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I love steak. I really do. Whenever we go out it’s what I feel like most of the time. For a time I became a little reluctant to eat my favorite meat after doing a series of stories as a reporter on ecoli. You remember that, don’t you? The little bacteria killed several people in Oregon and Washington. Actually it was ecoli 0157:H7. After reporting on the deaths, the fear, the anguish from victim’s families – and then seeing the process of beef production – I just lost my appetite.
Eventually I went back to eating steak – medium, please – but our section of 1st Corinthians reminds me of ecoli. For some folks in Corinth, eating a steak was like purposefully putting ecoli into their stomachs. For others, they simply didn’t care – about the meat, or what eating it did to others who were afraid.
The battle wasn’t over bacterial infection, but over spiritual infection. You see – the Greeks sacrificed animals to their many gods, or idols. The meat was served at large cafeterias near the temple – and much of it made its way to the meat market. So when you went down to Safeway to pick up a T-bone, chances are that meat had been offered to an idol.
There were two groups in the Corinthian church – one group, called them the Libertists (a made up word) claimed that their freedom in Christ nullified any concern over whether meat had been sacrificed to an idol. The other group – call them the legalists – were very concerned, and felt that eating meat given to an idol was taking part in idolatry.
So they ask Paul – what about this? He answers in a very unusual way – and we’ll get to that – but it also has application to us today. Not that our meat is sacrificed to idols – but there are other things that we do or don’t do as Christians that can offend or stumble others. In fact, Paul will say, we can actually sin by taking our freedom in Christ too far.
1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God.
The libertists argued that their superior knowledge about spiritual things exempted them from concern in this area. Paul says: the more you know, the more you know how less you really know.
It’s true – I heard recently that the more expert a musician is, the less confident they are because they realize just how amazing it is that they can do what they do – and they see how profound music really is.
Knowledge, Paul says, puffs up – makes you feel pretty special, makes you feel maybe better than somebody else. Albert Einstein said: “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” Just because you know something, doesn’t mean you really understand it.
Proverbs 9:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Just because we can do something, doesn’t make it okay to do it. All our actions should be colored by our fear of the LORD – of knowing Him – and being known by Him. It’s not just a bunch of does and don’ts – but belonging to God means becoming like Him in character.
And what is His character? 1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
And what does that character of love do? John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
The essence of knowledge is knowing God – His self sacrificing love – and then practicing that on the world around you.
So with that in mind, Paul makes his argument:
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.
One note here – notice that Paul says that “all things came” from the Father and the Son. This is another good proof text for the fact that Jesus is God, and for the existence of the trinity.
In verses 4-6 Paul looks like he is supporting group 1, which said: idols are nothing – and they are - nothing.
Habikkuk 2:18-20 Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it?
Or an image that teaches lies? For he who makes it trusts in his own creation;
he makes idols that cannot speak. 19 Woe to him who says to wood, ’Come to life!’
Or to lifeless stone, ’Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. 20 But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him."
Technically, an idol is anything that comes between us and God – anything. But here Paul is speaking of literal idols that people sacrificed to – and there are demons that have inspired people to worship them. So in some sense there is a power there, but it’s not what people think. In reality, idols have no power, no ability to speak or to act. Remember Elijah and the prophets of Baal in 1st Kings 18?
So while its true – Paul turns the tables in verses 7 and 8.
7 But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
It’s important for Christians, whether strong or weak, to realize that eating meat – sacrificed or not – has no spiritual significance one way or another. It is a spiritually neutral issue – therefore, what should take precedence is what doing it or not doing it does to our fellow believers.
We can’t assume everyone is as far along in their walk as we are – and so here is the key to the chapter:
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
What the strong may have thought was “good for” the weak – to exercise their freedom in Christ – was actually causing them to sin by daring them to do something that went against their conscience to do.
This is an important point – sometimes in our quest to assert our freedom in Christ we push a young believer to do something they are not comfortable doing. There may be nothing “wrong” with it – but the person just hasn’t matured enough in their faith to feel good about it. So if we push them into it, it becomes sin because it goes beyond their faith – and Paul said in Romans 14:23 that everything that is not of faith is sin.
How could this happen? Let’s use alcohol as an example. There is no Biblical prohibition against drinking – unless you are a church leader. So let’s say that I as a mature Christian feel no problem with having a drink now and then down at the bar. Now along comes a young brother who is from a family of alcoholics. I say to them that they should exercise their freedom in Christ – to have a drink with me. They might think that since I am a more mature believer that I must be right – and they walk in and start drinking and end up becoming an alcoholic – a drunkard – which is sinful.
Was I right? – Technically, yes. But you were very wrong in applying it in the case of your weaker brother. The same can hold true for movies we see, or games we play – we can lead people to sin by lusting, or by getting involved in magic and witchcraft – but more on that later.
The point is – your actions must take into account the effect of those around you. In this case – you should avoid going to a bar when your brother knows it. “But that’s so limiting” you say. Well – what’s more important to you – your own freedom, or the growth of a brother or sister?
But Paul goes even further – when you through your freedom cause a brother to fall – you yourself sin:
12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
So you see, it’s not whether or not you are technically right – but its how what you do or don’t do affects your brother who might not be as far along in his or her walk as you.
What are some examples for us?
• Movies
• Drinking
• Christmas trees
• Easter eggs
• How about the days of the week? Saturn’s Day
• TV
• Dancing
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Meditation
These are all things that some people would assume are connected with sin – even if they are not. You have the freedom to do them (and not sin yourself) – but if the other person can’t get over it and it stumbles them – again, then what is more important?
1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. KJV
Conclusion
Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Christ gave us freedom from sin – and now we have the freedom to chose not to sin. Just because we can do something, doesn’t make it the right thing to do.
I’m going to make what could be a controversial remark: if you contemplate doing something on the margins – not technically sinful – but in the minds of some it is – why is it so important to flaunt your freedom?
In some cultures co-ed swimming is sinful. Now that might not stop me from going to the beach where there are lots of people – but I’m not going to have that couple over and cajole them into a co-ed swimming situation if that makes them uncomfortable.
I’m not saying that we should walk on eggshells – always worried we’re going to offend someone. What I mean is that we should know our younger brothers and sisters in the Lord – know what stumbling blocks are out there for them, and take that into consideration – but mature enough to let go of something for the sake of someone else.
