WEBVTT 00:00:03.049 --> 00:00:05.809 Welcome again to each one on this Lord's Day. 00:00:06.110 --> 00:00:10.310 We're going to be looking today at 1 Corinthians 00:00:10.310 --> 00:00:15.310 chapter 8. The title today is Principles of Christian 00:00:15.310 --> 00:00:18.449 Liberty. We're going to be looking at the introduction 00:00:18.449 --> 00:00:23.609 and the matter of food offered to idols. It says 00:00:23.609 --> 00:00:28.629 part 1. Our text is the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 00:00:28.629 --> 00:00:36.899 chapter 8. It is written to us. Now concerning 00:00:36.899 --> 00:00:40.520 things offered to idols, we know that we all 00:00:40.520 --> 00:00:44.579 have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:48.619 edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:52.659 he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But 00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:56.259 if anyone loves God, this one is known by him. 00:00:56.759 --> 00:00:59.740 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered 00:00:59.740 --> 00:01:02.979 to idols, We know that an idol is nothing in 00:01:02.979 --> 00:01:05.120 the world, and that there is no other God but 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:09.500 one. For even if there are so -called gods, whether 00:01:09.500 --> 00:01:11.760 in heaven or on earth, as there are many gods 00:01:11.760 --> 00:01:15.200 and many lords, yet for us there is one God, 00:01:15.400 --> 00:01:19.019 the Father, of whom are all things, and we for 00:01:19.019 --> 00:01:22.680 him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:26.680 are all things, and through whom we live. However, 00:01:26.879 --> 00:01:30.329 there is not in everyone that knowledge. For 00:01:30.329 --> 00:01:33.989 some, with consciousness of the idol, until now 00:01:33.989 --> 00:01:36.930 eat it as a thing offered to an idol, and their 00:01:36.930 --> 00:01:41.530 conscience, being weak, is defiled. But food 00:01:41.530 --> 00:01:44.370 does not commend us to God, for neither if we 00:01:44.370 --> 00:01:47.090 eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are 00:01:47.090 --> 00:01:50.090 we the worse. But beware, lest somehow this liberty 00:01:50.090 --> 00:01:52.950 of yours become a stumbling block to those who 00:01:52.950 --> 00:01:56.260 are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge 00:01:56.260 --> 00:01:59.060 eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience 00:01:59.060 --> 00:02:01.700 of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those 00:02:01.700 --> 00:02:04.560 things offered to idols? And because of your 00:02:04.560 --> 00:02:07.180 knowledge, shall the weak brother perish for 00:02:07.180 --> 00:02:10.939 whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against 00:02:10.939 --> 00:02:13.759 the brethren and wound their weak conscience, 00:02:14.120 --> 00:02:19.419 you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes 00:02:19.419 --> 00:02:22.599 my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, 00:02:22.639 --> 00:02:27.159 lest I... Make my brother stumble. Let's pray 00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:30.740 together. Father, we thank you for this day and 00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:33.379 for the privilege of looking at this passage 00:02:33.379 --> 00:02:36.780 in your word. I pray, Lord, that you would speak 00:02:36.780 --> 00:02:39.219 to us, that you would illuminate us, Lord, by 00:02:39.219 --> 00:02:42.599 the power of the Spirit. Please help us to understand 00:02:42.599 --> 00:02:45.639 this passage as it applies to us today, Lord, 00:02:45.819 --> 00:02:48.639 even as it was written to the Corinthians so 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:53.139 many years ago. Please open our eyes, Lord. Grant 00:02:53.139 --> 00:02:55.740 me the ability to speak forth your word in a 00:02:55.740 --> 00:02:58.840 way that is clear and plain and that speaks to 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:06.039 the heart. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. In this 00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:10.580 chapter, Paul moves on from his former conversation 00:03:10.580 --> 00:03:18.120 in chapters 5 and 6 and 7, and he begins to answer 00:03:18.120 --> 00:03:24.240 a new question. The question is, what about the 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:29.219 matter of eating food offered to idols? This 00:03:29.219 --> 00:03:31.419 actually begins a whole new section in the book 00:03:31.419 --> 00:03:34.560 of 1 Corinthians, a section on idolatry and the 00:03:34.560 --> 00:03:37.539 proper worship of the one true God, and goes 00:03:37.539 --> 00:03:41.419 up until the end of chapter 14. But within this, 00:03:41.599 --> 00:03:43.900 Paul is going to give profound and comprehensive 00:03:43.900 --> 00:03:47.400 instruction and discussion on the matter of Christian 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:51.770 liberty. Now the subject of liberty is one that 00:03:51.770 --> 00:03:54.669 is found throughout the scriptures. David says, 00:03:54.889 --> 00:03:57.669 so shall I keep your law continually forever 00:03:57.669 --> 00:04:03.090 and ever. And I will walk at liberty for I seek 00:04:03.090 --> 00:04:08.669 your precepts. Psalm 119 verse 44 and 45. Jesus 00:04:08.669 --> 00:04:12.889 proclaims that he is the fulfillment of the one 00:04:12.889 --> 00:04:17.709 sent to set at liberty those who are oppressed. 00:04:18.589 --> 00:04:21.889 In Luke chapter 4, verse 18 and 19, which is 00:04:21.889 --> 00:04:27.410 the fulfillment of the prophecy by Isaiah. Indeed, 00:04:27.449 --> 00:04:31.009 as Paul says in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 00:04:31.009 --> 00:04:35.069 14 through 18, where the Spirit of the Lord is, 00:04:35.230 --> 00:04:41.470 there is liberty. And we then as Christian believers 00:04:41.470 --> 00:04:46.170 must watch out against those who come in by stealth. 00:04:47.019 --> 00:04:53.639 Or by deceit to spy out our liberty in Christ. 00:04:53.740 --> 00:04:58.139 So that they might bring us again into bondage. 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:00.939 This is Paul's declaration in Galatians chapter 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:04.939 2 and verse 4. He exhorts them saying, Stand 00:05:04.939 --> 00:05:08.879 fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:13.459 has made us free. And do not be entangled again 00:05:13.459 --> 00:05:17.170 in the yoke of bondage for you brethren. have 00:05:17.170 --> 00:05:21.750 been called to liberty. Only do not use liberty 00:05:21.750 --> 00:05:24.930 as an opportunity for the flesh, but by love 00:05:24.930 --> 00:05:29.610 serve one another. Galatians 5 .13 Thus it is 00:05:29.610 --> 00:05:33.410 the will of God that by doing good you may be 00:05:33.410 --> 00:05:36.209 able to put to silence the ignorance of foolish 00:05:36.209 --> 00:05:41.029 men as free, and yet not using liberty as a cloak 00:05:41.029 --> 00:05:46.660 for vice, but as bondservants of God. 1 Peter 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:51.779 2, 15 and 16. But what does Christian liberty 00:05:51.779 --> 00:05:56.439 mean? How do we apply it? In order to understand 00:05:56.439 --> 00:06:00.160 this, we need to understand there's two broad 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:04.180 categories of liberty in the scripture. There 00:06:04.180 --> 00:06:08.740 is Christian liberty of conscience. And there 00:06:08.740 --> 00:06:12.879 is Christian liberty regarding our freedom in 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:17.589 Christ. and in things indifferent. Let me explain. 00:06:18.209 --> 00:06:23.569 Liberty of conscience. This is where good Christians 00:06:23.569 --> 00:06:29.569 disagree on areas of Christian doctrine in those 00:06:29.569 --> 00:06:33.769 matters that are not matters of first importance. 