Crossing Culture: 1 Corinthians 8
Don’t Stumble Me!
Definition of culture (Webster Dictionary)
a: the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group
also : the characteristic features of everyday existence (such as diversions or a way of life) shared by people in a place or time
b : the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization
a corporate culture focused on the bottom line
c: the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic
studying the effect of computers on print culture
Changing the culture of materialism will take time …
d: the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations
I love talking about culture. I love learning culture. Why are some places in the world loud cultures and others quiet? Why does a certain musical style take off in one place of the world and different styles in other places? And most important- how do we learn from other cultures so as to make the gospel most relevant in that culture.
So in this section we are looking at Crossing Culture Issues.
1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.
9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?
11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. —1 Corinthians 8
Issues that have been difficult for Christians in the past (and not so past)
- Smoking
- Drinking
- Dancing
- Card Playing
- Television, Music, Movies
- Yoga
- Holidays celebrations like Christmas trees or Halloween
- Table cloth and table legs!
Notice what Paul says in vs. 10- And this is really important- the issue is not that a weaker person sees a stronger person enjoying their liberties and uses that as a way to tell that stronger person - how dare you? I don’t think that’s right so you shouldn’t either.
What Paul is talking about is a person who sees a stronger believer enjoying liberty and the weaker person thinking- well if it’s good for them then maybe it’s okay for me too! THere’s a HUGE difference here!
These verses are not to be used by legalistic people to push down those who have freedoms. These are not verses to be used by those who are offended by other people’s freedoms. He is writing about those who would see another person’s freedoms as justification for them to do the same unto sin.
Let me give an example that might help:
“Oh I’m so offended I saw you smoking!”
WHY are you enticed to want to smoke? NO not at all I would never touch the things. Then this is not a person being stumbled this is a person offended and that’s their problem!