The
glorious reality of our lives in Christ is this: we have been set free! We have
been set free from our old way of life. We have been set free from the power of
sin, death and the devil. And we have been set free to live life abundantly.
But
just how free are we free to be? Are there any limitations to our freedom in
Christ? Are we totally free to do anything we like? We are all familiar with
the line of reasoning that says, "I am free to do anything I please as
long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else." It sounds good, doesn’t it? The
only difficulty with this kind of reasoning is that it assumes we can be
totally independent of other people. It assumes that the decisions we make and
the actions we take do not impact anyone else.
The
poet John Donne said: "no man is an island." And here lay our
problem; we don't live in isolation. All of us are part of a community. What
impacts you affects me. My actions impact you. The reality of our situation is
that we are all interconnected. And this is especially true for the church.
The
church is a picture of the basic the family unit. We are the family of God.
Just as when we were born, we were born into a family, so when we were born
again, we became a part of the church. Others in the church are our brothers
and sisters. We are part of this community, this fellowship, this family, and
what we do and how we live directly impacts us all.
The
church in Corinth was facing an issue of Christian liberty. The questions we
asked earlier, they were asking. How free are we free to be? What are the
limitations to our Christian freedom? For them, it had to do with food
sacrificed to idols. None of us has probably ever had to think about that
specific issue. But the general issue applies to us as well. It is the issue of
how exercising my Christian liberty might affect others. Does my behavior help
or hinder my brothers and sisters in Christ?
The
apostle Paul points out several important considerations that should guide our
behavior. In determining how free we are free to be, there are three important
people to consider.
Now
about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge.
Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something
does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by
God. (8:1-3 NIV)
The
first-person you need to consider is you. Before you can look outward, you need
to look inward. You need to take a good long look at yourself to determine your
own situation. There are two areas suggested in our text.
1. The first is the
area of knowledge. You
need to look at what you know. Do you have knowledge? If so, rejoice. Knowledge
is a good thing to have. In fact, as we grow in our relationship to Christ, we
also grow in our knowledge of Him and of His ways. This is a good thing, an
essential thing. But it can be a dangerous thing as well, if we rely too
heavily on what we know. You see, while knowledge is essential, it is not
sufficient. And when we put too much trust in what we know, it can cause us to
become proud. Our text says that knowledge puffs up. It can cause us to
feel self-sufficient. It can make us arrogant. We begin to look down on others
who do not have the same level of knowledge.
2. The second area is love. You not only need to ask yourself what
you know, you also need to ask yourself who do you love? Do you love God? Are
you passionate for Him? Paul tells us that while knowledge puffs up, love
builds up. He goes on to tell us that the man who loves God is known by
God. In other words, love is the foundation of our relationship with God
and the essential building block of the healthy life.
Do you love
God? How do you know? So often, people today evaluate their love for God by how
they feel. Don't get me wrong; I believe that feelings are important. I think
that our feelings ought to be involved in our relationship with Christ. But
feelings can be erratic. I may feel ten different ways in an average week. And
so many people think they love God because they have a sentimental feeling
toward God. Yet many of those same people can’t even get out of bed to come to
church. Many of those same people never give of their time, or talent, or
resources to the work of the kingdom. But they say they love Jesus because they
have a warm feeling in their heart toward him. It’s a dangerous assumption.
There
is a better test for our love for God. It is the test of obedience. How do you
know that you love God? You know because you do what he wants you to do. 1 John
5:3 says, "This is love for God: to obey his commands." If you
really love God, that love will be shown in how you live for him. Do you put
him first in your life? That’s what God wants you to do. God wants you to step
forward and never look back. He wants Jesus to be the driving force of your
life, the reason that you live. We are to love God with all of our hearts,
souls, minds, and strength.
II. Secondly We need to Consider Others
So
then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at
all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called
gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods"
and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from
whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus
Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live. But
not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when
they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and
since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. But food does not
bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
(8:4-8 NIV)
After
we’ve taken a good long look at ourselves, then we need to consider others. We need
to consider what they don’t know. Our text indicates that not everyone is in
the same place with their knowledge of the truth.
