Rights Versus Relationships

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[0:01] Well, we're continuing our series on 1 Corinthians, and this morning we're in 1 Corinthians 8, and that is an annul-tee again. So we can turn to 1 Corinthians 8, the whole chapter. Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols, yes, we know that we all have knowledge about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.

[0:37] Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much, but the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes. So what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not a food. It is not really a God, and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods, both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But for us, there is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live. However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real. So when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of gods, and their weak consciences are violated.

[1:47] It's true that we can't win God's approval by what we eat. We don't lose anything if we don't eat it. And we don't gain anything if we don't eat it. we do. But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you with your superior knowledge eating in the temple of an idol, won't they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol, sorry, so because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live, for I don't want to cause another believer to stumble. Let's pray.

[2:56] Our gracious God, we ask for your blessing upon this word today. Would you speak to our minds and to our hearts? These things we pray in Jesus name, amen. So have you ever heard of Rob Kenny? No, he's in 2020, he had this, well he started this YouTube channel called Dad How Do I? And it went viral and it's been up and running all these years and he released his first video just after COVID-19 made its really frustrating debut. He wanted to provide practical advice and emotional support in a time when he thought that people felt tired and angry and anxious and lost. But in a time defined by that isolation and low loneliness, he had expected maybe 30 or 40 subscribers. And yet, because people were so lost during that time, by July of 2022, he had closer to 4 million subscribers. So Kenny created simple digestible two to three minute long videos that just teach everyday life skills. How to tie a necktie, how to change a tire, even advice on just how to be a good human. And in fact, that kind of message underlies a lot of his videos, just how to be a good human. Things that most people would hope to have learned from their parents, but in a broken society, a lot of people haven't. And he wanted people to have this message to help them out, but to also help each other out.

[4:55] It reminds me a lot of Paul. We'll get to that in a second. But Good Morning America called him the internet's dad. And after that, followers started flooding him with stories about their parents and broken relationship and traumatic experiences, but also so many questions.

[5:17] So I imagine the Apostle Paul was a lot like Greece's dad. Way back in his own time. And I imagine that if he had a YouTube channel, he would have been flooded with questions about many topics too, just like Rob Kenny was. But in actuality, he was. Not by email or by YouTube, obviously. Definitely by the very original version of snail mail. But he was flooded with just questions and questions from the churches. Especially the church in Corinth. The church in Corinth would write to him with their questions. So in chapter 6 through 10 of 1 Corinthians, Paul gives answers to things that were troubling the church in Corinth. And this chapter, chapter 8, is one of them. They were troubled by this problem of idle meat.

[6:23] So in chapter 8, he addresses this controversy as to whether or not they're allowed to eat meat from animals that have been used for pagan sacrifices. And we don't deal with that in our American culture today. This might be a kind of new concept to us. So Judaism would have had different rules and regulations about eating sacrificed meat, meat sacrificed to Yahweh. Most of the meat sacrificed to Yahweh was burned up. And only certain people were allowed to eat certain parts, like the priests and the Levites. It wasn't sold widespread to the general public. So they just didn't have to deal with this. But there was a widespread belief in the area that meat, all meat, was possessed by demons. And it needed to be cleansed before being eaten so that the people who ate it wouldn't also get possessed. And to do that, they sacrificed it to certain idols before selling it to be eaten. So it wasn't just that it was sacrificed to idols. The assumption was that if you ate this meat, you were putting your trust in an idol to keep you free from demon possession. Now, some of the Christians were also attending feasts held in these pagan temples where that sacrificed meat was served to everyone who was there. . .

[7:50] That of the community gatherings took place in an idol's temple where the meat was eaten ceremonially. And then in addition, after the sacrifice, there was so much left over that the priests sold it very cheaply so that they could get rid of it before it spoiled. The cheapest meat in Corinth was sold in an idol's temple. So there were really several issues here. First was that the Christians were actually attending these ceremonies or banquets. And you might say, well, that was outreach. They were Christians, and they were getting together with others in their community to talk about their God. But there's no proof that they were talking about God. They were just attending these idol ceremonies. Second was that they were buying meat at the temple when it was perfectly available in other places, just for a higher cost. Now, I grew up with my mother, so I can see that. My mother clipped coupons for everything and has passed that along to me, that you never buy anything without it being on sale. So I can see that, too. And third, there was the image that was portrayed, that maybe these Christians were trusting in other gods to make their meat free. And I think that's a very important point. Does that mean that Yahweh is not powerful enough to

[9:19] make their meat free of possession? Or does that mean that Yahweh allows them to trust in idols to do these things? But on the other hand, the Christians who ate the meat which had been offered to idols thought of it as nothing more than meat that was cheaper than anywhere else in the city. It was simply food, nothing more. And in still another way, they were trusting in other gods. And in another view, there were the Christians who had left the lifestyle of worshiping these idols to follow Christ. They associated meat offered to idols with their former experience of worshiping those idols. And now, because of their conscience, they had turned to Christ and left that idol worship behind. So anything associated with that former idol worship felt like they were being untrue to God.

