Monday
But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.(vs 9)
In the Greek culture, meat was often sacrificed to gods and what was not eaten by the priests or used during pagan celebrations, would be sold at the market. So there were some Christians who felt it was wrong to have anything to do with this meat, it was tainted by the evil of idol worship, but there were others who said, it didn’t matter what it was used for, eating it was of no concern.
So what do you do when you have two opposing views and really, neither of them are wrong… they are simply based on how far someone has come in their walk with Jesus.
Take for example alcohol. Now the scriptures don’t say that drinking alcohol is wrong or a sin, but it does mention drunkenness. Actually Paul even tells Timothy to have a glass of wine to help settle his stomach and we all know that Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine (good wine – ‘cause Jesus doesn’t do anything mediocre.) But there are a couple of things worth mentioning so pay close attention.
First, the alcohol in First Century Greece, was nowhere near as potent as what we have available in our country. It was what we would considered watered down. It would take a lot to get you intoxicated. Second, just because you can have or do something doesn’t mean that you should. (1 Corinthians 10:23).
Third, am I hurting a someone else because I have a drink… maybe they are an alcoholic, or they just can’t control the amount they consume? Maybe alcohol is offensive to them? Maybe my drinking might encourage someone else to drink that just shouldn’t. Do you see the stumbling block that my drinking might create? So ask yourself, is it worth it to drink, if you might in anyway be causing a fellow believer to sin? (Remember drunkenness is a sin.) How much is too much? I can’t answer that question. So let me just say this… the Holy Spirit will work in your life to present to you the correct answer to the issue of drinking alcohol. Be open to His promptings.
So the question the Corinthians wanted Paul to answer is really a spiritual matter… if the meat used in pagan worship is offensive to someone – then don’t use it… don’t let them be sucked back into old habits and old practices.
We are in this journey together and the better we look out for one another, the better it will be for all of us, the stronger it will make us.
Grace and Peace
Pastor Kathy