A Sunday school teacher asked her class, "What was Jesus’ mother’s name?"
One child answered, "Mary."
The teacher then asked, "Who knows what Jesus’ father’s name was?"
A little kid said, "Verge."
Confused, the teacher asked, "Where did you get that?"
The kid said, "Well, you know, they are always talking about Verge n’ Mary.’’
If you’ve got your Bible I encourage you to open it up to 1 Cor. 8.
Paul, writing to his friends in Corinth, responds to a question they sent him that basically goes like this. “If we, as Christians, get invited to partake in eating meat that was dedicated to an idol and sacrificed in an idol worship rite, is it OK to eat it or not?”
They asked this question because it was a question that came up all the time. The city was full of temples dedicated to different idols, and a major part of worshipping those idols was the sacrificing of animals to those “gods”. Part of the meat would be burned up in the sacrificial ceremony, some given to the priests, and some would end up being sold in the marketplace. What would a “good Christian” do?
This is what has been called a “gray area”. Some matters in our lives are clearly laid out in scripture – it’s a black and white issue. Other questions are not so clear, and God-fearing Christians hold differences of opinion. How are we to handle these situations? How free can we be to do what we think is right? Let’s take a look at Paul’s advice to the Corinthians and then spend a few minutes applying it to our culture.
1 Corinthians 8 (NIV)
1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3But the man who loves God is known by God.
4So 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. 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), 6yet 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.
7But 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. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For 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? 11So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, 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.
In the book of Romans Paul addresses this same issue and gives us a few different insights so let me read through some of those verses as well…
Romans 14 (NLT)
1Accept Christians who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. 2For instance, one person believes it is all right to eat anything. But another believer who has a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. 3Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not look down on those who won’t. And those who won’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4Who are you to condemn God’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord’s power will help them do as they should….
10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11It is written:
" ’As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
’every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.’ " 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. 13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.
14I know and am perfectly sure on the authority of the Lord Jesus that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. But if someone believes it is wrong, then for that person it is wrong. 15And if another Christian is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died. 16Then you will not be condemned for doing something you know is all right.
17For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too. 19So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
20Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, there is nothing wrong with these things in themselves. But it is wrong to eat anything if it makes another person stumble. 21Don’t eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another Christian to stumble. 22You may have the faith to believe that there is nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves by doing something they know is all right. 23But if people have doubts about whether they should eat something, they shouldn’t eat it. They would be condemned for not acting in faith before God. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
OVERRIDING PRINCIPLES
1. Follow the prompting of your own conscience in gray areas. (Romans 14:12,23) Therefore we must heed our conscience in “gray areas” and not follow what others do simply because they feel free.
As it said in verse 12 of Romans 14:
Rom. 14:12 (NLT) So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Rom. 14:23 (NLT)But if people have doubts about whether they should eat something, they shouldn’t eat it. They would be condemned for not acting in faith before God. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.
It can be easy to be talked into doing things that you simply aren’t comfortable with because other Christians are doing it. “Maybe I’m just being a prude.” But what Paul says is that it’s better to be a prude and follow the promptings of your conscience, given you by the Holy Spirit, than to ignore those promptings and end up sinning before God.
In moral “gray areas” we are told we will stand before God and be held accountable for any times that we followed the crowd instead of following what we felt was right.
TRANS: This means there will be times when you will have to act differently than even other Christians around you. And that’s why it’s important we understand the next principle Paul taught…
2. Do not judge those who do not share your conviction in gray areas. (Romans 14:3-4)
Romans 14:3a Those who think it is all right to eat anything must not look down on those who won’t. And those who won’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. 4Who are you to condemn God’s servants? They are responsible to the Lord, so let him tell them whether they are right or wrong. The Lord’s power will help them do as they should.
If you feel morally free in a “gray area”, do not judge those who do not share your conviction.
It is very easy to feel superior and to make comments that deride other believers whose consciences do not allow them to do everything you feel free to do. But Paul says you are not to look down on those whose consciences do not allow them as much freedom.
Conversely, if you do not feel morally free in a “gray area”, do not judge those who do not share your conviction.
It is even easier for those who have strong convictions to judge those who do not share those convictions. Those who are more conservative in their actions can easily label other Christians as “liberal” of “worldly” when the decisions these Christians make in “gray areas” does not toe the same line.
1 Cor. 8:1 told us: Knowledge puffs up but love builds up.
When it comes to moral “gray areas” we need to be sure our number one concern is loving our fellow believers – not acting puffed up because of our convictions to one side or the other.