00:06:34.860 --> 00:06:38.180 Matters of first importance are basic doctrines 00:06:38.180 --> 00:06:40.879 in which we must believe in order to be a Christian, 00:06:41.060 --> 00:06:43.720 to be a faithful Christian, such as the doctrines 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:46.920 of God, the doctrine of the Trinity, the authority 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:51.220 of the Word, and so forth. These great truths 00:06:51.220 --> 00:06:53.860 are summarized in the great creeds of the faith, 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:57.399 such as the Apostles and the Nicene Creeds. We 00:06:57.399 --> 00:07:02.160 stand together in one gospel, but we may disagree. 00:07:03.279 --> 00:07:06.699 Disagree in what? Disagree in matters such as 00:07:06.699 --> 00:07:11.560 the proper time or the mode of baptism. Or the 00:07:11.560 --> 00:07:15.220 full meaning of what the Lord's Supper is. Or 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:18.779 what separation from the world looks like exactly. 00:07:19.319 --> 00:07:22.980 Or eschatology, the doctrine of the end times. 00:07:23.300 --> 00:07:26.259 Now these are all important issues. They should 00:07:26.259 --> 00:07:28.980 not be swept aside or overlooked. But at the 00:07:28.980 --> 00:07:32.439 same time, faithful Christians disagree and we 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:35.339 can still love one another and we can receive 00:07:35.339 --> 00:07:39.339 one another as Christian believers. This is fully 00:07:39.339 --> 00:07:42.000 developed or further developed in Romans chapter 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:46.079 14, which we're not going to look at today. Liberty 00:07:46.079 --> 00:07:50.420 of conscience. also includes freedom from the 00:07:50.420 --> 00:07:53.680 doctrines and commandments of men that are either 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:57.379 contrary to scripture or go beyond scripture 00:07:57.379 --> 00:08:01.519 in matters of faith and worship. This is Christian 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:06.899 liberty of conscience, conscience. Secondly, 00:08:06.939 --> 00:08:08.459 though, and this is we're going to be looking 00:08:08.459 --> 00:08:12.220 at more today, Christian liberty broadly refers 00:08:12.220 --> 00:08:16.160 to two things. First of all, It is the spiritual 00:08:16.160 --> 00:08:18.519 freedom that Christ has purchased for believers. 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:21.399 This is freedom from the guilt of sin and the 00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:24.500 condemning wrath of God, from bondage to Satan 00:08:24.500 --> 00:08:27.100 and the dominion of sin, and from the curse of 00:08:27.100 --> 00:08:30.800 the law as a means of justification, and from 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:34.399 the fear of death and of final judgment. We have 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:37.039 free access to God and the privilege of serving 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:41.220 Him, not out of a slavish fear, but from a childlike 00:08:41.220 --> 00:08:45.429 love. and a willing mind. And thus we are free 00:08:45.429 --> 00:08:48.330 from the law of ceremonies that were fulfilled 00:08:48.330 --> 00:08:52.529 in Christ and in his sacrifice. And therefore, 00:08:52.789 --> 00:08:56.330 we no longer offer sacrifices. We no longer have 00:08:56.330 --> 00:08:58.470 a Levitical priesthood and a physical temple 00:08:58.470 --> 00:09:02.230 that we attend three times a year. We are free 00:09:02.230 --> 00:09:06.110 from the purity and cleanness laws or from the 00:09:06.110 --> 00:09:08.429 observance of the national festivals and holy 00:09:08.429 --> 00:09:12.149 days. The prohibition of unclean foods is given. 00:09:12.250 --> 00:09:15.789 Given in the dietary laws are no longer in place. 00:09:15.950 --> 00:09:19.429 For now, every creature of God is good, and nothing 00:09:19.429 --> 00:09:22.789 is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving, 00:09:22.909 --> 00:09:26.169 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. 00:09:26.409 --> 00:09:30.029 1 Timothy 4, verse 4. That is one aspect of Christian 00:09:30.029 --> 00:09:33.370 liberty. This Christian liberty also, though, 00:09:33.370 --> 00:09:37.730 extends to matters that are what we call indifferent. 00:09:38.570 --> 00:09:42.549 That is, areas where scripture provides general 00:09:42.549 --> 00:09:46.610 principles and boundaries, but does not prescribe 00:09:46.610 --> 00:09:50.909 a specific single required course of action. 00:09:51.230 --> 00:09:55.769 In such things, God grants his people a significant 00:09:55.769 --> 00:10:00.009 latitude to exercise wisdom, preference, and 00:10:00.009 --> 00:10:03.750 Christian freedom. Wisdom, preference, and Christian 00:10:03.750 --> 00:10:08.350 freedom. Examples. Examples include. Your choice 00:10:08.350 --> 00:10:12.230 of occupation, or a place of residence, or whom 00:10:12.230 --> 00:10:14.929 to marry within the bounds of biblical marriage. 00:10:15.269 --> 00:10:18.710 Styles of clothing and appearance, forms of recreation, 00:10:19.149 --> 00:10:23.210 and many other details of daily life. In these 00:10:23.210 --> 00:10:28.049 areas, believers are free to make decisions according 00:10:28.049 --> 00:10:32.029 to conscience. They are to be guided by the general 00:10:32.029 --> 00:10:35.259 rules of scripture. and by the love of neighbor 00:10:35.259 --> 00:10:39.440 and the pursuit of God's glory, without being 00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:43.279 bound by the traditions or preferences of others. 00:10:43.799 --> 00:10:46.679 These are just some of the biblical standards 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:51.899 for how we practice Christian liberty. So the 00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:54.299 question that Paul addresses in chapter 8 is 00:10:54.299 --> 00:10:59.639 this. Is it lawful to eat food offered to idols? 00:11:00.679 --> 00:11:04.039 Now this whole passage is very similar to an 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:09.720 Old Testament case law. A case law is a case 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:13.980 in which God's law is applied to a specific thing, 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:17.379 to a specific case. And then we can apply it 00:11:17.379 --> 00:11:21.159 in other ways. In this chapter, the guidance 00:11:21.159 --> 00:11:24.059 and the wisdom given by Paul regarding food, 00:11:24.320 --> 00:11:27.620 the eating of food offered to idols, can also 00:11:27.620 --> 00:11:30.769 be applied to many other matters. And so it's 00:11:30.769 --> 00:11:33.669 a very important one to understand. Here's the 00:11:33.669 --> 00:11:37.570 situation in Corinth. National and local festivals 00:11:37.570 --> 00:11:41.129 and celebrations were held in the city from time 00:11:41.129 --> 00:11:45.070 to time. A common practice was that the celebration 00:11:45.070 --> 00:11:48.779 meal... At the time of this celebration, it could 00:11:48.779 --> 00:11:51.320 have been some kind of a national holiday or 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:53.759 just some other great deliverance in the past 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:58.559 or an armed victory, whatever it was. But the 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:01.179 practice was that the celebration meal was held 00:12:01.179 --> 00:12:04.559 in the temple. That is the dining hall that was 00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:08.539 attached to the temple of the idol. And the food 00:12:08.539 --> 00:12:13.279 served at this meal was first dedicated. and 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:16.360 offered to the idol and then brought to the people 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:21.279 to eat. That's the one thing that happened. Now, 00:12:21.340 --> 00:12:25.419 also, during the regular sacrifices at the temple, 00:12:25.580 --> 00:12:28.740 a portion of the food would be offered. That 00:12:28.740 --> 00:12:31.259 is, people would bring food as part of their 00:12:31.259 --> 00:12:34.500 offering. So then some of it was given to the 00:12:34.500 --> 00:12:37.320 idol, some of it was given to the pagan priest 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:40.600 for him to eat, and another portion was given 00:12:40.600 --> 00:12:44.370 to the one bringing the offering. Now, often, 00:12:44.429 --> 00:12:46.470 of course, when the food was given to the priest, 00:12:46.730 --> 00:12:50.409 it was far in excess of what they needed. And 00:12:50.409 --> 00:12:52.950 of course, the idol didn't consume anything. 