1 Corinthians Day 6
1 Corinthians 8 – 11:1
The Dangers of Christian Liberty
“Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor” (1 Corinthians 10:24).
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
We in the United States relish our constitutional guarantee of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” As Christians, we are no longer under the Jewish law, but we walk in the freedom of Christ (Romans 8:2). We have been given eternal life, liberty from the law, and joy that goes beyond happiness. However, there are limits to our freedom.
In 1 Corinthians Chapters 8 – 11:1, the apostle Paul warns the church about the abuses of Christian liberty. Sure, all things are lawful (1 Corinthians 10:23), but that doesn’t mean we can do anything we want at any time. Someone is always watching, and that someone can be harmed by our actions.
Paul begins by reminding us that our knowledge of the truth of Christian liberty can fill our heads with the helium of arrogance instead of the oxygen of love (1 Corinthianse 8:1). If we think we’re so smart, but do not practice love, we don’t know anything (1 Corinthians 13).
The weaker brother, who is paranoid about things that are not sinful, is watching. Paul uses the illustration of eating meat offered to idols in front of that brother or sister. They may still believe that idols are something real, and if they see a Christian, who knows better, eating that food, they may think we are somehow honoring that idol, and they may be tempted to do the same, against their conscience, and think they are sinning. Our act of liberty can cause them to doubt our sincerity or think it’s OK, in this instance, to honor idols and Christ. There are churches who have unbiblical standards about dress, Bible versions, facial hair, and other nonessentials, who are easily offended when those standards are violated, but we are not to be arrogant about our freedom and offend them. Paul was willing to give up meat altogether for the sake of not offending brothers and sisters. How much more can we give up small things to keep from offending?
The outside world is watching. If anyone had the right to live freely in matters like food and drink, marriage, and material support from the church, it was the apostles — especially Paul. Yet he was aware that unscrupulous outsiders (and perhaps insiders) could accuse him of being mercenary and only preaching for financial gain, so he gave up his God-ordained privilege to keep from any hint of scandal. He made sure he conformed, as much as is biblically possible, to the customs of Jew and Gentile in order to not hinder the Gospel.
God is watching. Liberty can initiate a downward spiral in the believer’s life. It starts with innocent acts that can lead others astray. If we have the attitude of, “Who cares if you don’t like what I do?”, the next step can be to think you can get away with anything. After all, you are one of God’s “chosen”! You can resist temptation, and even if you stumble, God won’t do anything. Paul’s answer is, “Tell that to the 23,000 who died in the wilderness when they tempted God!” (1 Corinthians 10:8). The warning is clear: “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
We must be careful how we use our Christian freedom. We must not insult our brothers and sisters, impede our Gospel, or irritate our God. We are to be like Jesus Christ, “[Who] emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
Free to be a servant!
Alan Allegra