Introduction
You have been invited to a party. There is drinking. Should you partake? Does it matter if other Christians are present? What about dancing? Is there some dancing that is okay and other kind that is not? Can one dance in a dance hall but not in a church? In a church but not at a night club? Our text helps to answer such questions.
Text
“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful.
We have read this saying before in 6:12: All things are lawful for me. It seems to be a Corinth Church slogan. It summarizes the defense of their behavior, why they feel free to engage in acts of sexual immorality and idolatry. Where did they get this notion of freedom? From Paul, who championed the Christians’ freedom in Christ in opposition to Judaizers who taught that believers must still observe the law to qualify for salvation.
Paul had to defend himself against charges of indulging in improper behavior. In his letter to the Galatians (his defense of Christian liberty) he speaks of men trying to oppose him. He speaks of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery (2:4). But Paul stood up to them, and he denounced the return to legalism that some were trying to force on Christians, particularly Gentiles.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (5:1).
The Corinthians got the message, or so they thought they did. They heard Paul correctly that Christ has set them free from slavery to the law as a means to earn salvation. They heard correctly that the laws which distinguished Jews from Gentiles no longer applied. But they were deaf to the moral application of the law which is summed up under the admonition to love one’s neighbor. After adamantly insisting on Christian freedom in his letter to the Galatians, he writes: For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (5:13, 14).
This is the point he is making here: “All things are lawful”…That is true, but not all things are helpful. Not all behavior is helpful to others. He reiterates this point: “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Paul has already applied this principle in his letter. Back in chapter 8, his first argument against eating in pagan temples is that such behavior could become a stumbling block to the weak. In chapter 9, he notes that he curbs his rights on account of his witness for the gospel.
So far so good. But it seems in the next verse that he gets off the subject.
25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience.
Paul raises an issue that is an offshoot of the topic he had been discussing, viz., eating in pagan temples. That was the topic in chapter 8 and through chapter 10 until now. The question now considered has to do with meat sacrificed (or dedicated) to idols and is then sold in the marketplace. Not all of the meat of a sacrificial offering was burned up on the altar. Much of it was then given to the priests for their service and much was taken to the market. If we practiced animal sacrifice on Sunday morning, after the service we would sell the remaining meat to the local supermarket, which in turn sold it to its customers.
Here is the question. If it is wrong to eat food in pagan temples because the food is offered to idols, is it wrong, then, to eat food under any circumstance that has been part of idol worship? Is the food “nonkosher”?
Paul’s answer is, “It depends.” The food itself is not spiritually contaminated. No evil curse has been placed on the meat. The problem with eating the food at the temples was that one was participating in a religious ritual. It had nothing to do with the food itself. Thus, when you go shopping, you do not need to check labels for “Sacrificed Meat.” Likewise, when you neighbor invites you over for a meal, you don’t need to ask where he bought it or what he earlier did with it. In fact, it is best not to bring up the subject. Food is food; it all comes ultimately from the Lord who is Creator, and the best attitude is to give thanks for his provision.
It is the next scenario to which Paul will be applying his “love your neighbor” principle. What if one of my weaker brothers is also invited to the neighbor’s house, and he leans over and whispers to me, “Did you know this steak was from his sacrifice to Zeus?” What do I do now? If I eat the meat out of respect to my host, I will offend my brother and possibly lead him to violate his conscience. After all, how can he excuse himself if I am partaking? But if I decline the steak, I risk offending my host over a matter which is not essential to the gospel. Indeed, I think it is fine to eat the steak, and I like steak!
Here is the answer. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his.
My brother’s welfare is to come first. His welfare comes before my wants and even before my benefit. In this case, his welfare has to do with keeping a clear conscience. If he partook, he would violate his conscience before the Lord, which is a sin. As Paul told the Romans, But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:23).
Thus, for the sake of his conscience, not mine, I must refrain. As Paul notes, For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
He makes clear that, one, he does have liberty of conscience in this matter, and, two, that the conscience of another Christian is not to be the standard for his, especially when he is glorifying God through thanksgiving. Where there is no command, there is liberty. God’s law does not command us to refrain from eating meat that has been offered to idols. It forbids idolatry, but this is not idolatry.
That still leaves the following question: When there is no specific command, how does one know what is right to do? Paul gives two measures, but first note what he says should not be a standard – the conscience of others. Paul does not shape his conscience to fit anyone else’s. He has more reliable standards. He has already given them, and he spells them out further in the next verses.
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
Standard number one: do all that you do to the glory of God. You noticed Paul got a little defensive: If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? He has been accused by other Jewish kin in the church of being too lax in his standards and compromising the honor of God. “Lax?” Paul retorts. “Why not only am I not compromising God’s honor, I am all the more exalting him, because what I do I do with thanksgiving to him. I glorify God by taking pleasure in his bounty.”
If someone feels he must refrain from the same pleasures he enjoys, fine; but do so, not out of a false humility that he is willing to forego pleasures, but because he takes joy in God through what he does or doesn’t do. He glorifies God with thankfulness.
Standard number two: seek the advantage of others, especially their salvation. When in the presence of others, I must ask if my participation or restraint from participation benefit those I am with. I do not cross my conscience, but I do think about the benefit of others.
These standards guide Paul, and they should guide the Corinth Christians. Thus he adds, 1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. Be imitators of me in the way that I exercise my liberty. I get my cue from Christ. Indeed, Jesus also was accused of lax behavior, as well as at times coming across as too strict. Consider the following:
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard” (Matthew 11:19).
Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath” (John 9:16).
Jesus had a reputation of being loose with the law, and yet no one was stricter than he in his interpretation of the law.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:17-20).
Jesus baffled the religious leaders like Paul was baffling the Corinthians. Why did they seem lax one time and strict another? The Corinthians were particularly perplexed with Paul because they could not label him. He did not side with any of the church parties – be they the ascetics or the freedom lovers. He hammers them about some behavior, even while agreeing in principle with the people he is admonishing.
Here was their problem. They approached each issue with this thought in mind: What is best for me? For some, the question took this form: What makes me the happiest? For others, the question seemed more noble: What gets me favor with God? Either way, the question leads them along the wrong trail in their thinking.
The question should be: What glorifies God? And what glorifies God is what leads to thankfulness to God and puts the welfare of one’s neighbor ahead of oneself. If they think in those terms, as did Jesus and Paul, then they will catch on to knowing what is right conduct.
I need to be careful here. Neither Jesus nor Paul were moral relativists. They did not treat God’s laws as commands to be obeyed only when these standards were met. One is to follow the clear commands of God’s laws, as did Jesus and Paul, because as both said, these laws are summarized in the laws of love God and love neighbor. But there are many occasions when the laws are not specific enough (such as in eating meat offered to idols) and we have to use principles to guide us. There is also the common problem of us not knowing all the laws or thinking about them, and these principles again serve to guide us.
Lessons
I think the lessons for us are obvious. We, as individuals, are to examine our behavior according the standard of what glorifies God. As we ask what glorifies God, we are to think in terms of what leads us and others to give thanks to God. We are also to think of what most benefits our neighbor, especially what is favorable towards salvation.
We are also to think in this way as a church. Our church policies, all our activities in worship, nurture, and mission – do we promote thankfulness to God and blessing on our neighbors. Do we bless one another? When do we become too strict so that we hamper the gospel message of grace; and when do we become too lax so that God is dishonored?
Let me give you an example where I think our church has gotten it right. A few years ago our church leaders developed a policy about drinking alcohol. That certainly is a controversial issue, and it is tricky not to be overly strict or too loose. But by using such passages as the one we are using now, they had the discernment to strike a good balance.
“The Scriptures clearly establish many areas of Christian behavior, but there are other areas in which the Bible is silent or not declarative. These are considered to be areas of Christian liberty. (They then quote WCF 20.2)
“The absence of scriptural prohibition against the use of alcoholic beverages, the scriptural encouragement for Timothy to partake of wine, in moderation, for his health, the incident of Jesus’ miracle turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, and the use of wine in the first Lord’s supper convince us that the use of this substance is not prohibited by Scripture and represents an area of Christian liberty. (They then quote 1 Corinthian 6:12, 1 Timothy 5:23, Romans 14:14, and John 2:1-11).
“In this regard, Scripture teaches several important things about the use of alcoholic beverages.
“1. Alcohol is in itself not unclean, however man can and often does abuse the consumption of it, and, in so doing, may create a sinful situation. (Roman 14:14, Ephesians 5:18, 1 Corinthians 8:12)
2. Scripture clearly admonishes us against judging, condemning, or having contempt for a brother who consumes alcohol in a way not prohibited by Scripture. (Romans 14:3-4)
3. Abstinence from the use of alcoholic beverages is prescribed by Scripture when the use of these beverages leads to one of the following: drunkenness, other particular sins, a stumbling block or offense (they quote our very text, as well as 8:9-13), a situation not glorifying God (verse 31), or destruction of the partaker’s body which is God’s temple (from 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20).
They go on to address the application to church officers.
“In addition to the above guidance of Scripture, the officers of the church…are especially bound by the scriptural constraints regarding alcohol listed in the qualifications of officers found in 1 Timothy 3, 8 and Titus 1:7, 8).”
Here we have a balance of Christian liberty that is conscious of upholding God’s glory and of caring for one’s neighbor. Thus we avoid making a law to prohibit what is a matter of conscience, and we avoid encouraging behavior that promotes arrogance and other sin.
We would do well to follow their example. Examine the scriptures, then examine what meets the two-fold criteria of honoring God and promoting the welfare of one’s neighbor. Again, those two elements guided Jesus and certainly did lead to the salvation of others.
In all things he glorified his Father. Indeed, he most glorified his Father by becoming the sacrifice for our sins, that we also might become God's children.
Think, now, about your behavior. In your speech do you honor God and benefit your neighbor? In response to your speech, do neighbors glorify God and think well of your church? What about practices in your life such as drinking, forms of entertainment, the music you listen to, and so on? Are you able to engage in them with thanksgiving to God? Are you careful to manage your pleasures, which may be good in themselves, yet can be abused and which may hurt the conscience of others, thus leading them to sin?
Do you bristle at that thought of accommodating your lifestyle for the sake of others? When you do, think again of the example of our Lord. He gave up heaven, literally, for our sake. He accommodated himself so as to submit to his parents, whom he himself created. He accommodated himself to become our servant – we were created for his glory. The King of Glory accommodated himself to die on a cross like a common criminal. Why? For the glory of God. For Christ, to live and to die, to serve and to lead, to eat and to fast – whatever the case may be – for Christ everything was done to the glory of God. May we, the recipients of immeasurable blessing in Christ, follow his example.
