a bar, have a beer (not to be drunk but to fellowship) and remain without sin?

In this very church I will tell you it is a divided answer and for many reasons.

In the Presbyterian and Reformed Church, Pastors and members would gather at the local pub. There was not sin involved or drunkardness it was simply Christians enjoying fellowship of the believers and non-believers alike.

Then there are Christians of other backgrounds that hear this and would make claims the Pastor and his congregation are drunkards and sinning.

The Church of Corinth was asking the same thing; these Christians are sinning or are not they not?

Let us examine how Paul addresses this issue.

1 Corinthians 8: 1- 6

Point 1: The Christian worships God and there is no other god.

Paul is clear that indeed they have offered a “sacrifice” to their god or idol. There is no denying there are people of different religions who claim a deity that is not real.

Paul states very clearly that because it is not a real God, while we should not ignore the false worship of our neighbor being had; partaking in the eating of meat that which is sacrificed to a false God is not sinning. In fact the reverse could be had, take the meat and Praise the living God for His provision.

The Christian who is able to freely eat the meat and proclaim the name of the true God is being a witness. However, if the Christian takes the meat and permits the neighbor to promote to the Christian his false religion and says nothing; there could be sin involved.

To take the meat and its provision is not sin; but do take the meat and praise the living God for the provision. This is not to say Christian you must eat the meat, for if your conscious binds you, don’t eat.

What Paul is teaching is that Christian you are free because you worship the true God and not bound in law. Christian you understand the truth and this is an opportunity for you to eat with unbeliever and introduce them to the living God.

[Illustration]

Last Friday night Christen and I were invited to the Gideons International Pastor’s banquet. A woman from India gave her testimony of how she received the word of God from a Gideon and would come to know the true and living God.

She would visit the United States and left her bible at home, praying someone in her family would read it. She knew the power of God’s word.

Later in this story her father who has passed got a hold of the word and a lifelong Hindu became a believer of the true and living God.

[Application]

It is in the Christian life that we are free to walk and live in a world of pagans and false religions because we know the true and living God.

If we did not walk into the dark spaces or the lives of unbelievers; how will they come to know Jesus? A Gideon stepped into a land where only 2.3% are Christian.

I am positive this Christian ate meals that with or without knowledge were sacrificed to false gods. He knew he was free because you can’t offer a sacrifice to that which is false. He would praise God for the food and the friendship which he met one lady who turned her household into a generation of believers.

Christian you are free because you worship the one true God; so do not bind yourself to a law that is not there, because you just might miss out on being the person who brings the unbeliever to Christ.

1 Corinthians 8: 7 – 13

The Weaker Brother

Few of the Corinth Brothers would not partake of the meals or the eating of the meat. Paul addressing that there is no need to fear that Christ has come, fulfilled the law, and there is liberty in the Christian life.

Some of the Christians in the Corinth church has not matured to understand the freedom of Christ and is the weaker brother. The weaker brother usually implements law where law is fulfilled, but the truth is we all do it somewhere in our life.

Some makes laws that dresses can’t come off your shoulders, some make laws that no Christian should enjoy the fruit of the vine, some Christians make laws that you need to be at every Bible studied offered. Making laws is human nature, but Christ fulfilled the law, and the Christian is now free to worship God.

In the case of this situation the Christian is convinced he can not eat or partake in the event, Paul is clear you are free to do so, but if your conscious will not permit, stay to your conviction for indeed it could be sin to go against it.

The stronger brother is called to sacrifice to the weaker brother and abstain while with that brother in fellowship.

[Illustration]

In my early years I went to a legalistic university to which holding your girl friend’s hand was the utmost sinful. This sound trivial but so is debating rather one should eat meat or not.

It is indeed a display of a weaker brother promoting legalism because the brother or sister is not in the position of their Christian life to understand the liberty Christ gives.

[Application]

The stronger Christian is called to submit to the weaker Christian while in fellowship with his brother or sister. Not because the law is binding on that Christian, but because love submits to the weaker to bring them up in strength.

If issues like drinking bring your brother to sin or to a place of discomfort; submit yourself to not drink with that brother even if others around are. Time and place matters.

It is not saying to the Christian don’t eat the meat, but when your brother is present be mindful of his convictions for they may be of the Lord or they maybe he has not been released from this conviction.

Love submits.

Trivial Issues because the main is Forgotten

[Explanation]

Looking at this brief chapter, Christian may be prone to ask or self-reason they don’t fall into this trap. The honest reality is they do, we see today all the time from the style of music we play to what color the carpet of the pews should be. Trivial matters: while the issue Paul delt with is certainly one invoking doctrinal thought, none the less it elementary to which the church should have been beyond that. What caused Corinth to fall into divisions over trivial matters?

