However, there is not
in every one that knowledge;
for some, with
consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience,
being weak, is
defiled. But food does not commend
us to God;
for neither if we
each are eat the better, nor if we do not eat
are we the worse. But beware lest somehow this liberty
of your becomes
a stumbling block to those who are weak.
1 Corinthians 8:7 --
9
How big is
your God? If you only know what He has
done for you, you do not have a big enough God. There seems, especially in this present age, a need for antinomy;
a need for no one to tell us what we should or should not do. So often, our faith is in faith in the
things that we perceive as religious work for God when it is only feeding our
sense of piety. Paul in this instance
in speaking to the Corinthians is speaking about food, especially food
presented to an idol and whether or not Christians should eat of that
food. You can tell Corinthians were
putting emphasis on things that they were doing, such as, not eating food
sacrificed to idols as though this somehow made them more acceptable to
God. If now, a person knows that a
particular food had been presented as an offering, and having gotten food,
from an idol and they eat of the food they do so because their conscience is
not only weak, but conscience is defiled.
Why do they have defiled consciences?
Because they have forgotten that not only did God create all things, food does not commend us to God. In
other words, work even though it may be done with a sense of doing so for our
Lord in Jesus Christ does not necessarily commend us to God. The motive, that is what is of concern here
for if our motive is simply that we get a wonderful euphoric feeling of piety,
those things that we are doing, we are doing what they do wrong motive. Eating one kind of food and abstaining from
another, have nothing in them to recommend a person to God. So those who are so adamant that a person
should be eating a certain kind of foods, as refined as so often with those who
are vegan, I am not condemning all vegans, only those who want to state that
this is the only way a human being should be eating. On the other hand, we should not abuse the liberty to promote
such things that are so often promoted as the only way to live that only causes
a stumbling block. In every
congregation, there are different levels of faith, some have great faith,
others immature in their faith. We must
not abuse our liberty to be a stumbling block to those who are weak in faith
and are immature in their Christianity and are in need of doing what
the Bible actually says and how they are to apply the Bible in their life: "For if anyone sees you who have
knowledge eating in idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak
be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for
whom Christ died? But when you thus sin
against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against
Christ. And therefore, if food makes my
brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother
stumble" (1 Corinthians 8: 10 -- 13).
Once again, we are reminded that we are to deny ourselves and to pick up
our cross and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.
That is the whole of our responsibility, and that responsibility is to
be converted to the Lord Jesus Christ and stand against sin whenever, and where
ever we are affronted by sin, and that sin will not only affect us but will
affect those whom we may never see yet are seeing us. This is a hard thing for as I stated in the beginning our
corrupted souls, have created desire in us for antinomy, that is I want it done my way, to live my way, and be able to do things my way.
In other words we live as if everything is for and about us. If we cause a brother or a sister who is
weak to see us sin, even though at church or other functions we act like mature
Christians, that is speaking out of both sides of our mouth at the same time,
have we not then sinned against our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? YES!
When I write these words, I writes in to myself as well, and must
examine those things that I do that may be causing a weak brother or sister
to stumble. I often mention such things
that are of concern, and those things are such as the Mixed Martial Arts
battles that are attended by those of us who are admitting that we are
Christians, is this not sending a wrong message to a weak brother? Or that we go out drinking with buddies when
we have responsibilities at home and we have become in the very least
inebriated, and the most just plain drunk, have we not offended and stumbled
our weak brother? Do we take time each
day to pray, and to read his word, and then to apply His word and allow the
Holy Spirit to guide us? Do we take
time to look in the mirror to see if we are dressed properly or are we showing
way too much flesh, and then saying well this is a dress of the day, everyone
is doing it, are they not, and can't I dress according to the culture? Or are we running out getting tattoos up and
down our arms and our necks and putting rings in places that seem not to apply, such as
lips and big holes in ears and doing all the things that the world is doing so
that they seemed to be sophisticated and mature. Who or what have priority in your life? Who might you be stumbling?
You see, there are many people watching us that we do not even know are
watching. Are you living the life of
Christ, that is, living according to the image that you are becoming, Christ in
you? Finally, men cannot sin without
offending Jesus Christ, and endangering their own souls. So often Christians act contrary to the
spirit of the apostle Paul who would have Christians abstain from carnality
that would lead to the end of life, rather than to live a life that would not
cause your weak brother to be offended.
We must have the mind of Jesus Christ who shared his precious blood, and
be as the apostle Paul who poured out his prayers, as did Jesus prayed upon his
death for those who are misguided. To
be a Christian, one must be courageous, and to be courageous one must truly
convert to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The one blessings? LOVE GOD:
LIVE LIFE!
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;
save me,
and I shall be saved,
for You are my praise.
Jeremiah
17: 14
Christians are eternal beings: live at such
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