I Corinthians is peppered with references to Christian liberty and how a Christian should govern their lives. Chapter 8 is entirely devoted to this topic and we will see again what God, through the Apostle Paul, has for us.
To deal with Christian liberty, Paul takes up the issue of eating meat offered to idols. This practice sounds a little odd to us, but we need to consider ancient culture to gain a better understanding. Had I lived in Corinth and did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, I would buy an animal and take it to the temple. The animal would be sacrificed and some of the meat offered to my "god" and the rest available for resale or consumption at the temple. Archaeologists have uncovered temples in Corinth with what seem to be large banquet halls. These would be used for consumption of the remaining meat while some other was sold by the temple to fill its coffers. Paul takes us either practices in this short chapter.
The opening verse contains the underlying theme of this entire discussion: "Knowledge puffs up but love edifies." Huh? Think about it just a bit. When we attain a little bit of knowledge, we believe we know it all and start showing just how much we know. Yet, if you ever find yourself in the presence of a true genius, they do not try to showcase their knowledge. They are some of the most humble people you will ever meet.
Paul specifically takes on those Christians that believe eating meat in the temple or buying meat that was sacrificed is acceptable. They "know" they are right and will disputed that fact with anyone. Verse 11 implies that fact in that Paul questions them: "and because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish?" Instead, Paul says that these individuals need to realize they are not as right as they believe -- verse 13: "if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat it again." In other words, our love for others needs to be so strong that we sacrifice what we believe are our "rights" to make their benefit paramount.
This type of teaching is considered strange by our culture, because we have become so steeped in the pursuit of our own rights and desires. This age is called the "Me Generation" and that is so true. We want what WE WANT and could care less about others and their needs or best interest. That mentality is post-modern existentialism and not Biblical thought. How do I know? God makes it abundantly clear in I Corinthians 10:24 - "Let no one seek his own, but each one the other's well being." When choices must be made between what will only benefit me and what may bring others closer to Christ because it reveals our love for Him, we must choose others.
The phrase "let your conscience be your guide" is widely promulgated today; however, that phrase needs modification. If the Holy Spirit lives within me, then He will guide as we should go; yet, there are times when issues are less than clear. If two people do not agree on an issue, the compromise toward the more stringent conscience is needed. For instance, my history colleagues at UNC-G would go to a bar after class to fellowship; but I never went. When asked, I explained my position to the folks (what if one of my kids in the youth group saw me going into a bar? what would they assume I was doing?). These classmates understood and changed their location to a coffee house -- they allowed my conscience to guide there conscience. Our choices, if they cause others to stumble, are pride-based and, therefore, wrong; so to counteract this tendency, we need to love others more than our personal desires.
Is this easy? No. God never promised that doing the right thing would be easy; however, He has promised that we can do "all things through Christ" who provides us strength (Philippians 4:13).
Someone is probably reading and saying: "Wait a minute!! This is my life and I get to live it how I want to." Is this really your life? Did you give yourself life? No. Paul's foundational argument in I Corinthians 6 is that we are not our own because we were bought with a price (6:20). If we are not our own, that means someone else owns us, thereby, making us slaves. If we are slaves of God, then our entire life must be focused on bringing Him glory (10:31). So, in sum, if you call yourself a Christian, then you must live like it by following these principals. This last paragraph, and your beliefs about it, determine whether any of the previous information is of value.
I am not my own, so I do not have "rights" that I have to protect. Let go of pride and embrace the humility of God. He offers the best for us but we have to be "wrong" in order to see it.
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