Questionable Activities Series

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were camping. They pitched their tent under the stars and went to sleep. Then sometime in the middle of the night, Holmes woke Watson. “Watson, look up at the stars and tell me what you deduce.”

Watson says, “I see millions of stars, and if even a few of those have planets, it's quite likely there are some planets like Earth, and if there are a few planets like Earth out there, there might also be life.”

Holmes replies, “Watson, you idiot, somebody stole our tent!” (Tom Kuntz, The World's 'Funniest' Jokes)

Sometimes our knowledge blinds us to the obvious, doesn’t it? It’s a particular hazard, especially for those who have been Christians for a while. They know so much about God and the Bible that they sometimes overlook the most important thing.

The 1st century, Corinthian church had that problem. They prided themselves on their knowledge of theology so much so that they missed what was most important in their relationships with each other.

If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to 1 Corinthians 8, 1 Corinthians 8, where you can learn to avoid making the same mistake.

1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning food offered to idols…

This was one of the issues over which the Corinthian believers fought. You see, the cheapest meat in Corinth was sold in the idol’s temple. After it had been sacrificed, there was so much left over that the priests sold it very cheaply, so they could get rid of it before it spoiled. In addition, a lot of the community gatherings took place in the idol’s temple, where such meat was consumed, and the Believers in Corinth debated over whether it was okay to eat that meat.

Some argued to eat such meat is participating in idolatry. Others retorted, “No, it’s not! It’s cheap meat, and it’s where my friends hang out. I’m not participating in their idolatry. I’m just enjoying a good steak for little or next to nothing.” They lived in a pagan culture, which presented them with a lot of questions about how to interact with that culture.

It’s not unlike our culture. We don’t worry about “meat sacrificed to idols” today. But we do debate things like Yoga. Is it just a relaxing way to exercise or a doorway into Hinduism, which is antithetical to Christianity?

How about Halloween? Is it an irredeemable holiday of Satanism and witchcraft or just a fun time of candy and costumes?

Then there is the issue of education. Should we put our children in public schools, where they can be salt and light in a pagan world? Or should we home-school our children, or put them in private schools, where we can be sure they learn our values?

How about psychology? Is it a valuable tool as a supplement to biblical counseling, or is it just so much worthless, worldly wisdom, which contradicts the Scriptures?

How about politics? Should we vote republican or democrat, or just stay out of politics altogether, because the whole system is corrupt? Just how involved should we be involved in politics?

Then there is the issue of R-rated movies and alcohol. Should we abstain altogether, or can it be appropriate for some believers in certain settings?

We face a lot of questions as we try to interact with our culture, and our knowledge of the Bible can be very helpful. But if we’re not careful, it can also swell our heads with pride and blind us to some obvious solutions.

1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning food offered to idols: We know that all of us possess knowledge.

It’s what we as Bible-believing Christians pride ourselves in. We know a lot about the Bible! There is only one problem.

1 Corinthians 8:1 This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

This is the key idea of the whole chapter: Knowledge puffs up (vs.1-8), but love builds up (vs.9-13).

There was a traveler, between flights at an airport, who went to a lounge and bought a small package of cookies. Then she sat down and began reading a newspaper. Gradually, she became aware of a rustling noise. From behind her paper, she was flabbergasted to see a neatly dressed man helping himself to her cookies. Not wanting to make a scene, she leaned over and took a cookie herself.

A minute or two passed, and then came more rustling. He was helping himself to another cookie! By this time, they had come to the end of the package, but she was so angry she didn't dare allow herself to say anything. Then, as if to add insult to injury, the man broke the remaining cookie in two, pushed half across to her, and ate the other half and left. Still fuming some time later when her flight was announced, the woman opened her handbag to get her ticket. To her shock and embarrassment, there she found her pack of unopened cookies! (John Ross Cranleigh, Surrey, England, Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 2)