9: Stumbling Blocks (1 Cor 8)

We live in a messed up, mixed-up world.

Within the past week we have heard about the wicked killing of children in the Texas elementary school. What a horrible tragedy committed by a wicked person!

We live in a messed up, mixed-up world. And that doesn’t stop at the church door.

A report came out that gives evidence of sexual sin and sexual abuse among leaders in our Southern Baptist Convention were covered up for many years, but is now coming to light.

We live in a messed up, mixed-up world full of messed up mixed-up people. And that doesn’t stop at the church door.

The Church in Corinth, and many churches in America are “A Beautiful Mess”.

We have already seen how Paul confronts lawsuits between believers (1 Cor 6:1-8), sexual sin (1 Cor 5-6), how sex is intended for marriage (1 Cor 7:1-9), plus how Christians need to do their best to stay celibate & sexually pure or stay committed in marriage - with divorce & remarriage only being allowed for the exceptions of adultery, abandonment, and most likely - abuse (1 Cor 7:10-40).

Now Paul changes gears to deal with some other Stumbling Blocks - where younger believers are getting tripped up because of an older believer’s poor example. Has that ever happened to you - where the actions of another Christian somehow detoured your walk with the Lord? Or maybe YOU have been the cause of another’s stumbling.

Today we are reminded how Christians should direct others to follow Jesus rather than detour them away from Him.

Beyond those Christians causing confusion by living in sexual sin and leaving their marriages, the Christians is Corinth were struggling with what it looked like to follow Jesus without becoming hermits to the culture that need them to demonstrate Christ. After all, you can’t impact people that you isolate yourself from.

But as Christians interacted with non-Christians in Corinth, this sometimes caused confusion to young believers, a stumbling block to their young faith. One of those areas of confusion had to do with how Christians were to interact with the idolatrous practices that littered the Corinthian culture.

As mentioned several times in our study, the city of Corinth had 6 temples and 26 sacred sites to many different false gods. In order to receive the protection and provision of those ‘gods’, the people prayed and sacrificed to them.

Since most of the food had already been offered up to false gods in the temples before being placed in the marketplace the Christian was in a quandary. So what was the Christian to do?

Imagine knowing that all the meat that you went to buy at the grocery store had first been offered to false gods? What would YOU do? Some might give no care to it and make the purchase anyway. Others might become vegetarian for a while.

So, WHICH option is the RIGHT option?

1 Corinthians 8:1 (CSB)

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

Evidently, there were some Christians who were quick to quote another Corinthian slogan - “we all have knowledge”, to imply that food sacrificed to idols is no big deal since the Christian should KNOW better than to think this food was sacrificed to a real god, because all other gods are false.

This is true, and Christians need to have this knowledge, but knowledge doesn’t always lead to love

Knowledge often puffs up because of HOW much people know.

Paul quickly reminds Christians that instead of only pursuing knowledge that can puff up ourselves, we should pursue love that builds up others.

God wants us to grow in both knowledge and love.

Knowledge without love breeds arrogance.

Love without knowledge breeds ignorance.

God doesn’t want you to be arrogant nor ignorant. He wants you to grow in knowledge and love.

Intellectual knowledge is not enough.

1 Corinthians 8:2–3 (CSB)

If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it. But if anyone loves God, He is known by Him.

The more I learn, the more I realize I don’t know it all.

Christianity is more than intellectual knowledge - WHAT you know.

Christianity is about relational knowledge - WHO you know…and WHO knows you - it’s about loving God and and being known by Him.

Now Paul shows how knowledge and love should be weaved together so that we aren’t a stumbling block to others. First he starts with KNOWING what is TRUE.

1 Corinthians 8:4 (CSB)

About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.”

Contrary to the ideology of the Corinthian culture that recognized many different gods, the Scriptures had long taught that there is only ONE creator, provider, redeemer, and judge. God proclaims this loud and clear through the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 43:10–11 (LSB)

“You are My witnesses,” declares Yahweh, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no god formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am Yahweh, and there is no savior besides Me.

