A Cross-Shaped Life In A Me First World

- I have a confession to make. For a significant portion of my adult life, I was a devout member of a very strict, very demanding religion. It had its own rituals, its own moral code, and its own unforgivable sins. I’m talking, of course, about the religion of the Incredibly, Spotlessly Clean Car. Some of you know what I’m talking about. You’re members of the same faith...

- This religion had its own commandments. The first and greatest commandment was, “Thou shalt not bring food or drink into the car.” The second was, “Thou shalt shake thy feet vigorously before entering the car.” Weekly washes, daily wipe-downs, and regular vacuums. I was all in.

- When someone else would get in my car, a friend who didn’t shake their feet, or someone who dared to leave trash in the cupholder, I would feel a righteous indignation rising up. I didn’t express it, but I thought in my heart, “Don’t they know how important this space is? Don’t they know the rules? Where is their sense of decency?” I knew the right way for my car to be. And that knowledge gave me the right to be... right! Of course, since then, I’ve left the religion...

- It is funny to think about it now, but isn’t this a miniature picture of how we live today? I think we live in an age that worships knowledge and celebrates being “right.” We have more access to information than any society in human history has ever had. With this information, we formulate our rights, preferences, political affiliations, worldviews, and cultural convictions. With that comes a powerful, intoxicating sense of entitlement–a sense of our rights.

I have the right to my opinion

I have a right to my freedom

I have the right to say what I think

I have the right to live however I want

- This is a snapshot of the world we live in, especially here in America. We’re steeped in individualism, where the anthem is “Me first.” Think about it: our culture celebrates the self-made person —the one who carves their own path, no matter who gets bumped aside. From people saying, “I deserve this!” to road rage over someone cutting us off, we’re conditioned to prioritize my opinion, my freedom, my way of living.

- Our world is a “Me First” world. However, the challenge is that if we are honest, we also bring that into the church – our small groups, meetings, and relationships with one another.

- The problem is that 2000 years ago, the Corinthian church was doing the same thing. Again, for those of you who do not know, we have been looking at 1 Corinthians chapter by chapter. The Corinthians were smart and gifted. But they were using their knowledge and freedom to create divisions and hurt their own church family. It is into this mess that Paul writes, and the message he delivers to them is the same one we desperately need to hear today.

- Paul says, “In a world that screams for your rights, the cross calls you to lay them down for the sake of others.”

THE WORLD’S STANDARDS

- Now in verse 1, Paul addresses the pressing issue. Verse 1: “Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that ‘We all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” A problem arose in the church regarding food sacrificed to idols. What does this mean? Eating meat sacrificed to idols was a massive, everyday issue in Corinth. Think of it this way: the temples to pagan gods like Aphrodite and Apollo were not just places of worship; they were the city’s primary butchers. If you wanted the best cut of meat–the best steak, the best lamb–you often had to buy it from the temple market. Now, the meat sold at these markets had been a part of a pagan worship service. It was a meat offered to a lifeless idol.

- So, the question arose for the Corinthian Christians: Can we eat this meat? Can we eat something that was offered to a pagan god? For one group in the church, the “knowledgeable” ones, the answer was obvious.

- Verse 4-6: “4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”

- The “knowledgeable” group had the perfect answer. “Sure, you can eat meat sacrificed to idols,” said this group, “An idol is just a piece of carved stone or wood. It has no power. The meat is just meat. God is the creator of all things, including the cow, and Jesus is the sustainer of all things. Therefore, eating this meat is no big deal. Case closed. Our knowledge is correct.”