1 Corinthians 8:1–13

I Corinthians 8:1-13

Review…

• I Corinthians 1-6 ~ 4 problems in the chruch ~ Division / Discipline / Suing/ Purity
• Answering the 5 questions from the chruch – 1^st Marriage…
  • I Corinthians 7:1-9 – To those who want to get married…
    • In order to avoid sexual immorality – get married…
    • Get married for the right reasons – not to get / but to give (you are not your own)…
  • I Corinthians 7:10-17 – To those who are married…
    • Do not get divorced – Command from God – Matthew 19:3-9 / Mark 10:1-9…
    • The only exception – death / adultery – because marriage is meant to last for life!
    • If you do get divorced – stay single – or remarry the one who you divorced…
  • I Corinthians 7:18-40 – Be content…
    • You MUST accept every situation the Lord has put you in…
    • Financial / social / and relationships – married or single…
    • If you are single do not seek a wife (Adam & Eve) – instead wait on the Lord…
    • But if you do get married – you will face many challenges in life…
    • If you can it is better to remain single – wholly devoted to the Lord…
    • Do not think marriage will make you content – contentment only comes in Jesus!
    • Answering the 5 questions from the chruch – 2^nd Idols…
  • I Corinthians 8-10 – Paul deals with questions about Idolatry…
  • The first question he addresses is about food offered to Idols…