Yahweh is GOD and there is none other. Never has been. Never will be.

Yet even God’s people had a long history of following false gods, even during the time of Moses when God showed His incredible power. Listen to the silliness of this making false gods.

Isaiah 44:16–17 (CSB)

He burns half of it in a fire, and he roasts meat on that half. He eats the roast and is satisfied. He warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I see the blaze.” He makes a god or his idol with the rest of it. He bows down to it and worships; he prays to it, “Save me, for you are my god.”

The Psalmist makes this clear as well.

Psalm 115:4–7 (CSB)

Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, noses, but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, feet, but cannot walk. They cannot make a sound with their throats.

Paul continues...

1 Corinthians 8:5–6 (CSB)

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”—yet for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from Him, and we exist for Him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through Him, and we exist through Him.

The Scriptures affirm angelic authorities (spiritual god-like authorities - see Eph 6:11-12)) and earthly lords (e.g. kings, governors, spiritual leaders). But there is only one God and one Lord over all - God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This text does not do away with the Trinity. Is the text implying that the Father is God, but not Lord? NOPE. Is Paul trying to say that Jesus is Lord, but not God? NOPE.

In fact, it does the opposite. The Jewish Shema, recited and repeated in every day prayer, says:

Deuteronomy 6:4–5 (CSB) Listen, Israel: The LORD [Yahweh] our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Who is LORD in this text? Who is GOD in this text? Is there a separation between the two? NOPE! The LORD - Yahweh in Hebrew - IS GOD. He is ONE.

When the New Testament writers translate “Yahweh” [LORD] from Deut 6:4-5, they use the Greek “kyrios”.

Mark 12:29–30a (CSB)

Jesus answered, “The most important is Listen, Israel! The Lord [kyrios] our God, the Lord [kyrios] is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart...

And this is the same word Paul uses referring to Jesus as Lord - kyrios - in all his writings, including in the passage we are studying today. God is ONE - Father, Son, & Spirit (see Mt 28:19).

If you want more about the TRI-UNITY of God, go watch this teaching from 7 years ago called “Is the Trinity TRUE?” https://bit.ly/3LVO9Ou

And now we come to the reason why Paul has to bring this correction. While mature Christians...

1 Corinthians 8:4 (CSB)...know that “an idol is nothing in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.”

1 Corinthians 8:7–9 (CSB)

However, not everyone has this knowledge. Some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not bring us close to God. We are not worse off if we don’t eat, and we are not better if we do eat. But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak.

What we eat doesn’t bring us closer to God nor push us away from Him. If we eat food sacrificed to a false god, and we KNOW there are no other gods, then it’s just food - not UNCLEAN food. But…this could become a stumbling block to the weak brother or sister who doesn’t know better. It could cause confusion for their faith.

Paul gives an example.

1 Corinthians 8:10–11 (CSB)

For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols? So the weak person, the brother or sister for whom Christ died, is ruined by your knowledge.

If a believer went to a wedding, it would often take place in a temple to a false god, including food offered to idols. The young believer who sees the more mature believer participating might think it’s okay to go to those temples, sacrifice to those false gods, and eat that food - believing the false god to be real (false knowledge) - while the mature believer is simply at a wedding, eating food, while remaining fully committed to Jesus and no other false god.

But the mature Christian who has knowledge can ruin the weak person who doesn’t have the same knowledge. As such, a mature Christian should be careful not to cause this kind of confusion.

Many of us might be thinking, “Okay, but I don’t eat in an idol’s temple and I don’t eat food sacrificed to false gods, so why are we even talking about this?”

Here’s why: Mature believers of our day might still participate in some things that can cause confusion to younger believers.

For example, you might drink alcohol, but never to excess - knowing that drunkeness IS sin, but knowing that drinking is NOT. YET…in OUR CULTURE - where many so many drink to get drunk and believe others to do the same - that drinking in public can cause confusion. And what about the young believer that is tempted to get drunk when alcohol is available? Or what about the young believer who sees drinking alcohol as being sinful? CONFUSION.