[10:14] They would not eat the meat because they believed it would be the same thing as giving honor to that idol as they used to do. So the church was split. Now why do we care? Because in American culture, eating meat sacrificed to idols is no longer an issue. I came across this once in my life, and I happened to be in rural Thailand, and it was such a rare thing for me to come across that I had just come across this once in my life. I was kind of surprised. I was a little shocked. I didn't expect to ever come across a living example of this part of the Bible.

[10:55] So at any rate, we don't come across this thing often enough for it to be a particular issue here. But there are several concepts that Paul teaches in this passage that are just as important and applicable in today's culture as they were in Paul's. In verse 1 of chapter 8, Paul starts us off, Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that we all have knowledge. And knowledge is the first thing that we want to keep in mind. What is the knowledge that the meat-eating Christians have? Well, in the context here, it has to do with knowing that an idol is just a carved lump of wood. Or clay, or gold, or some inanimate object.

[11:50] It's something that's been carved or shaped to look like something else, but it has no power in and of itself. That's the knowledge that they have. That this idol has no power, and because it has no power over me, and no power over anything else, I can eat this food without being accused of being unfaithful. I can be unfaithful to my God, whom I know does have power. Second is the knowledge that spiritual warfare is not as simple as all meat being possessed by demons. And even if it was, Yahweh alone can defeat dark spiritual forces.

[12:34] So obviously, people need to have that kind of knowledge. And in verses 4 to 6, Paul addresses this issue and says, So what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god, and that there is only one God. There may be so-called gods, both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords, but for us, there is one God, the Father by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.

[13:17] So the belief associated with idols is something to be concerned about. But the idol itself can do nothing. It would be no different than if someone took a brick and set it on their coffee table and said, I'm going to start worshiping this cold, solid brick.

[13:38] We would say, OK, well, that's fine. That's dumb. That brick has no power. It can't provide for you. It can't help you in any way. And it can't take away your spiritual darkness. It's just a brick. An imaginary God can neither purify nor can it defile food or anything else for a Christian who follows the only true God of creation. That's the knowledge that those who ate meat from the pagan temples had of these carved images. And so they felt no guilt in eating this food. They simply did not associate it with power at all. But then Paul says in verse 7, However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real.

[14:32] So when they eat the food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods. And their weak consciences are very weak. They are violated. Notice Paul calls these people weak in the sense that they are immature in their faith. But in the mind of the strong Christians who were armed with all this correct knowledge, they could go into pagan temples and eat whatever was offered there without guilt or hesitation. And to do so was their way of demonstrating a sort of spiritual superiority. They thought of it as spiritual maturity, showing others just how right they were. I'm right, you're wrong. Look at me as a better Christian than you. After all, Paul called you weak. And I'm a strong, mature Christian. I'm right, so I'm going to go eat this meat. They were sort of bragging about this superiority and higher spirituality. Paul is playing right. He's playing right into their egos, though, by calling the Christians who refuse to eat the idol meat weak.

[15:45] Are there times when you have done things thinking that you were right and everyone else was wrong? Just a show of hands here. Has there ever been a time when you were right and everyone else was wrong? Well done. Same here.

[16:01] And it can feel so good for a time. But if ever something has been used by Satan to divide and conquer Christians, it has been this problem of superior knowledge. The I-know-more-than-you syndrome. And Paul gives a warning that we must realize that knowledge, as good and helpful as it is, can really, really mess with your ego.

[16:31] And on another note, in the few instances that I've been to, I've been told that I'm not the only one who's been told that. And I've been told that I have done something while knowing that I was definitely right and others were definitely wrong. I've tended to fall on my face and realized later that I was in fact both full of myself and definitely not right.

[16:49] And now I am very aware that you're all a lot smarter than me and have probably been right more times. And yet actually being right isn't the point here. Because there are times when we really are right. And someone else really is wrong. And that's the case for these Christians. How they look at these idols isn't wrong. And yet their attitude is wrong. It's not about being right. That isn't the point here. Paul takes the opportunity, right in verse 1, to challenge those with knowledge, or those who are right, to consider their actions on the basis of a very different standard. He says, Knowledge is deceptive if it fails to build up the community in love. You see, knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

[17:47] And that leads us to another concept to keep in mind, which is love. And this is an important principle that we need to apply in our lives as Christians. All the time. We never get a pass to be honest. We're unloving. Never. This is the point of why Jesus came to earth. This is the crux of it all. We need to be loving to each other and loving to God.

[18:20] In fact, in a couple of chapters, Paul is going to spend an extreme amount of effort just trying to get that point of love across. In that famous passage that's used at all times, almost all Christian weddings, did Caitlin use it at her wedding? Love is patient, love is kind. It's used at almost all Christian weddings. And it's amazing. But the love isn't meant to be just between spouses. The love is meant to be in the whole church. And even harder, the love is meant to be outside of the church, too. We're called to love the entire community in Jesus' name.

[19:00] Um, While knowledge may fail us, it may make us feel important. It's love that really builds up the church. I want you to think about a church that has split, or a church that has closed its doors. What breaks a church down? How many churches do you know have split up because they showed too much love to one another?