00:12:53.570 --> 00:12:57.309 And so not having refrigeration, the food, especially 00:12:57.309 --> 00:13:00.250 the meat, would need to be disposed of rather 00:13:00.250 --> 00:13:04.230 quickly. Therefore, the food that was left over 00:13:04.230 --> 00:13:08.230 was then taken to the open marketplace and sold 00:13:08.230 --> 00:13:13.220 for anyone to buy. So the questions for the Christians 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:17.779 were these. Is it proper to join a feast of celebration 00:13:17.779 --> 00:13:20.379 at the temple? This could be celebration something 00:13:20.379 --> 00:13:23.220 about the nation, for example. Not necessarily 00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:26.659 celebrating the idol, just kind of like a July 00:13:26.659 --> 00:13:29.639 4th or Labor Day or something like that that 00:13:29.639 --> 00:13:33.399 we might have. So was it proper to join a feast 00:13:33.399 --> 00:13:37.179 of celebration at the temple and to eat the food 00:13:37.179 --> 00:13:41.320 that had been offered at that temple? One. Second, 00:13:41.460 --> 00:13:44.259 was it proper to eat that food that was offered 00:13:44.259 --> 00:13:48.340 to idols and then was served at your neighbor's 00:13:48.340 --> 00:13:52.759 house? Was it okay to go and eat with your neighbor 00:13:52.759 --> 00:13:54.940 and eat this food that had been offered to idols? 00:13:55.379 --> 00:13:59.559 Third, was it proper, was it allowed to buy the 00:13:59.559 --> 00:14:02.659 food in the market and then take it home and 00:14:02.659 --> 00:14:05.559 cook it and eat it for yourself? Those were the 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:10.750 three issues of concern. Now, this exact issue 00:14:10.750 --> 00:14:14.950 is pretty much irrelevant for us in America and 00:14:14.950 --> 00:14:17.169 in many other parts of the world, but it is still 00:14:17.169 --> 00:14:19.789 one that exists in some places, some countries, 00:14:19.850 --> 00:14:23.470 especially in Asian countries where open idolatry 00:14:23.470 --> 00:14:26.409 is still practiced in this way. Nevertheless, 00:14:26.870 --> 00:14:30.529 this passage is very instructive for us in the 00:14:30.529 --> 00:14:37.649 whole understanding of how to live with one another. 00:14:38.279 --> 00:14:42.379 in matters like this, matters of Christian liberty. 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:46.019 As we will see, there were some Christian believers 00:14:46.019 --> 00:14:50.559 whose consciences were held captive by a wrong 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:53.399 interpretation of Scripture, and they needed 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:56.399 to be enlightened. There were others who were 00:14:56.399 --> 00:14:59.840 not walking in love, and some were proud and 00:14:59.840 --> 00:15:02.879 arrogant, and they were causing their brethren 00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:07.399 to stumble. They were not... loving their brothers 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:11.259 and sisters in Christ. This section of scripture 00:15:11.259 --> 00:15:15.259 from here to chapter 11 and verse 1 deals with 00:15:15.259 --> 00:15:17.539 this matter thoroughly. So I'm going to look 00:15:17.539 --> 00:15:20.059 at it fairly much in depth today, but there's 00:15:20.059 --> 00:15:23.259 going to be additional commentary that Paul gives 00:15:23.259 --> 00:15:26.340 and instruction that he gives later on. Now I've 00:15:26.340 --> 00:15:28.639 spent more time than usual in this introduction, 00:15:28.940 --> 00:15:33.200 but I thought it would be... good for our edification 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:36.100 as we look at this whole section because this 00:15:36.100 --> 00:15:39.840 really sets the stage for looking at a lot that 00:15:39.840 --> 00:15:42.840 is in chapters 8, chapter 9, and chapter 10. 00:15:43.379 --> 00:15:46.639 So let's now look into this in greater depth 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:51.220 in chapter 8. Number one, the practice of Christian 00:15:51.220 --> 00:15:57.139 liberty is based on knowledge and love. On knowledge 00:15:57.139 --> 00:16:01.350 and love. This is found in verses 1 to 3. Paul 00:16:01.350 --> 00:16:03.409 says, Now concerning things offered to idols, 00:16:03.649 --> 00:16:07.750 we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge 00:16:07.750 --> 00:16:11.570 puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks 00:16:11.570 --> 00:16:13.950 that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet 00:16:13.950 --> 00:16:16.529 as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, 00:16:16.789 --> 00:16:21.049 this one is known by him. Now we all possess 00:16:21.049 --> 00:16:23.769 a certain amount of knowledge. We have understanding 00:16:23.769 --> 00:16:26.169 as the general understanding of the Christian 00:16:26.169 --> 00:16:28.649 religion. But some are more advanced than others 00:16:28.649 --> 00:16:31.179 in the deeper things. of Christian theology. 00:16:31.580 --> 00:16:34.320 We have moral wisdom, knowing the difference 00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:37.000 between good and evil as declared by God in His 00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:39.700 Word. Now, not all of us are at the same level, 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:42.659 just as there's a difference in knowledge between 00:16:42.659 --> 00:16:46.779 a new Christian or a baby Christian and a seasoned, 00:16:46.820 --> 00:16:48.960 mature Christian who has walked with God for 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:52.580 50 years. Furthermore, we know that the worship 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:55.220 of God does not belong with those who worship 00:16:55.220 --> 00:16:58.899 idols. We'll see this again in verse 4. Paul 00:16:58.899 --> 00:17:01.120 acknowledges that the Christians were enriched 00:17:01.120 --> 00:17:06.200 in everything in Christ Jesus. In all utterance 00:17:06.200 --> 00:17:10.640 and in knowledge. Chapter 1 and verse 5. Now 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:15.059 knowledge is important. Knowledge is essential. 00:17:15.779 --> 00:17:19.420 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:23.220 But fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 00:17:23.220 --> 00:17:27.039 1 and verse 7. And the Lord gives wisdom from 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:30.299 his mouth. comes knowledge and understanding. 00:17:30.720 --> 00:17:35.380 Proverbs 2 and verse 6. Wise people stir up knowledge, 00:17:35.660 --> 00:17:38.180 but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction. 00:17:38.599 --> 00:17:43.259 Proverbs 10 verse 14. And the tongue of the wise 00:17:43.259 --> 00:17:47.460 uses knowledge rightly. Proverbs 15 and verse 00:17:47.460 --> 00:17:51.279 2. There is a way to have knowledge though, but 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:56.900 to hold it in an arrogant, a proud, and an unloving 00:17:56.900 --> 00:18:02.779 way. Indeed, without love, knowledge puffs up. 00:18:02.980 --> 00:18:06.880 It puffs us. It inflates our ego. It makes us 00:18:06.880 --> 00:18:11.519 proud and to bear ourselves in a lofty manner. 00:18:11.720 --> 00:18:15.720 I am superior to you because I have more knowledge. 00:18:16.140 --> 00:18:21.559 So easy for that to happen. Knowledge puffs up. