The Limitations of Love
Text: I Corinthians 8:1-13
Introduction: The reality of our lives in Christ is this: we have been set free! We have been set free from our old way of life. We have been set free from the power of sin. We are no longer in bondage to it. And we have been set free to enjoy life and to enjoy it more abundantly.
But I ask you today, just how free are we free to be? Are there any limitations to our freedom in Christ? Are we totally free to do anything we like? Many of you have heard the line of reasoning that says, "I am free to do anything I please as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else." It sounds good, doesn’t it? The only difficulty with this kind of reasoning is that it assumes we can be totally independent of other people. It assumes that the decisions we make and the actions we take do not impact anyone else.
There is a basic problem here. That problem is that "no man is an island unto himself." The poet John Donne made this line popular in a literary work where he made the point that we do not live in isolation. Whether we like it or not, whether we accept it or not, each of us is a part of the whole of humanity. What impacts you affects me. My actions impact and affect you. The reality of our situation is that we are all interconnected. And this is especially true within the church.
The church is a picture of the basic unit of society, the family. We are the family of God. Just as when we were born, we were born into a family, so when we were born again, we became a part of the church. Others in the church are our brothers and sisters. We are part of this community, this fellowship, this family, and what we do and how we live directly impacts all of us.
The church in Corinth was facing an issue of Christian liberty. The questions we asked earlier, they too were asking. How free are we free to be? Are there limitations to our freedom in Christ? For them, it had to do with food sacrificed to idols. None of us has probably ever had to think about that specific issue. But the general issue applies to us as well. It is the issue of how exercising my Christian liberty affects others. Does my behavior help or hinder my brothers and sisters in Christ?
The apostle Paul points out several important considerations that should guide our behavior. In determining how free we are free to be, there are three important people to consider.
I. Consider Yourself
- vv. 1-3 - "Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God."
A. First consider youself.
1. Before you can look outward, you need to look inward.
2. You need to take a good long look at yourself to determine your own situation.
B. Two specific areas to consider: knowledge & love.
1. Knowledge.
a. As we grow in our relationship to Christ, we also grow in our knowledge of Him and of His ways.
b. Growing in our knowledge of Him is a good thing, an essential thing.
c. It can also be a dangerous thing if we come to rely too heavily on our knowledge alone.
d. While knowledge is essential, it is not all-sufficient.
e. Too much trust in what we know can cause us to become puffed up or proud, self-sufficient, and arrogant.
f. We begin to look down on others who do not have the same level of knowledge.
2. Love.
a. Who do you love? Do you love Jesus? Are you passionate for him?
b. Paul tells us that while knowledge puffs up, love builds up.
c. He goes on to tell us that "the man who loves God is known by God."
d. Love is the foundation of our relationship with God and the essential building block of the healthy life.
C. How do you know you love Jesus?
1. Too many people evaluate their love for God by how they feel inside.
2. While feelings are important, feelings can be fickle.
3. Too many people think they love God simply because they have a sentimental feeling toward God.
a. But many of those same people can’t even get out of bed to come to church.
b. Many of those same people never give of their time, or talent, or resources to the work of the kingdom.
4. Saying you love Jesus because you simply have a warm feeling in your heart toward him is a dangerous assumption.
5. A better test for our love for God is the test of obedience.
a. How do you know that you know that you love Jesus?
b. Because you do what he wants you to do.
c. I Jn 5:3 says, "This is love for God: to obey his commands."
Application: If you really love Jesus, that love will be shown in how you live for Him. Do you put Him first in your life? That’s what God wants you to do. God wants you to step over the line and never look back. He wants Jesus to be the driving force of your life, the reason that you live. We are to love God with all of our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.
II. Consider Others
- vv. 4-8 - "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. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many gods and many lords), 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. 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. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do."
A. Next, consider others.
1. Consider what they don’t know.
2. Not everyone is in the same place in their knowledge and understanding of the truth.
B. The Corinthians had an issue of eating food sacrificed to idols.
1. Paul indicated that an idol was nothing, merely a representation of a god that did not exist.
2. He knew that, other mature Christians knew that, but not everyone knew that.
3. Some still saw these idols as significant and so they were having problems justifying eating the meat sacrificed in the pagan temples.
***The animal sacrifices that were brought to the pagan temples in Corinth eventually ended up in the marketplace. Part of the meat was burned up in the sacrifice. Another portion was given to the priest. And the rest was sold in the market. That was the best place to find the best meat. But was that meat contaminated because it was a religious sacrifice? Was it wrong for a Christian to eat meat sacrificed to a pagan god? And was it right for a Christian who had no qualms about eating that meat to eat it in the presence of someone who did? How free was he free to be?
C. The Scripture teaches that knowing the truth sets us free.
1. Knowledge of the truth comes with time and experience.
2. New Christians need time to mature and grow in their knowledge.
3. Others may not necessarily be where we are in our walk with God.
4. When it comes to questionable things, we need to consider the situation of others; what they may not know; and where they may be weak.
D. Look at verses 9-11 - "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 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? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge."
1. The weak brother does not possess the knowledge necessary to understand that eating food sacrificed to idols is nothing.
2. But weakness is not sin.
3. We must learn to take into account the spiritual situation of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
4. We need to be careful that our behavior does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
E. Romans 14:20-23 says: "Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall. So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin."
1. Some people hesitate based on their conscience.
2. Respect their hesitation.
3. If someone believes that a particular behavior is a sin, for them it is a sin.
Application: If we cannot act in faith, we will end up in sin. If someone believes that it is a sin to eat meat sacrificed to idols, and they still do so, for them it is a sin. They have disobeyed God in their heart. And if, by our own behavior, we cause them to be emboldened or encouraged to eat, we cause them to sin. That’s why we must be careful to consider others before we act. Over time and through proper training and discipleship these areas will eventually be worked out.
III. Consider Christ
- vv. 12-13 - "When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 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."
A. Also consider Christ.
1. When you sin against your brothers, you sin against Christ.
2. In everything we do and choose not to do, Christ should be the primary consideration.
B. Consider what will glorify him.
1. That is why we are here, to glorify God.
2. Consider how we can honor him more; how we can exalt him more.
3. Live in such a way that we reflect his character, grace, mercy and love.
4. Consider what will please him - actions, choices, priorities?
Conclusion: The underlying issue here is what motivates us. What controls the way you live? Are you controlled by your own lustful desires to get and have and possess? Or are you controlled by a higher desire - a desire to please God and walk in his love? II Co 5:14-15 says: "Whatever we do, it is because Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe that we have all died to the old life we used to live. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was raised for them."
As Christians, we should be controlled by Christ’s love. That is the sum total of what we have been talking about here today. When we speak about the limitations of love, we are not implying that love is limited but rather that we are limited or controlled by love. It is for love’s sake that we choose not to cause our brother to stumble. We may be more mature and have a more complete knowledge and therefore we may be free to indulge. But we are also free to choose not to indulge for the sake of our brother. So we limit our behavior in his presence so that he can continue to grow in grace and knowledge.
It is the love of Christ that guides our lives, that controls our decisions, that causes us to live, not for ourselves, but for others. It is the love of Christ that causes us to live to please Christ. Walk in love and you will walk in the power of God. Walk in love and you will build your brother up. Walk in love and you will please the one who teaches us to love, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Disclaimer: Portions of this message or ideas contained within may have been gleaned from other sources. Please feel free to use this message as the Lord leads for His glory.