What about eating certain foods that others say should be avoided as UNCLEAN FOODS?- like my 7th Day Adventist brother who thought eating pork was sinful. Should we simply tell him he’s wrong and order a plate-full of bacon? This would likely cause CONFUSION.

Or what about watching movies or tv shows that you are mature enough to able to discern truth and lies, of which you are able to look away or fast-forward through stuff that could cause a person to sexual lust…BUT…for your child or your Christian friend watching with you, is NOT yet able to discern truth and lies nor push away from the sexual temptation? CONFUSION.

Let me offer several helps to the examples just mentioned.

Find something else to drink other than alcohol. We have SO MANY CHOICES and can find lots of options for taste. Avoid drinking in public, and don’t cause confusion. Christians shouldn’t get into the habit of drinking beer, wine, or liquor to take the edge off. Substitute that habit with exercising or grabbing a much deserved nap instead! If you don’t drink it, you’ll never get drunk and you won’t have to worry about causing confusion.

When I ate with my 7th Day Adventist friend, I never ordered bacon. Over time I discussed why I could, based on the New Testament Scriptures. But rather than cause any confusion, and in order that he might allow more serious discussions about the Scriptures, I simply didn’t go ‘hog-wild’ when I was around him.

Limit the movies & TV you allow into your home.

Tonya and I have found a great streaming service that allows us to watch movies WITHOUT the language and the sexual scenes & nudity. VIDANGEL is an $10 online service that uses your NETFLIX, AMAZON, and other accounts to watch movies. That filtering service won’t stop the ungodly worldviews that so many movies and TV shows espouse, but it will let you talk about the worldviews without exposing them to the language and sexual stuff.

Why be so concerned about this?

When we don’t consider whether to limit our freedom, we can cause others to fall. May it never be!

D.L. Moody told the story of “A blind man in a great city was found sitting at a street corner with a lantern beside him. Someone went up to him and asked him why he had the lantern, since he was blind and the light of it was the same to him as the darkness. The blind man simply replied, ‘So that no one may stumble over me.'” [From his book Daily Gems]

We should do our best to direct them TO JESUS rather than detour them away from Him.

Are we detouring people AWAY from Jesus?

We should never lead younger, weaker believers to do something that IS wrong, something Jesus says we should NOT do. He even warns that it would be better to tie a millstone around the neck and be drown in the sea rather than causing a younger believer to stumble (Lk 17:1-2). It’s one thing to lead people to the Scripture says IS sin and...

And…it’s another to lead people to do what they THINK is wrong, to do something they believe is wrong. And if they do something they believe is wrong…it is.

1 Corinthians 8:12–13 (CSB)

Now when you sin like this against brothers and sisters and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother or sister to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother or sister to fall.

When we cause confusion to our brothers and sisters, we sin against them AND against Christ.

So, we make a choice - a choice to build up our brothers/sisters rather than loving our freedom & knowledge.

We must care more about the brother/sister’s faith then our freedom.

In time we may teach them what the Scriptures say about their freedom, but we should first communicate and demonstrate our love for them, rather than loving ourselves first. Paul wrote something similar to the Romans saying...

Romans 14:21 (CSB)

It is a good thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.

We will see more on this idea further in this writing, but let’s conclude with this humbling truth: Our focus should be on the ONE who gave up His rights in heaven and stepped onto Earth, to sacrifice His life for ours.

On this Memorial Day weekend, it is right that we remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom, and that should begin with the Lord Jesus.

3 Questions

Have you THANKED JESUS today? Take some time and thank the Lord for giving you life and forgiving you so much!

Have YOU been/are you being a stumbling block to someone else? Ask the Lord to forgive you. Ask that person to forgive you. Commit to caring more about another person’s faith then our freedom.

Are you confused because others have been a stumbling block? Open the Scriptures. Seek out a consistent Christ-follower to help you know Him. Don’t base your faith on someone who cared more about him/herself than you - base it on the ONE who gave Himself for you!

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