[19:28] And then on the other hand, how much, how many churches do you know of that have split because somebody felt that they were right and somebody else felt that they were also right? Or because there were feelings of superiority?

[19:43] What is the underlying issue Paul raises with those supposedly who possess superior knowledge? It's not their knowledge. It's their pride. But love can break down the barriers that come with pride. In verse 2, Paul says, Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much.

[20:09] The ones who are saying, There is no such thing as an idol. Just eat the meat. Sure, they were right. But they wounded the conscience of the so-called weaker fellow Christians. Yes, an idol is nothing. But they weren't using their knowledge to build up others in love. Think about the temptation, or even the memories of the past, that something like eating idol meat brought up for these brothers and sisters in Christ. And what about attending these feasts and celebrations? Where is the line for someone who used to worship these idols wholeheartedly and truly believe in them to only abandon them and go worship Yahweh? Where is the line? Because attending these ceremonies must be excruciating for them to see their own past, to see their past mistakes, and also to be tempted into worshiping this God once more.

[21:10] They once poured their heart in worship to idols, and it meant something to them. And part of their worship to Christ is turning their backs on that type of worship completely. So the Christians who ate the meat were full of their own knowledge and assumptions that they were the stronger Christians, so much so that they were in danger of becoming egotistical and self-righteous.

[21:36] You and I, we can be theologically accurate. And we can doctrinally cross all our T's and dot all our I's, but we can still fall into a pit if we aren't balancing all of our knowledge with true love that comes from Christ.

[21:58] More important than what we know and the superiority of our knowledge is who we know. And even more important than who we know is who knows us. Verse 3 says, But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.

[22:19] Love is the primary component of the Christian life. God made us for love like he made fish for water. He did it because he is love and we were created in his image. The fact that you and I know and love God is wonderful, but the fact that he knows us and loves us is truly beyond comprehension. For all of our great knowledge, we will never have enough knowledge to comprehend how much God loves us.

[22:56] And we have been made acceptable to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. So today we celebrated communion. And every time we do that, we remember how much God has loved us, enough to take away our sins and commune with us as we partake of the elements. We take the bread to remind us that it was the body of our Savior that our salvation came through.

[23:23] He died in our place. He became our substitute. And we take the cup to remind us that it was by his blood that our salvation came. He shed his blood on the cross and died there. He became the sacrifice we needed in order to be forgiven for our sins. So now we know what love is. And we are called to love one another with that kind of love.

[23:51] And we are called to love one another with that kind of love. And remember, another important part of communion is that we don't take it alone. We take it in community with each other. So God shows his love to us through communion, and we show his love to others through communion.

[24:09] So true Christian love says, I might be right, and I might have certain rights, but your needs and our relationship and our precious fellowship are far more important than any right I might want to exercise.

[24:27] So Paul warns us in verses 9 through 13, but you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. For if others see you with your superior knowledge eating in the temple of an idol, won't they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. So if I eat what causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live, for I don't want to cause another believer to stumble.

[25:19] And there we see another important part of the concept that applies to us today, and that's that Christ was our example, so we need to be an example to others. Christianity is not about our own needs, but instead considering the impact our actions have on others. The conscience of oneself and others really needs to be taken seriously. God has entrusted us with the responsibility to live in Christian freedom, with a concern and a sensitivity for others that respects their conscience, our conscience, and what ultimately is the common good.

[25:59] Paul says that what we eat is irrelevant, but how our actions affect others in the body is not irrelevant. A person may feel they have the freedom to do things that other Christians would never do. Some Christians drink, some Christians can't drink, some can't even drink.

[26:22] That's a common example in today's society. Or what about a Muslim who wants to be a good example to their family, but has given his life to Christ? At family gatherings, they don't eat meat, or they don't eat pork, and eating pork is a really insulting thing to a Muslim. So for a Muslim who became a Christian, that's a big sticking point. Whereas other Christians might say, what's the big deal? You're not a Muslim anymore.

[26:58] While we don't go around lowering the church to the lowest common denominator by catering to the whims of the weakest member, we also can't use our freedoms to cause a brother or sister to stumble. From these verses, we see that Paul's primary concern is not meat sold in the marketplace. He's much more concerned about younger Christians, newer Christians, or Christians with different standards being drawn back into what would be considered idol worship. And that can look like a lot of things, as we saw from the earlier readings. Idol worship can come in many different forms. And if something is not a big deal to you, it could have been idol worship for another Christian in the past.

[27:51] So apply it to ourselves. It's not about how many questionable activities we can get away with. It's about being able to recognize the impact our actions have on others. There might be things that, like Paul, we should be willing to stop doing in order to not be a poor example to others. So we're just going to end on this simple concept. May our knowledge, love, and example be a means for others to see their need for Jesus, and not a means for us to puff up our own knowledge or egos. Let's pray.

[28:29] God, we thank you that you have given us knowledge, that you have given us your words so that we can understand theology. God, we thank you for the gifts you have given us, and we pray that we would use that knowledge to worship you and to glorify your kingdom and to love others before ourselves. These things we pray in Jesus' name.