TRANS: This leads directly into the next principle, for though Paul agrees that Christians are free to follow their own conscience in morally “gray areas”, he teaches that this freedom is limited.
3. Modify your behavior if your freedom is causing another believer to stumble. (1 Cor. 8:12-13)
1 Cor. 8:12 And you are sinning against Christ when you sin against other Christians by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong. 13If what I eat is going to make another Christian sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live--for I don’t want to make another Christian stumble.
Although the behavior may not be sinful in and of itself, the damage done to your brother or sister’s conscience IS sin on your part. It is far better to abstain than to damage your brother or sister’s conscience.
ILLUS: Skunk and air freshener.
Imagine that you had invited someone over to your home. Let’s suppose there was a skunk outside and something scared it so that it gave off its scent. The smell begins to enter the home. You immediately reach up for your favorite air freshener and start to spray the room. Your guest begins coughing and can barely breathe. You recognize the person is having an allergic reaction and their airway is quickly closing, what would you do?
A. Keep spraying the house until the skunk sent is all gone.
B. Stop spraying the house with the freshener and help your friend in whatever means necessary to get them to the hospital.
C. Look at your friend and wonder why he or she does not have enough faith to overcome the air freshener. Or
D. Let your friend know you are sorry the air freshener offends them, but you have every right to spray your house to make it smell good. (Borrowed from Rick Gillespie-Mobley (contributor ID 5503))
Now, I believe that in this situation, prayerfully, we would get our friend to the hospital as soon as humanly possible. But, unfortunately, this sort of thing happens all the time, because of a twisted perception of being “free in Christ”.
NOTE: The more influence over others you have, the more caution you will need to have in applying your freedom. (The chances of someone being offended are much less when you are not in any sort of leadership position. As soon as you are in any sort of leadership position you are now responsible not to offend any of the people who are under you.)
So, how do we apply these principles Paul gives us today?
APPLICATION:
First, we must be certain the Bible does not give clear teaching on the subject. (For instance, some people may say that their conscience on premarital sex is clear and they feel “free” to engage in it. But this is not a gray area. Do not be confused.)
1. Use of alcohol. Is it OK to drink? If so, how much is OK? When and where would it be OK? Scripture does not lay down a law but it gives principles to follow. Some Christians feel free to drink as long as it does not lead to drunkenness or addiction. Others, however, feel it is a sin to drink – their conscience cannot allow the drink to pass their lips. What do we do? Those who feel free must use this freedom very carefully. Choose certain places and times to drink alcohol when they are certain no one will be offended. If you are not certain – drink something else!
On the other hand if you feel all drinking is wrong because of your conscience, you are challenged to not judge your fellow Christians who feel free to drink. Stay true to your own conscience without forcing everyone else to follow your convictions.
2. Use of media. Is it OK to go the movies? Is PG-13 OK? Is R OK? What about TV shows? Books? Magazines? Internet sites?
Some people’s consciences do not allow very much leeway for impure images and stories on the screen. It doesn’t matter if the story as a whole has redeeming factors, they don’t think it is right to see certain images or support those who produce such movies. Others do feel free to enjoy the story and don’t feel as if Jesus would have a problem watching movies with them.
Once again, both sides must be tolerant of those who disagree with them.
But those who do feel free should use their freedom very cautiously. Be sure that no one’s conscience will be offended. And if in doubt, either get a different movie or find something else to do altogether. No movie or TV show is worth leading a brother or sister in the Lord to sin!
3. Women’s Clothing styles. Women, you may feel free to wear clothes that make you look attractive, even sexy. You may feel that there is nothing wrong with wearing a skimpy bathing suit in public, or wearing a short skirt or tight jeans or shirts that show your midriff or shoulders or cleavage. But when you do so, you are not acting in love toward the men around you. Because most of us have pretty weak consciences in this area. If you are in doubt about a certain article of clothing and whether it is truly modest – it is far better to wear something else and keep your Christian brothers in particular from sinning.
4. Gambling. Is it OK to go to a casino and gamble on card games or play slot machines? It is OK to spend money on lottery tickets? For some the answer is no. They are not able to stop once they get started and they get addicted. For others it is simply a fun night out. For some their conscience doesn’t allow supporting the existence of casinos with their dollars. Other people don’t have a problem with it.
CONCLUSION: Use your freedom to build up the faith of others.
1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV) So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33even 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.
May the choices you make always be made with this aim in mind – that your life is the Bible that others will read. For some – it is the only Bible they will read. May you live this week and every week seeking to do everything possible to help others be saved and to grow in their faith.