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:25.519 In order to address the good and noble practice 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:29.849 of Christian liberty, Paul begins with an emphasis 00:18:29.849 --> 00:18:36.950 on love and knowledge. Love and knowledge because 00:18:36.950 --> 00:18:42.250 love edifies. Love edifies. Now the literal meaning 00:18:42.250 --> 00:18:45.269 of edify is speaking really of the building up 00:18:45.269 --> 00:18:49.069 of a house. That's what it literally means. Metaphorically, 00:18:49.069 --> 00:18:53.440 it means to build one another up. to build us 00:18:53.440 --> 00:18:57.759 up, to promote growth in Christian wisdom and 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:03.200 in affection, in grace and in virtue, in holiness 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:06.839 and in blessedness. That's quite a mouthful. 00:19:06.940 --> 00:19:09.279 Let me repeat it again, just so that it sinks 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:12.680 deep into our souls and it moves us. To edify 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:16.670 one another is to build each other up. It is 00:19:16.670 --> 00:19:20.210 to promote the other's growth in Christian wisdom. 00:19:20.410 --> 00:19:23.890 It is to see growth and blessing and affection 00:19:23.890 --> 00:19:27.109 and love and grace and virtue and holiness and 00:19:27.109 --> 00:19:31.269 blessedness. And to grow in wisdom and in piety 00:19:31.269 --> 00:19:34.769 and faithfulness before God. That's what the 00:19:34.769 --> 00:19:41.049 word edify means. And love edifies. So much is 00:19:41.049 --> 00:19:44.670 the tendency to be proud and arrogant of our 00:19:44.670 --> 00:19:48.519 knowledge. That Paul exhorts even the most knowledgeable 00:19:48.519 --> 00:19:53.700 among us with these words in verse 2. If anyone 00:19:53.700 --> 00:19:57.599 thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing 00:19:57.599 --> 00:20:01.900 yet as he ought to know. Now that's a real reality 00:20:01.900 --> 00:20:04.859 check, isn't it? If you think you know a lot, 00:20:04.940 --> 00:20:07.380 you don't know anything of what you ought to 00:20:07.380 --> 00:20:12.859 know. Wow. That's a blow to the ego. So vast 00:20:12.859 --> 00:20:16.890 and so deep. Is the knowledge of God. Of the 00:20:16.890 --> 00:20:19.950 Holy Trinity. And the relationship of the three 00:20:19.950 --> 00:20:23.089 persons. And the doctrine of God. And of his 00:20:23.089 --> 00:20:25.869 word. And of his church. And of all things related. 00:20:26.289 --> 00:20:29.190 And how it applies to the world in which we live. 00:20:29.349 --> 00:20:32.250 That no matter how much we know. There is yet 00:20:32.250 --> 00:20:37.230 an ocean of things. That we do not know. An ocean 00:20:37.230 --> 00:20:41.910 full. Job got a glimpse of this. When God answers 00:20:41.910 --> 00:20:46.180 him. In Job 38, chapters 38 through 41, when 00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:49.500 God questions Job with unanswerable questions 00:20:49.500 --> 00:20:54.319 as to his greatness, his creation, the earth, 00:20:54.559 --> 00:20:57.779 and all the heavenly host. And at the end of 00:20:57.779 --> 00:21:01.759 it, Job just says, woe is me. I lay my hand on 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:04.240 my mouth. I don't know anything is really what 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:07.099 he was saying. I don't know anything as I ought 00:21:07.099 --> 00:21:10.859 to know. And yet. In all this world, knowledge 00:21:10.859 --> 00:21:14.359 and love of arrogance versus humility, Paul then 00:21:14.359 --> 00:21:18.319 reminds us that if anyone loves God, this person 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:23.380 is known by God himself. Brothers and sisters, 00:21:23.599 --> 00:21:27.900 how can this be? That each one of you who are 00:21:27.900 --> 00:21:34.400 in Christ are known by him. God knows you. He 00:21:34.400 --> 00:21:38.069 knows you. you have a relationship with the creator 00:21:38.069 --> 00:21:42.210 of the universe. He knows you. He knows everything 00:21:42.210 --> 00:21:45.190 about you. He knows your love, your imperfect 00:21:45.190 --> 00:21:50.049 love for him. He knows it all. And so as we love 00:21:50.049 --> 00:21:53.509 God and we study to know him more, we are then 00:21:53.509 --> 00:21:56.509 also taught by him and we increase in spiritual 00:21:56.509 --> 00:22:01.049 knowledge and we are highly approved of and esteemed 00:22:01.049 --> 00:22:05.589 and beloved by God. Oh, let that sink into your 00:22:05.589 --> 00:22:08.490 heart and comfort and strengthen you that God 00:22:08.490 --> 00:22:13.529 knows you. Therefore, true knowledge is marked 00:22:13.529 --> 00:22:16.470 by a love and a fervency for God and being known 00:22:16.470 --> 00:22:20.789 by Him. Ah, brethren and sisters, let us seek 00:22:20.789 --> 00:22:25.750 to love Him and to be known by God Himself. And 00:22:25.750 --> 00:22:29.190 God can only be known through His Son, Jesus 00:22:29.190 --> 00:22:33.160 Christ. As Jesus himself says in Matthew 11 verse 00:22:33.160 --> 00:22:38.220 27, No one knows the Son except the Father, nor 00:22:38.220 --> 00:22:42.059 does anyone know the Father except the Son, and 00:22:42.059 --> 00:22:47.299 the one to whom the Son will reveal him. Oh, 00:22:47.339 --> 00:22:51.839 how we need a fresh and continued relationship 00:22:51.839 --> 00:22:57.039 with Jesus Christ and a knowledge of Jesus Christ 00:22:57.039 --> 00:23:00.559 and a revelation of Christ. Through his word. 00:23:01.660 --> 00:23:04.279 Knowledge is essential. But it is not enough. 00:23:04.640 --> 00:23:08.079 In the same way. Love is essential. But love 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:10.680 is also not enough. We can't just go around and 00:23:10.680 --> 00:23:12.799 say all we need is love. It's love that makes 00:23:12.799 --> 00:23:16.119 the world go around. No. It is the truth of God 00:23:16.119 --> 00:23:18.559 that must come to us. Through the revealed word 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:20.759 of God. And we must have that knowledge. It's 00:23:20.759 --> 00:23:24.980 knowledge and love. And they are clasped. firmly 00:23:24.980 --> 00:23:29.380 together we need a powerful combination of both 00:23:29.380 --> 00:23:32.880 love and knowledge in order to maintain our fervency 00:23:32.880 --> 00:23:37.440 in order to stay with in doctrinal truth in soundness 00:23:37.440 --> 00:23:41.400 and in fervent love for one another and for god 00:23:41.400 --> 00:23:45.779 and to have and uphold christian liberty in the 00:23:45.779 --> 00:23:50.460 church secondly then paul moves on verses four 00:23:50.460 --> 00:23:54.319 to six into the theological reality that there 00:23:54.319 --> 00:23:58.799 is one God and there is one Lord. He says, Therefore 00:23:58.799 --> 00:24:01.079 concerning the eating of things offered to idols, 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:03.900 we know that an idol is nothing in the world, 00:24:03.960 --> 00:24:06.859 and there is no other God but one. For even if 00:24:06.859 --> 00:24:09.700 there are so -called gods, whether in heaven 00:24:09.700 --> 00:24:11.680 or in earth, as there are many gods and many 00:24:11.680 --> 00:24:15.700 lords, yet for us there is one God, the Father, 00:24:15.859 --> 00:24:19.640 of whom are all things, and we for Him. and one 00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:22.420 Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things 00:24:22.420 --> 00:24:27.019 and through whom we live. So as it regards to 00:24:27.019 --> 00:24:30.000 liberty and specifically to food being offered 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.099 to idols, we know, we affirm, we have the revealed 00:24:34.099 --> 00:24:37.400 knowledge of the true God that all of the idols 00:24:37.400 --> 00:24:41.200 are made by men and they are not gods. They're 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:45.200 made by men. It is aptly described and powerfully 00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:49.200 spoken in Psalm 135. The idols of the nations 00:24:49.200 --> 00:24:52.240 are silver and gold. The work of men's hands. 