A. They lost their first love of Christ.

a. Most churches will have seasons to which they lose their love for Christ. They became at each other’s thoughts and individualism becomes important, which is where endless committees get formed and nothing gets to expand the gospel message. Individualism means you have a gift, and that gift is to be shared in the body for the glory of God, not self-promotion.

B. Preserving the past instead of understanding of missional drive.

a. Missions move forward, they don’t stay in the past. Corinth had members living with the mind-set of the Old Covenant, the Old-Covenant is fulfilled, and the New Covenant is at hand. You are free from the bonds of the past, because Christ has set the captive free.

C. Neglecting the Great Commission

a. Corinth was so focused on individualism and elementary orthopraxy they neglected whom they were living among. Were the widows in Corinth? Yes. Were there orphans? Most likely. Were their lost souls who needed the hear the gospel? 100%. The church is called to one glorify God and second to live out the great commission. A church can’t live out the great commission when there more worried about trivial issues then telling your neighbor Jesus is the answer. Stay clustered in our “safe” church and neglect the mission of going into the world.

[Illustration]

The teaching industry is a great illustration of a trivial church whose lost her first love. Little Johnny is being abused a relative, comes to school hungry and says nothing. Johnny starts to act out in class and the teacher makes documentation and calls the parent in for discussion. The conversation usually is the teacher pointing out Johnny has developmental delays and here is why; the parent claims we notice that too. So they come up with a committee and to discuss a Individualized Educational Plan; all the while the root of the issue is ignored and Johnny does not have a developmental delay; he has a home problem and the cause of the problem is the head of the parent, teacher committee.

[Application]

Church’s who are dismantled or dismantling, have divisions, are not living on mission, where the baptismal is dry and souls are not coming to Christ, the issue is a few things.

A. The church has lost her first love, those that see it plead with it to return; when repentance is not had often strong Christian members leave, some stay in hopes repentance will come but often it will not if there is no regeneration of the soul. A Church that looses her first love is also the one that will claim she has not; the accusation of loosing your first love is not an easy one to address but one that needs to be.

B. The church has focused on issues that while maybe important are not linked to the cause of the great commission; she has not only lost her first love but lost her zeal for the gospel message. She has become a church that would rather build a committee to discuss mission, rather than doing the mission.

What about for Highland?

A. Let us not forget our first love. We all are including myself have tendencies to focus on trivial matters, were human and selfish in a lot of ways. How do we as a church collectively not loose our first love?

a. We pray together. Your small groups are where you can build the life of a praying people among Highland. If our two small groups that we have right now become focused on praying for and with each other and pray for the Lord restore our love to Christ and not Highland; God may grant us repentance. Right now, were too concerned over loosing Highland instead of our family losing their love of Christ. I encourage our small groups over this spring/summer to begin praying for repentance and that we would return to our love of Christ. The doors are still here but may Christ turn on the light.

b. God has given us a piece of land that can be used for the gospel in both outreach and evangelism. Outreach is extending a hand of friendship; evangelism is taking the friendship to the gospel message. Highland, we have a community garden, that it outreaches that can lead to evangelism. Cha and Chris have been breaking their back to create a picnic area outside; that is outreach that can lead to evangelism.

I have built a relationship with the Greater Galloway area Girl-Scouts who will be using our building once to twice a month for meetings and their girls doing service projects for the church. This is outreach that can lead to evangelism.

Pat House last year built us a food pantry, that could be promoted a bit more but has been used for outreach and evangelism. In the winter both Pete and I gave the gospel to a man who believed he was saved and only the Lord really knows if he is born again. The food pantry has led to evangelism.

B. Highland, we have many opportunities with our small groups for teaching and encouraging each other in the gospel, for prayer for and each other, prayer for Jesus to restore us. We have evangelistic and outreach opportunities in our own backyard that were not there a year ago. Highland the call of the gospel is at your fingertips, how Highland collectively responds is on her.

Church, it has been a challenge and a blessing to be your Pastor, many of you by this point know I am departing July 1, 2022, because God has called to NJ for a season to lay groundwork for this church and we are not called to wait and see if the seed grows. Christ is our Lord, and we obey Him; He has called my household to another mission even if that makes you unhappy. My prayer is Christ is your love, love your Pastors and if God brings another follow his lead. God appoints ministers in places where He needs them for a time and removes them when its time.

Do not forget your first love and always obey Christ.

[Conclusion]

Corinth got caught up in the trivial or elementary because their love was not Christ, and their mission was neglected for individualism. The strength of the church is the level of the maturity of the weakest believer. Let none of you be weak in Christ, but strong in Christ. For His love for His bride caused His death and he rose from the grave on the third day to give life to the very bride He died for.