The
Corinthian's were concerned with the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
Paul indicated that an idol was nothing. It was the representation of a god
that did not exist. He knew that, and mature Christians knew it as well. But
not everyone knew that. There were Christians who had not come to the knowledge
that there is but one God. Some still saw these idols as being significant.
And they were having problems justifying eating the meat sacrificed in the
pagan temples.
You
see, the animal sacrifices that were brought to the pagan temples in Corinth
eventually ended up in the marketplace. Part of the meat was burned up in the sacrifice.
Another portion was given to the priest. And the rest was sold in the market.
That was the best place to find the best meat. But was that meat contaminated
because it was a religious sacrifice? Was it wrong for a Christian to eat meat
sacrificed to a pagan god? And was it right for a Christian who had no qualms
about eating that meat to eat it in the presence of someone who did? How free
are we to act?
The
Scriptures teach knowing the truth sets us free. But knowledge of the truth
comes with time and experience. Some Christians need time to grow in their
knowledge. And we need to take into account the fact that others may not be
where we are in our walk with God. And when it comes to questionable things, we
need to consider the situation of others. We need to consider what they may not
know. And we also need to consider where they may be weak and need time to grow
in knowledge and faith.
St.
Paul says in verses 9 through 11: Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does
not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this
knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has
been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is
destroyed by your knowledge. (8:9-11 NIV)
Paul
talks about the weak brother. He is weak because he does not possess the
knowledge necessary to understand that eating food sacrificed to idols is
nothing. But weakness is not sin. And we need to understand that. We need to take
into account the spiritual situation of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We
need to be careful that our behavior does not become a stumbling block
to the weak.
The
Scripture are clear that if we cannot act in faith, we will end up in sin. If
someone believes that it's a sin to eat meat sacrificed to idols, for them it
is. To do so they will have disobeyed God in their heart. And if, by our
behavior, we cause them to be act against conscience, we cause them to
sin. That’s why we must be careful to consider others before we act.
When
you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you
sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother
to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to
fall. (8:12-13
NIV)
As
a final consideration we must consider Christ. You see, when you sin against
your brothers, you sin against Christ. In everything we do and
choose not to do, Christ should be the primary consideration.
We
need to consider what will glorify him. After all, that is why we are here, to
glorify God. How can we honor him? How can we exalt him? This should be our
desire. We should desire for our lives to bring him glory and honor and praise.
And we should live like that. We should live in such a way that we reflect his
character, grace, mercy and love. We should desire that when people look at us
they would see Jesus.
We
need to consider what will please Him. Is he pleased with my actions? Do my
choices reflect his priorities? To be pleasing to the Lord is a high honor
indeed. Is His will my desire? These are the kind of questions–– probing
questions–– that we need to be asking ourselves. Because, if Jesus is not the
top priority of our lives, then our lives will lack the purpose and meaning God
intends for them to have.
The
real issue is what motivates us. What controls the way we live? Are we
controlled by your own sinful desires to get, to have and to possess? Or are we
controlled by a higher desire–– a desire to please God and walk in his love?
2
Corinthians 5:14-15 Whatever we do, it is because Christ’s love
controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for everyone, we also believe
that we have all died to the old life we used to live. 15 He died
for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live to
please themselves. Instead, they will live to please Christ, who died and was
raised for them. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NAS)
As
Christians, we should be controlled by Christ’s love. That is really what we
have been talking about here today. When we speak about the limitations of
love, we are not implying that love is limited but rather that we are limited
or controlled by love. It is for love’s sake that we choose not to cause our
brother to stumble. We may be more mature and have a more complete knowledge.
And we may be free to indulge. But we are also free to choose not to indulge
for the sake of our brother. So we limit our behavior in his presence so that
he can continue to grow in grace and knowledge.
It
is the love of Christ that guides our steps, controls our decisions, and causes
us to live, not for ourselves, but for others. It is the love of Christ that
causes us to live to please Christ. When you walk in love and you will walk in
the power of God. Walk in love and you will build up your brother. Walk in love
and you will please the one who teaches us to love, for God is
Love. Because of love, God sent His son to die for us. Because of love,
our sins are no longer counted against us. Because of Love God has restored His
relationship with us. Love conquers all. I leave you with this verse. 1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. In Jesus name. Amen!