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:55.140 They have mouths, but they do not speak. Eyes 00:24:55.140 --> 00:24:57.799 they have, but they do not see. They have ears, 00:24:58.079 --> 00:25:00.519 but they do not hear. Nor is there any breath 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:02.740 in their mouths. Those who make them are like 00:25:02.740 --> 00:25:06.099 them. So is everyone who trusts in them. How 00:25:06.099 --> 00:25:09.819 can a man who is not God fashion an image that 00:25:09.819 --> 00:25:14.680 is God? Paul says, we know that an idol is nothing. 00:25:15.200 --> 00:25:17.880 Now Paul will speak about the demonic powers 00:25:17.880 --> 00:25:21.359 behind the idols in chapter 10. But for our purpose 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:26.039 here, the gods are nothing. This is how missionaries 00:25:26.039 --> 00:25:29.079 and preachers over the world in pagan lands could 00:25:29.079 --> 00:25:31.759 demonstrate the gods the people served were unable 00:25:31.759 --> 00:25:35.490 to do anything. Elijah on Mount Carmel waiting 00:25:35.490 --> 00:25:39.470 for hours while the 450 prophets of Baal danced 00:25:39.470 --> 00:25:42.309 around, called upon their God, cut themselves 00:25:42.309 --> 00:25:46.549 with knives, they bled and did all sorts of incantations 00:25:46.549 --> 00:25:50.170 and there was no fire. There was no fire. There 00:25:50.170 --> 00:25:53.349 was no sacrifice. And then a simple prayer from 00:25:53.349 --> 00:25:56.609 Elijah and what happened? Fire fell out of heaven. 00:25:56.769 --> 00:25:59.549 It fell out of heaven and it consumed the sacrifice. 00:25:59.630 --> 00:26:01.809 It consumed the stones and it ate up all the 00:26:01.809 --> 00:26:04.619 water. Just burned it all up just like that. 00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:08.700 Or there was Boniface who chopped down the evergreen 00:26:08.700 --> 00:26:11.500 tree revered as an idol to show that it was not 00:26:11.500 --> 00:26:14.819 a god. And he cut branches and sent them home 00:26:14.819 --> 00:26:17.640 with the people to burn and to decorate their 00:26:17.640 --> 00:26:21.539 houses in celebration that their false god was 00:26:21.539 --> 00:26:24.819 dead. And there was one true and living God who 00:26:24.819 --> 00:26:28.609 provided a way of salvation. This was how John 00:26:28.609 --> 00:26:32.890 G. Patton demonstrated the futility of the island 00:26:32.890 --> 00:26:37.329 of Tana, the islanders' gods, most strikingly 00:26:37.329 --> 00:26:40.150 through a public challenge to their sacred men 00:26:40.150 --> 00:26:43.490 and sorcerers. If you have not read Patton's 00:26:43.490 --> 00:26:47.009 autobiography, I urge you to buy it, to read 00:26:47.009 --> 00:26:49.680 it. Give it to your children to read or read 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:53.000 it to them. It is a wonderful, powerful story 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:56.980 of a faithful man of God, John G. Patton, P -A 00:26:56.980 --> 00:27:02.000 -T -T -O -N. An idol is nothing. There is no 00:27:02.000 --> 00:27:05.630 other God but one, even when there are... so 00:27:05.630 --> 00:27:07.890 -called gods whether they're in heaven or earth 00:27:07.890 --> 00:27:11.589 for us there is one god the father of whom are 00:27:11.589 --> 00:27:14.549 all things and we exist for him he is the creator 00:27:14.549 --> 00:27:18.529 of all things in him we live and move and have 00:27:18.529 --> 00:27:23.029 our being think of this for a moment we live 00:27:23.029 --> 00:27:25.769 because of the creation the help And the breath 00:27:25.769 --> 00:27:28.769 of God. We are able to move and to use our limbs. 00:27:28.990 --> 00:27:31.789 Our arms. Our legs. Our hands. And all of our 00:27:31.789 --> 00:27:35.329 senses. Because of his creative power. We have 00:27:35.329 --> 00:27:38.470 our being in him. The very fact that all the 00:27:38.470 --> 00:27:41.569 cells and the molecules came together. And that 00:27:41.569 --> 00:27:44.650 flash of light. Appeared in the womb of your 00:27:44.650 --> 00:27:47.789 mother. When conception occurred. And a baby 00:27:47.789 --> 00:27:50.690 was born into the world. Around nine months later. 00:27:50.950 --> 00:27:55.839 This is all the work of God. Incredible work 00:27:55.839 --> 00:27:59.200 of God. We have our being in God. We owe our 00:27:59.200 --> 00:28:03.660 all to God. Even if you were conceived in a sinful 00:28:03.660 --> 00:28:07.759 union of fornication or of adultery, even you 00:28:07.759 --> 00:28:12.559 still have your being in God and you are precious 00:28:12.559 --> 00:28:17.589 in His sight. He ordained that you would be born 00:28:17.589 --> 00:28:20.390 in the station of life, the particular time in 00:28:20.390 --> 00:28:23.890 history, and that all of the creative processes 00:28:23.890 --> 00:28:28.009 would come together so that you would be born 00:28:28.009 --> 00:28:32.769 and that you would come to know and to love Him. 00:28:33.009 --> 00:28:38.109 In Him we live and move and have our being. There 00:28:38.109 --> 00:28:42.690 is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, 00:28:42.869 --> 00:28:47.779 and we for Him. It is him whom we must love and 00:28:47.779 --> 00:28:50.220 worship and worship with all our heart, soul, 00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:53.099 mind and strength. And there is one Lord Jesus 00:28:53.099 --> 00:28:56.319 Christ, he says, through whom are all things, 00:28:56.440 --> 00:29:00.819 through whom and through whom we live. Paul describes 00:29:00.819 --> 00:29:04.000 the way God the Father did all of this. And he 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:08.420 created through the one and only Lord Jesus Christ, 00:29:08.519 --> 00:29:11.710 who is one with the Father. Through Christ are 00:29:11.710 --> 00:29:14.910 all things, for God created through Him, and 00:29:14.910 --> 00:29:18.650 it is through Him we live. This is Jesus, the 00:29:18.650 --> 00:29:21.029 eternal Son of the Father, who was born as a 00:29:21.029 --> 00:29:24.289 baby from a virgin, conceived by the Holy Spirit, 00:29:24.289 --> 00:29:26.869 who died and rose again, and ascended to be with 00:29:26.869 --> 00:29:29.710 the Father at His right hand, there to intercede 00:29:29.710 --> 00:29:33.569 for us. This theological truth grounds us, and 00:29:33.569 --> 00:29:36.329 it grounds the church, and it helps us to understand 00:29:36.329 --> 00:29:40.180 that idols are nothing. And it also helps us 00:29:40.180 --> 00:29:45.119 to understand Christian liberty. We know who 00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:48.099 we are and we know the God who made us and we 00:29:48.099 --> 00:29:50.759 serve the Lord Jesus Christ. This is profound, 00:29:51.039 --> 00:29:54.380 all inspiring and a glorious truth about God. 00:29:54.559 --> 00:29:58.019 So with this knowledge, the matter of eating 00:29:58.019 --> 00:30:02.059 food that wasn't offered to an idol means nothing. 00:30:03.039 --> 00:30:07.329 Paul says it means nothing. Why? Because God 00:30:07.329 --> 00:30:10.410 created the food and the idol is nothing. One 00:30:10.410 --> 00:30:15.650 can eat it with no ill effects. It is nothing. 