Is what is wrong for me wrong for everyone? Is what is right for me right for everyone?

1 Corinthians 8

When you were a kid where there things that other kids were allowed to do but you were not? It was frustrating wasn’t it? As we get older there are things that have been engrained in us that are wrong, for us but not necessarily wrong scripturally. I was raised that playing cards was wrong, drinking any kind of alcohol was wrong, in fact it was preached from the pulpit that the wine Jesus drank was not wine but in fact grape juice. These are all things I believed, that are not really salvation or righteousness issues. Paul is struggling with the early church regarding some issues like that where some say they are OK and others call it sin, however there is no biblical basis for calling them sin. The challenge is, if your conscience tells you it is wrong, then it is wrong but what do we do if other people don’t see it as wrong.

Here was Paul’s struggle. Most of the meat sold in the markets and the meat served in the households of those who were not Christians had been offered to idols. If a Christian buys it or eats it are they supporting idol worship? Are they sinning buy eating or purchasing this meat? Paul’s response let love reign in the situation. Eating food, like playing cards, or drinking wine are essentially ethically neutral acts but not al people have the knowledge and understanding of scripture that would enable them to make that kind of judgment. Your history may make the decision more clear. If for example, your family has very strong addictive behaviors you may want to stay away from alcohol or playing cards because of the potential to develop into a habit that you can not control. If you have a history of carousing in bars or running in casinos either of these things could be something that draws you back into that lifestyle and away from the Lord. I had a friend who was in a band before coming to Christ. When he came to Christ he needed to lay his guitar down because it was sin for him because of what that life meant to him. Is playing a guitar sinful? Of course not, but for him it was because of what that life represented. The struggle for some new Christians was similar, they had come from the pagan world, worshipping idols and offering their goods to them as a sacrifice and for blessing. They struggled with eating anything offered to these idols because of what it represented to them.

What are the things in your life that are challenges? What things from your past do you need to stay away from? My Grandfather was an alcoholic who used to daily beat my Grandmother. Once he came to Christ that all stopped, his life and his families lives were all dramatically affected but to my mother the idea of alcohol of any kind in the house was sin. I was raised in an alcohol free environment. Some of my friends have been raised in ethnic homes where wine is served at dinner and all holidays. They are not getting drunk (the Bible is very clear about getting drunk) just enjoy a glass or two of wine throughout and evening. What should I do forbid them to drink in front of me? Become righteously indignant and walkout on dinner or the holiday celebration? Should I simply choose to not drink but enjoy their company and their freedom?

Paul’s argument is let love reign in our hearts. Knowledge has two defects: it tends to center on self and it is inadequate as for building personal relationships. Love should be the guiding influence. Love will help us to limit our freedom so as not to offend others and it will enable us to accept others who do things that are not against scripture but are not something that we are free to do.

Being a stumbling block does not mean that you accidentally did something to offend someone. It is an intentional act done out of a lack of love for another person.

In all of these things we need to allow love to reign in our hearts. Making our decisions not based on what we are free to do or not do but instead on the love that we walk in.

Love is a portion of the fruit of the Spirit a judgmental attitude is a fruit of the flesh. If someone is sinning because of love we will speak correction to them but if they are doing something that scripture is not against then we must respond out of love.

Tomorrow 1 Corinthians 9