Christian freedom. 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 There is a tendency on the part of new believers in Christ who are so grateful for God's salvation that they want to please God in every way possible. Looking for a list of rules that contain "do's and don'ts" similar to the ten commandments, they seek a legal lifestyle to give themselves a sense of holiness. Their study of books written by men and the opinions of others can lead them to feel superior, more knowledgeable, and more spiritual than others. The idols of the people of Corinth represented false gods to those who worshipped before those statues.
The animals that were sacrificed to idols were symbols of that which was important to them, and they were giving it to the false gods, which were really demon worship. After the ritual was fulfilled, they would either eat the flesh of the animal or sell it to the public in the marketplace. Some of those new Christians had developed a superior, know-it-all opinion of themselves because they knew all that ritual was worthless - and they were right as far as worthlessness was concerned. The correction Paul was writing about was that their attitude was wrong, and that made the actions they took valueless.
Things surrounding this practice was another question Paul answered. Likely some of the Christians at Corinth were invited to attend those pubic feasts in which animals were sacrificed to the idols and knew that the idols were nothing. Perhaps with a certain degree of superiority and maybe even arrogance, they claimed eating things offered to idols was not wrong because the idols were only material and the gods they represented were nonexistent. It was all from the imaginations of darkened minds.
Surely, we are thankful for the liberty in Christ we have been brought into. We know idol worship is nothing. We also know those who worship idols are wasting their time, efforts, and goods when they sacrifice to idols. We know what the Bible says, and we know much that is done today in religious groups is only a form of bondage. We know what is right and wrong in relation to the worship of God doctrinally. But we need to remember that it is possible to have knowledge without grace, doctrine without godliness, truth without love.
What we know doctrinally needs love to keep it balanced. It is possible to have knowledge without love and that power of knowledge can be abusive. Love, on the other hand, without knowledge is deceptive and hypocritical. Something to keep in mind is not all idols are religious symbols. Whatever takes the preeminent place in my life is what I worship.
Christian freedom does not mean anything goes and we can do whatever we want. Our salvation is not based on rules and regulations, but on the freedom the grace of God through the sacrifice of Christ brought us. Sensitivity to what is right and wrong is good but needs to be kept within the bounds of love and knowledge together. Those who are stronger in the faith need to help those who are weak in faith to see beyond the forms, rituals, and their own opinions of right and wrong, to what is the revealed will of God.
The problem in Corinth wasn’t what one group knew and the others didn’t know, but love was missing that builds up the weak believers in faith and confidence in God. Instead of setting an example that would edify the unlearned new believers, their attitude was one of smug superiority. Unless knowledge leads us to demonstrate our love to others, we don’t really know God very well. Our love for God who has redeemed us by the blood of Christ is our response to Him and is evident by our love for our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
If I do anything or what I eat brings some kind of harmful influence on someone else, I should immediately stop doing that. Even though there may not be any wrong in the action, the result of the act may have a serious negative effect on a fellow Christian. The knowledge of the valuelessness of something in itself does not excuse me from offending another Christian’s conscience. My freedom in Christ does not give me the right to ignore or trample on another person’s weakness.
Weak Christians are prone to making critical judgments and even on occasion become offended by what they think is compromising to the Christian faith. Meat is only meat and doesn't change spiritually in any way. The meat is not contaminated by the sins of the people because it has been offered to an idol that is nothing. But the reality is that imposed laws comfort some who are new in the faith because they do not want to have to make a personal decision as to what is right or wrong. They would rather have rules placed on them so they can blame others for anything that doesn't work out right. They have not learned to trust God or be guided by the Spirit of God and the Word of God.
It is not easy for one who has been long in Christ and has learned to live by faith, to help weaker brothers at first. It is incumbent on the one stronger in faith to show love along with knowledge as they guide the new believer into the truths that enable one to enjoy their freedom in Christ. This takes time. Don't push too hard or too fast. Be patient with those who are coming from a legal frame of reference.
No believer should violate their own conscience by doing what they think or know is wrong. To do what another believer thinks is wrong, will be wrong for me if I do not consider the effect of an act of mine on his conscience. I sin against my brother or sister if what I do influences them to go contrary to what their conscience dictates. The problem comes when they may think. “If I can do that, then I guess I can do these other things even though it doesn’t seem entirely right.”
“One thing leads to another” is a phrase used to describe going farther away from what we know is right and safe. New Christians need the help and guidance of one who has a love for them that moves them to guide and teach them the truth of the word of God. Divine guidance is what is needed, not merely the example of another believer. When both of these are consistent, the statement and the action, then a learner can be assured as to what is acceptable to God and what is not.
A person's conscience is the inner ability to pass judgment on a matter before an action takes place. It also leads to a sense of guilt after something wrong has already taken place. Our conscience depends on our knowledge. The more knowledge we have of God and His Word and ways, the better we are able to act on what we know. Our conscience ("with knowledge") is strengthened and becomes consistent with God's will the more we know God. The weak conscience is real to one who hasn't recognized our freedom in Christ. My conscience which has been strengthened by the knowledge of God does not allow me to override or ignore those with a weak conscience. It takes time for us to guide the young in Christ into growth and a mature understanding of the scope of God's grace.
At the same time, it would be wrong for me to knowingly do anything that would lead the weak brother on some path that might result in sin on his part. What may have no negative effect on me because of experience and maturity, could be a stumbling block to one who is weaker. I may be free in Christ to do a certain thing, but because of my love for my brother, I will not do it - even if it comes to what I eat and drink. Christian freedom and Christian responsibility go together.
My brother is important to God and to me. It would be wrong to offend him with what I do or say. I really should challenge myself that each day I will pray, “Lord, make me assured that in each act of this day, I will not offend my brothers and sisters in Christ in any way.” The things that I eat hardly seem right or wrong but it may create problems for one not strong in faith so I must be sensitive as I travel along through life each day so that I will not offend others.
There are things I might laugh at that are important to him. For me to ignore his conscience might cause him to sin. I need to be aware of these things so that when I take action or make choices, I don’t offend others. A new believer’s conscience is tender because he is starting a new and unfamiliar life. I’ve been on this road enough to never cause strife if I allow God to guide me and I walk in the light as He is in the light. If I keep that in my mind and love my fellow believers as Christ loved me, I will not offend my brother.
We can’t live up to the expectations of every person who has a weak conscience, but we can be sensitive to them and let our love for them guide our actions as the Holy Spirit gives us the right way and opportunity to do this. It may be appropriate to abstain from what we know is good, simply for the sake of not offending a child of God. This is quite different from being bound by rigid rules or legalistic opinions of those who demand that everyone be like them.