00:30:17.390 --> 00:30:20.710 But that's not the end of it. Because he goes 00:30:20.710 --> 00:30:26.329 on, our third point, not all yet have that knowledge, 00:30:26.529 --> 00:30:30.700 he says. Not all yet have that knowledge. There 00:30:30.700 --> 00:30:33.039 is not in everyone that knowledge, for some with 00:30:33.039 --> 00:30:36.940 consciousness of the idol, until now, eat it 00:30:36.940 --> 00:30:41.900 as a thing offered to an idol. And their conscience, 00:30:42.299 --> 00:30:47.740 being weak, is defiled. But food does not commend 00:30:47.740 --> 00:30:50.559 us to God, for neither if we eat are we the better, 00:30:50.680 --> 00:30:53.920 nor if we do not eat are we the worse. So when 00:30:53.920 --> 00:30:57.559 an idolater first comes to know the Lord, he's 00:30:57.559 --> 00:31:00.309 born again, he's added to Christ's church, There 00:31:00.309 --> 00:31:02.309 are still many things that need to be learned 00:31:02.309 --> 00:31:06.630 about faith in Christ and about the faith. This 00:31:06.630 --> 00:31:10.190 is why Jesus said to make disciples. How are 00:31:10.190 --> 00:31:13.430 disciples made? They are made by baptizing them 00:31:13.430 --> 00:31:17.829 and by then teaching them to observe all things 00:31:17.829 --> 00:31:23.210 that he has commanded. Matthew 28, the Great 00:31:23.210 --> 00:31:27.529 Commission. In this process of sanctification, 00:31:27.710 --> 00:31:31.509 there is much to learn. But there are also things 00:31:31.509 --> 00:31:35.349 that need to be unlearned or de -learned, if 00:31:35.349 --> 00:31:37.670 there is such a thing. In other words, they need 00:31:37.670 --> 00:31:44.230 to be set aside. They need to be set aside. Paul 00:31:44.230 --> 00:31:46.289 is saying here that some of the Christians rescued 00:31:46.289 --> 00:31:50.950 from paganism and idolatry still are not persuaded 00:31:50.950 --> 00:31:53.309 that the gods of the heathen have no existence 00:31:53.309 --> 00:31:57.190 and no spiritual power. Though they believe in 00:31:57.190 --> 00:32:00.390 God, yet they still think there is some kind 00:32:00.390 --> 00:32:03.750 of an innate power, spiritual power in those 00:32:03.750 --> 00:32:08.769 idols. They're not persuaded yet. Though the 00:32:08.769 --> 00:32:12.309 gods are imaginary, that imagination still has 00:32:12.309 --> 00:32:15.430 some roots in the consciousness. They are Christian. 00:32:15.650 --> 00:32:19.049 They have forsaken the false gods, but they still 00:32:19.049 --> 00:32:21.450 think there's some type of spiritual beings, 00:32:21.549 --> 00:32:25.789 though false. Therefore, when they eat food that 00:32:25.789 --> 00:32:30.119 was offered to an idol, They eat it, not if they 00:32:30.119 --> 00:32:32.700 eat it. It is not with thanksgiving to God who 00:32:32.700 --> 00:32:36.140 created it and the idol means nothing. But to 00:32:36.140 --> 00:32:39.200 them, that eating is part of idolatrous worship 00:32:39.200 --> 00:32:43.039 because they're eating something as it were offered 00:32:43.039 --> 00:32:46.819 to an idol. It is not ordinary food to them, 00:32:46.880 --> 00:32:50.240 but it is an act that has religious character 00:32:50.240 --> 00:32:54.519 and spiritual influence as a sacrifice to God. 00:32:54.700 --> 00:32:58.039 an idol what happens then paul says their conscience 00:32:58.039 --> 00:33:03.480 being weak is thus defiled it is defiled and 00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:07.920 those who are in christ must seek to avoid defiling 00:33:07.920 --> 00:33:11.180 their conscience and though the act itself is 00:33:11.180 --> 00:33:15.059 not sin yet because they are not eating in faith 00:33:15.059 --> 00:33:18.440 it is sin to them because they are not eating 00:33:18.440 --> 00:33:22.819 it in faith Paul, in a similar context, though 00:33:22.819 --> 00:33:25.640 speaking about eating clean or unclean foods 00:33:25.640 --> 00:33:28.819 in Romans 14, he applies it to this matter and 00:33:28.819 --> 00:33:32.099 he says, Do not destroy the work of God for the 00:33:32.099 --> 00:33:35.660 sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but 00:33:35.660 --> 00:33:39.299 it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 00:33:39.599 --> 00:33:42.440 It is good neither to eat meat, nor drink wine, 00:33:42.539 --> 00:33:45.019 nor do anything by which your brother stumbles 00:33:45.019 --> 00:33:48.630 or is offended and made weak. Or is made weak. 00:33:48.789 --> 00:33:51.269 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before 00:33:51.269 --> 00:33:54.369 God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself 00:33:54.369 --> 00:33:58.190 in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned 00:33:58.190 --> 00:34:01.490 if he eats. Because he does not eat from faith. 00:34:01.589 --> 00:34:08.030 For whatever is not from faith is sin. And so 00:34:08.030 --> 00:34:12.489 here we have a case. Where a matter is not sin 00:34:12.489 --> 00:34:15.369 in and of itself, but when it is not done in 00:34:15.369 --> 00:34:19.130 faith, then it is sin to that particular person. 00:34:19.230 --> 00:34:22.510 It may not be sin to you who have the liberty 00:34:22.510 --> 00:34:26.489 in Christ, but to this person, it is sin. And 00:34:26.489 --> 00:34:29.510 when he partakes it, he sees you and he says, 00:34:29.510 --> 00:34:32.429 well, I can do this. But within him, he is still 00:34:32.429 --> 00:34:35.489 doing the sin and he's not doing it in faith. 00:34:36.190 --> 00:34:40.590 The defiling of the conscience. Is sin. So again. 00:34:40.670 --> 00:34:44.210 The principle is stated. Food does not matter. 00:34:44.590 --> 00:34:49.809 It does not matter. It's not. There's not a principle 00:34:49.809 --> 00:34:53.110 of religious or spiritual significance. It is 00:34:53.110 --> 00:34:56.170 not defiling. It does not have spiritual significance. 00:34:56.590 --> 00:35:00.969 It is a thing indifferent. You can eat it to 00:35:00.969 --> 00:35:07.170 the glory of God. And rejoice in him. But. Paul 00:35:07.170 --> 00:35:10.099 reminds them. It does not commend us to God. 00:35:10.300 --> 00:35:12.639 We are neither the better if we eat nor the worse 00:35:12.639 --> 00:35:16.639 if we do not eat. But what matters? Love. Love 00:35:16.639 --> 00:35:19.820 for one another that does not wound the conscience 00:35:19.820 --> 00:35:24.340 of the other and cause them, not just making 00:35:24.340 --> 00:35:26.539 it so that they don't like you. No, no. They 00:35:26.539 --> 00:35:29.719 lose faith and they're destroyed because of it. 00:35:30.030 --> 00:35:32.630 They're destroyed because of it. How does that 00:35:32.630 --> 00:35:35.469 destruction take place when this particular application 00:35:35.469 --> 00:35:38.389 is probably where they went back to idolatrous 00:35:38.389 --> 00:35:43.949 worship? Paul sums this up with a closing warning 00:35:43.949 --> 00:35:47.809 in this chapter, although he will give additional 00:35:47.809 --> 00:35:54.150 application in chapter 10. What is that warning? 00:35:54.679 --> 00:35:58.099 Paul warns of the danger, number four, the danger 00:35:58.099 --> 00:36:02.360 of causing a brother to stumble. This is verses 00:36:02.360 --> 00:36:08.500 9 to 13. But beware, he says, beware lest somehow 00:36:08.500 --> 00:36:13.179 this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling block 00:36:13.179 --> 00:36:17.460 to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you 00:36:17.460 --> 00:36:20.800 who have knowledge, eating in an idol's temple, 00:36:20.980 --> 00:36:24.340 will not the conscience of him who is weak Be 00:36:24.340 --> 00:36:27.159 emboldened to eat those things offered to idols. 00:36:27.360 --> 00:36:29.780 And because of your knowledge shall the weak 00:36:29.780 --> 00:36:34.280 brother perish for whom Christ died. But when 00:36:34.280 --> 00:36:36.679 you thus sin against the brethren and wound their 00:36:36.679 --> 00:36:40.900 weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, 00:36:41.000 --> 00:36:45.719 if food makes my brother stumble, I will never 00:36:45.719 --> 00:36:48.539 again eat meat lest I make my brother stumble. 