*A little background - in the pagan Roman town of Corinth temples sold the meat that was offered up to their "gods" at discount prices. Some of the Corinthian Christians may have been getting their meat from temples their entire lives. Some Christians understood that food wasn't what saved them, and had no problem eating the discount meat...other Christians in Corinth saw it as evil, or connected the food with pagan worship so fully that the meat caused them to stumble in their faith. Paul s addressing this issue.
8:9 - "Take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block for the weak." Some of the Corinthian Christians were so focused on their "rights" that they were ignoring the negative impact it was having on the lives of people around them. We in America often worship a little something called our right to free speech (Which does rock and allows me to talk about my faith!). There are times when "free speech" is used to destroy and breed hate and corrupt weaker persons. This shows us the ugly underbelly of putting rights above the welfare of others. Paul sees the absurdity of placing more value in rights then in human life.
8:11 - Example: Drinking alcohol around somebody who is an alcoholic. As a Christian, above the legal drinking age, it is acceptable to drink alcohol in moderation. It is not sinful (See: Jesus turn water into wine). BUT if you exercising your right to drink causes a weaker brother to stumble, it is sinful. It is evil. Again, you would be placing your right to do something meaningless as more important than the life of another human being. That is insane and anti-Christian.
2 comments:
On the surface, this chapter seems to be about things that people give to idols and should we use those things or not – in particular – food.
Dig deeper – it might be talking about anything that might make someone stumble.
Msg 11 - Christ gave up his life for that person. Wouldn't you at least be willing to give up going to dinner for [that person]…
Take the words “going to dinner” and substitute other words there – listening to certain music, going to certain movies, innuendos, drinking, etc.
Makes me rethink how I should present myself to others. After all, words and actions do count, so I should be making them count for our Lord.
Peace,
j
Living in Arkansas has presented an interesting task for me. Because we are pretty deep in the Bible belt, and are surrounded by a ton of blue collar people, drinking is something that is very easily associated as an evil act. The challenge is this: coming from Dallas and Houston, TX, areas of the world where more affluent lifestyles are practiced, alcohol is not as big a deal as it is out here. Not much of a drinking man myself, but I do see where my knowledge is different than the people where I am currently at. It is so important to care for others by the decisions you make, regardless of your knowledge, in love AND wisdom. If it allows you to glorify Christ without compromising your Holiness, it is your responsibility to care for your brother.
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