Independence Day
Drink (and Eat) Responsibly
1 Corinthians 10:14-33
July 5, 2009
As we celebrate Independence Day, I want to talk a little more about freedom. On Memorial weekend, we looked at a passage in 1 Corinthian 10 where Paul recounts the deliverance of Israel from slavery to freedom and then the Israelites failure to appreciate their freedom led to destructive actions. It was appropriate to reflect on our freedom and be thankful for the sacrifices made by so many for the freedom that we have and seek God’s call for the sacrifices that we may need to make in order to continue our legacy of faith and freedom.
Paul is using the story of Israel to get to his point about the freedom of the church. We have been given an immense freedom in Christ. Because of this freedom we have great responsibilities. What Paul is emphasizing is that followers of Jesus should not be worried about eating and drinking items that could have been dedicated to evil purposes without our knowledge. We are free and should not worry about the “what ifs” because as long as our motives are pure and we give proper thanks to God who provided the food or drink, then we are under no condemnation.
The monks at a remote monastery deep in the woods followed a rigid vow of silence. Their vow could only be broken once a year—on Christmas—by one monk. That monk could speak only one sentence. One Christmas, Brother Thomas had his turn to speak and said, "I love the delightful mashed potatoes we have every year with the Christmas roast!" Then he sat down. Silence ensued for 365 days.
The next Christmas, Brother Michael got his turn and said, "I think the mashed potatoes are lumpy, and I truly despise them!" Once again, silence ensued for 365 days.
The following Christmas, Brother Paul rose and said, "I am fed up with this constant bickering!" Let’s take a closer look at this passage.
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.
Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that a sacrifice offered to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, "The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it."
If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake— the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
So the main idea of this message is that we need to drink responsibly. Well, eat responsibly as well.
Drink (and Eat) Responsibly
Most of us know that this is the mantra of the alcohol industry for the last few years. Drink responsibly. I guess it is an attempt to absolve themselves of the responsibility when people abuse alcohol and break the law while under the influence.
However Paul is basically saying the same thing in regards to believers. Apparently it had become a big deal to “watch what you eat” not for health reasons but for religious reasons. During the time period of Jesus and later Paul, much of life revolved around religion and ritual. Meals were a central aspect to religion and the Jewish religion was no exception. Food would be brought as a sacrifice to the gods. It would be consecrated. The Jews were especially concerned about eating food that may have been consecrated to false gods as either an implicit endorsement of the false religions or a violation of their own purity. The meat that would be “bar-be-cued” (if you will) during these religious ceremonies would be taken to the market and sold. After all the false gods wouldn’t really be eating it and because the religious authorities often required frequent sacrifices as they would be able to eat this food, many times there was plenty.
Paul is saying that we need not worry if something may have been sacrificed without our knowledge. It is God’s. God has provided it. So as long as you give God thanks, then you don’t need to be concerned about it except in certain situations. So drinking and eating responsibly means several things for us.
• Freedom is a gift
Paul basically tells us in verses 25-26 that you can eat anything in the meat market without having to worry about and ask if something has been sacrificed to some idol because we have been given the blessings of the earth and the freedom to enjoy them. And this is one of God’s great gifts to us. We need to remember that God has provided the freedom that we have in Christ. Even if the food and drink that we consume may have been offered to false idols, we should view the food as a gift from God.
• Freedom should not be abused
Just like freedom can be taken for granted, we can go a step farther and abuse our freedom. Even though we may be free to partake of various foods and drinks, not everything is beneficial. Not everything is helpful for the building up our faith or the faith of others. Do not cause anyone to stumble. Earlier Paul told the Corinthians that we need to be sensitive to the weaker faith or weaker conscience of others that may struggle either with certain actions or even certain foods or drinks. This is especially important for those who may struggle with the ideas of eating certain foods or partaking of certain drinks. Even though we may have freedom here, it probably would be best not to partake of them or at least watch where we partake.
Even when we do partake we need to watch that we do not abuse the privilege and hold it over others. This goes whether we partake or choose not to partake. Sometimes people who choose not to partake of certain foods or drinks, “lord it over others” belittling, criticizing, and even outright condemning those that may enjoy the freedom that they have in Christ. Either way, freedom should not be abused.
Paul says if someone especially an unbeliever offers you food or drink that may have been dedicated to inappropriate use, then you should refuse so that you show the best possibly witness and do not leave any doubt as to where your true loyalties lie.
I could choose several examples here including one of alcohol. But in order to help those with perhaps a weaker conscience, let’s review the issue of coffee and tea. Although we do not offer food and drink in religious ceremonies, I contend that we still offer these to false gods of materialism, economic security, and consumerism. Although these are not idols in the sense of rock or wood, they are idols to whom we give our allegiance. We often place these concerns above the Lord sometimes purposefully but other times unconsciously.
I am free in Christ to drink any coffee that I want. But if I know that certain brands of coffee or tea have not be grown and bought in a responsible fashion then in my opinion I am abusing my freedom and am hindering my witness to those who have suffered from the injustice. I had a Starbuck’s coffee recently something that has indeed become a rarity and luxury. I noticed on the advertising that Starbucks, who has been notorious in “looking the other way” in terms of where it gets it coffee, is claiming that now 65% of the coffee that they buy and serve is assured to have been grown and obtained in a responsible manner. While this is a large number, it seems to my conscience to fall well short of 100%. Maybe we can’t always guarantee 100% (although there are several organizations that seek to do this such as Fair Trade coffee and tea). But I think that we can and should hold corporations to a much higher standard for our own sake and the sake of our witness to the world.
But this leads me to one last thought:
• Responsible freedom doesn’t allow thin excuses
Paul very much emphasized that we are responsible to others. Not responsible for them but to them. We are held to a high standard (at least we should be) by our own conscience, by others, and by God. Too often we make excuses such as not knowing that something was happening. “I don’t if my clothes have been made by children in foreign countries making pennies a day so that I can enjoy inexpensive clothing.” “I don’t what the policies are of Folger’s coffee.” “I don’t know what KFC’s policies are in regard to purchasing chickens that have been inhumanely treated.”
We claim that we don’t know often because we look the other way. We don’t want to know. We don’t want to have a higher standard. Ignorance is bliss. Don’t ask. Don’t tell. I can’t possibly be held accountable for something that I didn’t know about. Yes and no. Here is a matter of conscience and freedom. We have so many opportunities and resources to find out information even when companies don’t want us to know and want us to remain ignorant. I believe that we each will be held accountable for much more sin than the church has in the last century really told us about. If we have looked the other way. If we have not even made the effort to get the real story. When we refuse to investigate, I believe we sin.
We fail in our witness. We fail to uphold God’s standards of justice and mercy. Will Jesus say to us, “I never knew you.” “But Lord, we preached salvation in your name. We prayed for people. We worshipped you. We sang your songs.” “But I never knew you.”
The bottom line for Paul here is whether we are seeking our own good or the good of others (verse 33). Are we so concerned that people might encounter the living God that we are willing to give up our indulgences, our luxuries, and even some of our so called freedoms. This is eating and drinking responsibly. But it is much more than that. It involved any and all of our freedoms. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Can we really claim that what we eat and drink gives God glory? But for that matter, Paul says, whatever we do should give God glory.
Do not cause anyone to stumble in whatever you do or say. It doesn’t matter if they are faithful, a new believer, or even a non-believer. As Paul says, “For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.” May that be our heart’s desire today. May that be our prayer. May we seek the good of the many. May our ultimate concern be that they may saved. Consecrate yourself to God today.