00:36:50.960 --> 00:36:53.820 Living in Christian liberty is a wonderful gift. 00:36:54.099 --> 00:36:57.500 We have an enlightened conscience. We experience 00:36:57.500 --> 00:37:01.539 the free grace of God and we delight in his good 00:37:01.539 --> 00:37:05.900 gifts to us. But sometimes that joy and delight 00:37:05.900 --> 00:37:10.059 can have some unintended consequences, especially 00:37:10.059 --> 00:37:15.219 in a setting like this. Paul says, beware and 00:37:15.219 --> 00:37:18.480 take heed. lest this liberty of yours become 00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:21.639 a stumbling block. The stumbling block is an 00:37:21.639 --> 00:37:25.460 occasion to sin. Weak means that they are without 00:37:25.460 --> 00:37:28.960 strength and sick and powerless. Who is the weak 00:37:28.960 --> 00:37:32.539 in this case? It is those whose consciences have 00:37:32.539 --> 00:37:35.960 not yet been freed from all of the effects of 00:37:35.960 --> 00:37:40.039 false worship and idolatrous practices. Not yet 00:37:40.039 --> 00:37:44.400 has their consciences been freed from that. And 00:37:44.400 --> 00:37:47.010 thus, If a weak brother sees you and you have 00:37:47.010 --> 00:37:49.710 your knowledge and so you go to the feast, you 00:37:49.710 --> 00:37:53.210 eat the food at the feast in the temple, in the 00:37:53.210 --> 00:37:55.510 idol's temple, and you're saying, I'm not worshiping. 00:37:55.550 --> 00:37:58.829 I'm just here celebrating this occasion and I'm 00:37:58.829 --> 00:38:00.510 going to eat the food that is offered because 00:38:00.510 --> 00:38:03.610 God created this and the idol is nothing. But 00:38:03.610 --> 00:38:08.190 if this weak brother sees you. And he's there 00:38:08.190 --> 00:38:10.769 with you. And so he then is emboldened. I'm just 00:38:10.769 --> 00:38:12.630 going to violate my conscience. I'm just going 00:38:12.630 --> 00:38:14.510 to do this thing and it's okay because I can 00:38:14.510 --> 00:38:17.150 worship both the idol and God or however it might 00:38:17.150 --> 00:38:20.610 be in his own mind. Through your liberty in Christ, 00:38:20.829 --> 00:38:23.349 they can revert back to idolatrous practices 00:38:23.349 --> 00:38:27.349 and perish. Through your knowledge, the weak 00:38:27.349 --> 00:38:29.969 brother for whom Christ died may perish or may 00:38:29.969 --> 00:38:34.110 be destroyed. This is very strong language. Now 00:38:34.110 --> 00:38:36.329 again, I want to reiterate here, this is not 00:38:36.329 --> 00:38:39.030 the case of somebody disagreeing with you. This 00:38:39.030 --> 00:38:41.769 is not someone being offended at you as not liking 00:38:41.769 --> 00:38:44.550 what you're doing. This is not somebody who's 00:38:44.550 --> 00:38:49.110 doubting their faith because of, or who is just 00:38:49.110 --> 00:38:52.650 of a different mind than what you are regarding 00:38:52.650 --> 00:38:56.829 a particular thing. You know, kind of like a 00:38:56.829 --> 00:38:59.690 teetotaler versus someone who says, no, the Bible 00:38:59.690 --> 00:39:01.969 says that wine is okay in moderation. Kind of 00:39:01.969 --> 00:39:05.750 that way. And so they're just like, okay, I don't 00:39:05.750 --> 00:39:07.730 think I should. I don't like that you're doing 00:39:07.730 --> 00:39:12.230 it, but, you know, it's not that big of a deal. 00:39:12.389 --> 00:39:18.210 Now, if it causes them to go back into all of 00:39:18.210 --> 00:39:20.489 the things of the past and to forsake the faith 00:39:20.489 --> 00:39:23.230 and they are destroyed, then that's a different 00:39:23.230 --> 00:39:26.980 matter. It's one of these things where it's not 00:39:26.980 --> 00:39:30.039 speaking. The problem is the old King James here 00:39:30.039 --> 00:39:33.260 uses the word offend. And so we think of the 00:39:33.260 --> 00:39:36.199 word offend as just being something I'm offended 00:39:36.199 --> 00:39:38.500 at this. I don't like it. And that's not what 00:39:38.500 --> 00:39:40.239 he's talking about. He's talking about destruction. 00:39:40.719 --> 00:39:44.280 They're being destroyed because of this act of 00:39:44.280 --> 00:39:48.320 liberty. It's not disapproval. It's a perishing, 00:39:48.320 --> 00:39:51.360 destruction, putting the one in danger of divine 00:39:51.360 --> 00:39:54.280 judgment and living in sin and going back to 00:39:54.280 --> 00:39:57.280 the old ways of false worship. When and if this 00:39:57.280 --> 00:39:59.119 happens, Paul tells the Corinthian believers 00:39:59.119 --> 00:40:02.639 in Corinth, your sin against the brethren and 00:40:02.639 --> 00:40:06.599 the wounding of their weak conscience is actually 00:40:06.599 --> 00:40:13.619 a sin against Christ. It is a sin against Christ. 00:40:16.780 --> 00:40:18.980 For Christ would not have you cause your brother 00:40:18.980 --> 00:40:21.840 to lose the faith and to live in sin. Therefore, 00:40:21.960 --> 00:40:24.780 Paul concludes, if food makes my brother stumble, 00:40:25.079 --> 00:40:28.159 I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother 00:40:28.159 --> 00:40:30.739 stumble. Now, Paul here is not saying, I'm a 00:40:30.739 --> 00:40:33.320 vegetarian now. What he's simply saying in giving 00:40:33.320 --> 00:40:36.139 this hypothetical case, if this were to happen, 00:40:36.260 --> 00:40:40.179 by no means would I do this, lest I make him 00:40:40.179 --> 00:40:43.320 stumble and lose the faith. That's what he's 00:40:43.320 --> 00:40:49.010 saying. All of this is wrapped up in the overarching 00:40:49.010 --> 00:40:52.869 principle. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do 00:40:52.869 --> 00:40:54.969 unto others as you would have them do unto you. 00:40:55.349 --> 00:40:58.170 Love does not behave rudely and does not seek 00:40:58.170 --> 00:41:02.449 its own. And therefore, our practice of Christian 00:41:02.449 --> 00:41:05.929 liberty must keep that in mind. By all means, 00:41:06.050 --> 00:41:09.170 live in the liberty in which Christ has set you 00:41:09.170 --> 00:41:13.610 free. Just be aware of your surroundings. and 00:41:13.610 --> 00:41:16.849 of those with whom you associate. Be aware of 00:41:16.849 --> 00:41:20.829 it. Now what's our takeaway from this? What do 00:41:20.829 --> 00:41:23.630 we take away? Because obviously we don't have 00:41:23.630 --> 00:41:26.150 that situation. There's not an idolatrous temple 00:41:26.150 --> 00:41:29.369 that is right here in this town with people going 00:41:29.369 --> 00:41:32.730 and eating there. We are removed from this context. 00:41:32.969 --> 00:41:34.789 But surely there are some things that we can 00:41:34.789 --> 00:41:38.969 take away from this. First of all, an understanding 00:41:38.969 --> 00:41:41.619 of Christian liberty understands the difference 00:41:41.619 --> 00:41:43.860 between i'm going to use two big words here but 00:41:43.860 --> 00:41:48.199 i'll explain them antinomianism and legalism 00:41:48.199 --> 00:41:52.119 so antinomianism is really means against law 00:41:52.119 --> 00:41:54.960 in other words i'm not bound by the law of god 00:41:54.960 --> 00:41:59.280 at all all i do is i just need to love i just 00:41:59.280 --> 00:42:01.460 need to love god with all my heart however it 00:42:01.460 --> 00:42:03.679 comes out well however you love god that's okay 00:42:03.679 --> 00:42:07.090 you're okay i'm okay that's the Real bad result 00:42:07.090 --> 00:42:10.329 of it. There are others who are partially antinomian. 00:42:10.909 --> 00:42:14.010 But I'm not going to go into great detail on 00:42:14.010 --> 00:42:16.730 that. But it simply means forsaking the law and 00:42:16.730 --> 00:42:18.389 just saying I'm just going to go by the spirit. 00:42:18.610 --> 00:42:20.769 However the spirit leads. Whether it's against 00:42:20.769 --> 00:42:23.769 the word or not. Then there's also legalism. 