Answering the 2^nd question – Food offered to Idols…

• The place of knowledge… vs. 1-3
  • The church had questioned Paul about idols…
    • This was a common problem of the day – the Greeks worshiped many gods…
    • Part of how they worshiped these gods was by offering a sacrifice of food to them…
    • Some part of the animal was offered up as a sacrifice – but the rest was to share…
    • The ‘picture’ – having a meal with the gods – they got part / you got part…
    • Much the same as with the Jewish faith – the ‘peace offering’ – Leviticus 3:12-17
    • If you were invited over to an unbeliever’s house for a meal…
    • Or if you bought meat in the market (almost always which had been offered)…
    • As a believer in Jesus – could you with a good conscience eat the meat…
  • We all have knowledge… vs. 2-3
    • Apparently the church in Corinth had a solution to this problem…
    • They thought they ‘knew what to do – how to handle the issue’…
    • Paul warns them – everyone has knowledge – but knowledge alone is not the answer…
    • This is hard for us as men – because we are problem solvers – we look for the answer…
    • When people come to us with a problem we want to be the answer – we can fix it!
  • When we think we are the answer…
    • If you think you know anything/everything – you really know nothing at all!
    • When we think WE have THE answer – we become arrogant – puffed up…
    • Rather than solving the problem – often we become one ourselves!
    • I had a friend many years ago who believed in evolution – because of the facts…
    • He challenged me that if I could show him he was wrong – he would change his mind…
    • I took up the challenge and studies up on Evolution vs. Creation…
    • I came back and dismantled the Evolution theory – he admitted he not defend it…
    • But he still believed in Evolution – because he wanted to!
    • I had all the right knowledge – but knowledge is not enough…
  • Knowledge and Love…
    • The one who has the answer is the one who has God’s love…
    • * I Corinthians 13:2 – “Though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
    • We might have all the knowledge – know our Bibles from front to back…
    • We might have degrees – titles – the answer to every question – but…
    • Knowledge is only half of the picture – Love allows me to use that knowledge for God!
    • I may know the only way to heaven is through faith in Jesus Christ – true…
    • But unless I have the Love of God – and am willing to share that message – it is useless!
    • There is only one God… vs. 4-6
  • We ‘know’ that and Idol is nothing…
    • Apparently the solution of the church was to ‘know’ idols were just lifeless images…
    • Jeremiah 5:10 – “Do not be afraid of them, they cannot do evil of good…”
    • Idols have no power – they are neither harmful nor helpful…
    • It’s foolish to trust in them to be able to help us – just as foolish to be afraid of them…
    • They are just a block of wood or plastic – no more powerful than a stick of wood!
    • The church had come to understand the foolishness of trusting in an idol…
    • The idea that something I create – can then turn around and save me…
    • * Isaiah 44:19-20 – “The person who made the idol never stops to reflect, ‘Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to… roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a chunk of wood?’”
    • There are many today who trust in idols – to answer prayers / help in hard times
    • Even those who do not look to idols – still tend to trust in our money…
    • We forget what our money is made of – paper is a wood product…
    • We look to Manuel Roxas (P100) / Benigno Aquino (P500) / Jose Santos (P1000)
    • Idols may have feet, ears, eyes, mouth – but they cannot walk, see, hear, or speak
    • Psalms 115:8 – “Those who make them [trust in them] are like them.”
    • If we trust in statues – or we trust in pretty printed-paper – we become like them…
    • If we are trusting in idols then we are no longer looking or listening to God…
    • Where God has the power to help us / save us – idols can do nothing…
    • So if we are trusting in idols rather than in God – nothing happens!
  • There is only One God – Ephesians 4:6…
    • While there are many so-called ‘gods’ – they are not really gods – they are fallen angels…
    • * I Corinthians 10:20 – “Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God…”
    • The only REAL God – is our Father in Heaven – our Lord Jesus Christ…
    • One of the great mysteries of our Faith – there is only One God – Deuteronomy 6:4…
    • Yet God exists in three distinct persons – God the Father / God the Son / God the Spirit…
    • The Bible makes no effort to explain how this is true – only that it is a fact!
    • What makes a religion a cult – rather than a denomination – Mormons / Iglesia…
    • Is there denial of this ‘key’ doctrine – rejecting the divinity of Jesus Christ!
    • Knowledge with Love… vs. 7-13
  • The Strong & the Weak…
    • The strong – those who have the knowledge – those who know idols are nothing…
    • They can eat any meat with a clean conscience – knowing there is only one true God!
    • But not everyone has that knowledge – the weak – do not understanding God’s word…
    • Those who still think there is power in an idol – don’t know it’s just a block of wood…
    • If they eat meat they know has been offered to idols – their conscience is convicted…
    • For the most part people don’t offer food to idols anymore (common still in India)…
    • But people do kiss idols / they do still burn candles to idols…
    • We know this is foolish – but those who don’t know God’s word don’t understand…
  • Food cannot defile us…
    • You are not better because you eat – you have understanding – the strong…
    • You are not the worse if you do not eat – you do not understand – the weak
    • The food is not the point – it is about our conscience…
    • And the tendency for us to criticize people who do not share our convictions…
  • Those who do not understand – the weak…
    • This is where most people tend to struggle – being judgmental of others…
    • If we have a rule we believe we must follow…
    • If we think you cannot eat meat offered to idols…
    • If we think we cannot see movies / listen to secular music / have a tattoo…
    • Then we tend to think everyone else has to follow our rules as well!
    • Passing on your convictions…
    • If I we have conviction – it wrong to drink (the Bible does say it is sin to be drunk)
    • And I tell you that you should also not drink – I have given you a law…
    • The problem is I have not changed your heart – you still want to drink…
    • I set you up to fail – you will drink cause you want to – then feel like a bad Christian
    • Trusting in the Lord to show others right and wrong…
    • If instead I tell you to go to the Lord – ask Him if you should drink…
    • God will tell you – and if He says no – He’ll change you heart so you don’t want to!
    • God does not just give you a Law – He gives you the ability to live up to the Law!
  • Those who have more knowledge – the strong…
    • This tends to be the easier position to take – having more freedom in Jesus…
    • If someone follows more rules than we do – ‘God bless them’ – we don’t mind…
    • So long as they do not force their rules onto us!
    • Not that we are free to sin…
    • If you have any doubts about what you are doing…
    • If you are not sure if you should see that movie – play with those cards…
    • Then better not to – because whatever is not done in faith – is sin – Romans 14:23
    • Don’t let your freedom lead you away from Jesus…
    • I Corinthians 6:12 – “You may say, ‘I am allowed to do anything.’ But I reply, ‘Not everything is good for you.’ And even though ‘I am allowed to do anything,’ I must not become a slave to anything.”
    • We have incredible freedom in Jesus – but be careful…
    • Do not let your freedom become a snare that brings you into the bondage of sin…
    • Make sure whatever you do – or don’t do – do it to the glory of God!
    • I Corinthians 10:31 – “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
    • Be careful of your freedom in Christ – if a weaker brother sees you…
    • If you eat meat inside the temple of an idol – for sure it has been offered…
    • Maybe they have a special that day – maybe the food is REALLY good…
    • You don’t care because you know that idols are nothing…
    • But if your weaker brother sees you eating – he might be tempted to follow along…
    • But because he does not understand – he will sin against his conscience by eating…
    • Our freedom in Christ can lead another brother into sin!
    • We might know that idols are nothing / cards are nothing / movies are nothing…
    • But to a brother who thinks they are evil – to him they are sin…
    • Don’t use your freedom in Christ – to destroy someone who Jesus died to save!
    • Suppose you knew a brother who struggled with gambling – lost everything…
    • He got saved – stopped gambling– and stated to get his life back…
    • One day a ‘brother’ invited him over to a cockfight – ‘just to watch’…
    • ‘We have freedom in Jesus’ – the brother told him – what can one fight hurt…
    • He ends up falling back into his old lifestyle – walking away from the Lord!
    • One man’s freedom in Christ – can be another man’s undoing…
    • Be sensitive to each other’s weaknesses – protecting each other from sin!
    • If we stumble our brother through our ‘knowledge’ – wounding his weak conscience
    • We are actually sinning against Jesus!
  • It’s all about Love…
    • So if eating stumbles your brother – then don’t eat meal offered to idols…
    • Be considerate of the convictions of your brother in Christ…
    • If eating food offered to idols stumbles your brother – don’t eat in front of him…
    • If watching a movie stumbles him – then don’t watch the movie in front of him…
    • If playing with cards stumbles him – then don’t put out the deck when he comes by…
    • Don’t abuse your knowledge – remember it’s about Jesus…
    • Don’t just have the knowledge of the truth – use that knowledge in love…
    • Consider your brother before yourself – Ephesians 4:15