00:42:23.809 --> 00:42:27.630 And that is where we take a law and we take it 00:42:27.630 --> 00:42:30.110 out to the furthest extreme. And our particular 00:42:30.110 --> 00:42:32.650 application of the law is something that everybody 00:42:32.650 --> 00:42:36.829 needs to do in exactly the same way. and we are 00:42:36.829 --> 00:42:39.530 saved by doing that so that's legalism in other 00:42:39.530 --> 00:42:44.570 words just a real intent on the law one simply 00:42:44.570 --> 00:42:47.409 believes in being led by the spirit and there 00:42:47.409 --> 00:42:49.949 are no legal or moral constraints other than 00:42:49.949 --> 00:42:54.409 a few basic ones the opposite is if we take areas 00:42:54.409 --> 00:42:58.429 that are in christian liberty and then we legislate 00:42:58.429 --> 00:43:01.920 it we make it a law for everyone else Rather 00:43:01.920 --> 00:43:06.139 than realizing this is an area of liberty. We 00:43:06.139 --> 00:43:09.179 want neither one. Need to be led by the Spirit, 00:43:09.300 --> 00:43:12.739 absolutely. But the Spirit leads us in the ways 00:43:12.739 --> 00:43:16.099 of God. And then we seek to apply it. But we 00:43:16.099 --> 00:43:19.139 also take care not to legislate it for others 00:43:19.139 --> 00:43:25.539 in ways that go beyond the Word of God. Antinomianism, 00:43:25.619 --> 00:43:29.000 legalism, Christian liberty is right there in 00:43:29.000 --> 00:43:32.360 the middle. We see the difference. Second, our 00:43:32.360 --> 00:43:36.699 consciences need to be enlightened. The answer 00:43:36.699 --> 00:43:40.860 to this whole problem is yes, to walk carefully, 00:43:41.019 --> 00:43:44.559 but we should be able to advance beyond that 00:43:44.559 --> 00:43:47.659 as well. In other words, how does the conscience 00:43:47.659 --> 00:43:51.019 get enlightened? This is the need of the hour. 00:43:51.139 --> 00:43:55.480 And our consciences can be enlightened by the 00:43:55.480 --> 00:43:58.820 word of God and by good teaching. That is how 00:43:58.820 --> 00:44:02.199 we are able to change and say, okay, now I see 00:44:02.199 --> 00:44:05.199 this. Now I see that this is okay. And I'm not 00:44:05.199 --> 00:44:08.019 going to defile my conscience when I do this 00:44:08.019 --> 00:44:11.420 particular thing. In this case, eating food offered 00:44:11.420 --> 00:44:14.679 to idols. Now the answers to the initial questions 00:44:14.679 --> 00:44:17.659 that I asked are actually found in chapter 10. 00:44:17.800 --> 00:44:20.019 I'm only going to mention them very briefly. 00:44:20.239 --> 00:44:22.380 We're going to look at them further when we get 00:44:22.380 --> 00:44:26.059 to chapter 10. Is it proper to join the feast 00:44:26.059 --> 00:44:28.219 of celebration in the temple and eat the food 00:44:28.219 --> 00:44:30.280 that was offered to the temple? Paul answers, 00:44:30.460 --> 00:44:32.539 no, it is not. And it's because of the other 00:44:32.539 --> 00:44:34.480 people think that you are worshiping the idol, 00:44:34.599 --> 00:44:37.659 basically. So that's his answer there. Second, 00:44:37.739 --> 00:44:39.900 was it proper to eat food offered to idols and 00:44:39.900 --> 00:44:43.159 served at a neighbor's house? Yes, it was, unless 00:44:43.159 --> 00:44:46.900 the host makes a special point of bringing it 00:44:46.900 --> 00:44:48.940 to you and saying, this is food that was offered 00:44:48.940 --> 00:44:51.179 to an idol, then you don't eat it because of 00:44:51.179 --> 00:44:53.460 his sake, because you do not want to be associated 00:44:53.460 --> 00:44:55.659 with idolatrous worship. That's what he says. 00:44:55.780 --> 00:44:58.679 Again, chapter 10. And lastly, was it proper 00:44:58.679 --> 00:45:00.719 to buy the food in the market and take it home 00:45:00.719 --> 00:45:03.719 and cook it and eat it for yourself? Yes, categorically, 00:45:03.760 --> 00:45:06.380 yes. You take it home, you give thanks for God 00:45:06.380 --> 00:45:08.920 because an idol is nothing. That's all in chapter 00:45:08.920 --> 00:45:11.269 10, but I'm just... Bringing you up on it so 00:45:11.269 --> 00:45:13.329 that those three questions are not left hanging. 00:45:14.269 --> 00:45:16.590 In our past, we have all had to unlearn some 00:45:16.590 --> 00:45:19.610 things and to relearn them. Some of these things 00:45:19.610 --> 00:45:23.190 were things that we were told were wrong by the 00:45:23.190 --> 00:45:26.349 church, the church that we were in. But it was 00:45:26.349 --> 00:45:29.210 an answer or it was a teaching that was based 00:45:29.210 --> 00:45:32.389 on tradition and not according to the scriptures 00:45:32.389 --> 00:45:37.059 in these cases. We are to take care, but we are 00:45:37.059 --> 00:45:40.480 to feel free to be at liberty as our conscience 00:45:40.480 --> 00:45:44.039 is enlightened. Now if you're a husband and a 00:45:44.039 --> 00:45:47.280 wife, I urge you to both come to that liberty 00:45:47.280 --> 00:45:50.420 before enforcing it or practicing it or pushing 00:45:50.420 --> 00:45:53.880 it on the other. Be of the same mind. I'll give 00:45:53.880 --> 00:45:58.869 you an example. So prior to 1966, Roman Catholics 00:45:58.869 --> 00:46:01.510 were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays. It was 00:46:01.510 --> 00:46:05.989 considered a sin. You could not eat meat on Fridays. 00:46:06.090 --> 00:46:07.710 You had to eat fish if you wanted that kind of 00:46:07.710 --> 00:46:12.030 protein. But no meat, no beef, no pork, no any 00:46:12.030 --> 00:46:16.309 of the other kinds. Doing so was considered sin. 00:46:16.789 --> 00:46:22.389 And so now you come to light. You come to a greater 00:46:22.389 --> 00:46:25.349 understanding of the Word of God. And so you 00:46:25.349 --> 00:46:27.539 look at it and say... There's nothing in the 00:46:27.539 --> 00:46:30.280 Word of God about not eating meat on Fridays. 00:46:30.400 --> 00:46:33.360 This is not a proper application of the Word 00:46:33.360 --> 00:46:36.099 of God. Therefore, we're going to eat meat. And 00:46:36.099 --> 00:46:39.119 so my point there is, if your wife thinks that 00:46:39.119 --> 00:46:42.139 and your husband didn't, or vice versa, don't 00:46:42.139 --> 00:46:44.980 push it on the other. Wait. There are many, many 00:46:44.980 --> 00:46:46.980 things. All of us have different backgrounds. 00:46:47.179 --> 00:46:50.659 We all come from various practices in our past, 00:46:50.699 --> 00:46:54.960 and we can take this and apply it. to all of 00:46:54.960 --> 00:47:00.500 those as we look at things so then fourthly seek 00:47:00.500 --> 00:47:04.719 to keep a clear conscience before god at all 00:47:04.719 --> 00:47:09.599 times keep a clear conscience before god at all 00:47:09.599 --> 00:47:16.320 times paul says in acts 24 i have hope in god 00:47:16.320 --> 00:47:19.280 which they themselves also accept that there 00:47:19.280 --> 00:47:21.420 will be a resurrection of the dead both of the 00:47:21.420 --> 00:47:25.349 just and the unjust This being so, I myself always 00:47:25.349 --> 00:47:29.710 strive to have a conscience without offense toward 00:47:29.710 --> 00:47:34.809 God and man. If your conscience is weak or is 00:47:34.809 --> 00:47:38.210 defiled, come to the Lord, get cleansing, and 00:47:38.210 --> 00:47:40.530 then seek light in his word to see if it should 00:47:40.530 --> 00:47:43.630 be weak or defiled in that particular matter. 00:47:44.219 --> 00:47:48.280 In other words, your conscience is not infallible. 00:47:48.380 --> 00:47:51.619 It needs to be instructed from the Word of God. 00:47:51.800 --> 00:47:54.679 So keep it clear. Don't violate your conscience, 00:47:54.880 --> 00:47:57.599 but seek to enlighten it with proper understanding 00:47:57.599 --> 00:48:00.800 from the Word of God. And if a brother in Christ 00:48:00.800 --> 00:48:03.440 disagrees with you on a particular thing, talk 00:48:03.440 --> 00:48:06.500 to him about it. Look into the Word, and maybe 00:48:06.500 --> 00:48:08.500 both of your consciences will be enlightened, 00:48:08.699 --> 00:48:15.449 if they need to be. Lastly, Hold fast to Christ. 00:48:15.510 --> 00:48:20.230 Brothers and sisters. Hold fast to Christ. Use 00:48:20.230 --> 00:48:23.769 your liberty in Christ. But not as an occasion. 00:48:23.969 --> 00:48:28.150 To exalt the fleshly desires of your heart. The 00:48:28.150 --> 00:48:32.309 flesh. Paul says in Galatians 5 verse 13. You 00:48:32.309 --> 00:48:35.489 brethren. And so this I say to you also. You 00:48:35.489 --> 00:48:39.369 my brothers and sisters. You are all called to 00:48:39.369 --> 00:48:44.280 liberty. But do not use that liberty. As an opportunity 00:48:44.280 --> 00:48:49.360 for the flesh. But through love. Serve one another. 00:48:49.940 --> 00:48:54.099 Love one another. Edify one another. Care for 00:48:54.099 --> 00:48:57.460 one another. For all the law is fulfilled. In 00:48:57.460 --> 00:49:02.039 one word. Even in this. You shall love your neighbor. 00:49:02.320 --> 00:49:05.739 As yourself. Let's pray.