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Sermon Notes of Rev.Dr.I.J.W.Oakley (7-2-1999 Guisborough Evangelical Church)
Another problem that the Christians at Corinth asked Paul
to guide them on was the problem of meat offered to idols, and the problems of
conscience which this aroused. The immediate problem is so remote to us today,
and perhaps our first reaction is, “What has this got to do with me?” But
underneath the surface, there is something that is always important for every
Christian. It raises one of the biggest problems we have to face. The principle
of living the Christian life.
Things which are harmless in themselves, but if we partook of them, we could be misunderstood by the young Christian whose understanding is limited, and they might follow us. Then they might feel conscience-stricken. So our example would cause them to fall and fail. How far do we have to think of others – even when we are doing things which are not wrong for us?
Idols were a feature of Paul’s world. Wherever you
went, you saw blocks of wood or stone representing heathen gods - along roads,
in houses, and especially in temples. Animals would be sacrificed in worship to
these gods. Part of the animal would be burnt on the altar, part was given to
the priest, and the worshipper retained part. They could use it as part of a
meal in the temple or at home. Or it might go to the butcher’s shop and be put
on sale. Could the Christian go to a meal or buy meat which was used in
sacrifice to a god?
Strong Christians would say,
“Of course. False gods do not exist, the whole thing is tomfoolery, and the
wood or stone was not an image of a real god, for there is only one true and
living God. Only one who created us, only one Lord Jesus Christ who has revealed
Him and who died for us, only one God whom we worship and serve. The rest do not
exist. Heather religion is a nonsense; therefore the animals have not been
sacrificed to real gods. Just eat up and enjoy the meal, and don’t worry about
it.”
But not all Christians could say
that. They might be young in faith, with not much teaching, still a lot to
learn, unclear about many things. They were aware that these heathen gods were
wrong, and not to be obeyed, but may think they still exist. So they may feel
that eating in the temple was participating in worship. They felt guilty, their
conscience was stained. They felt they had sinned and were wrong with God. Their
spiritual life had a setback, they were in Satan’s power, and they were very
upset about it.
All this, because some strong
Christians who had a better understanding, had gone ahead and eaten the meat,
and thought no more about it. The weak Christian followed his example, and now
felt he had sinned. For the strong Christian who ate the meal there was no
trouble at all. But his action had had a disastrous effect on the weaker brother
who did not have such a clear understanding and therefore felt he had done
wrong.
Paul says to the strong
Christian, you are right in what you believe, but wrong in the way you behave.
Of course idols do not exist, they are figments of the imagination of the
heathen. Of course you do not really worship them. But that does not mean you
should have had that meal. You need to consider the effect of your action on
other people who are not so mature and strong, and who do not have your
understanding and maturity.
Do not decide these things on
the basis of your knowledge alone. Knowledge and intelligence on their own are
dangerous. They puff you up, make you conceited, and swell your head, making you
look down on weak and immature Christians. You do them great harm by not being
sympathetic and thinking of their problems. What is safe for one man be unsafe
for another man. Something that is no temptation to one may be a violent
temptation to another.
When we make up our mind what to
do, we must think not only of ourselves, and rely on our own understanding, but
we need to love others and be concerned for them. Try and sit where they sit.
Work out our action’s effect on others. We have no right to do harm to simple
souls, new Christians and weak Christians.
Some things may not be wrong in themselves – the places you go, things you take part in – harmless in themselves. But people are watching, people who do not have your strength and knowledge. If they follow your example, and go to that place and take part in that activity, the result could be disaster for them. If we love others and are concerned for their spiritual welfare, we will bear them in mind in where we go, and the things we do. The more we are in the public eye, the more we are watched, the greater the damage we can do. Our concern must be to build others up, not destroy them.
Important to say first of all that when people have weak
conscience and do not understand and therefore get confused, we must not just
resign ourselves to the situation with a shrug of the shoulders. People need to
be taught and helped to understand better. Do not be dishonest. Explain to
people that though there is no harm to you, the reason you are refraining is out
of concern for them, and not because you agree with them.
But this is only one of several things you have to bear
in mind when you make a decision. Take the television, for example. Some
Christians do not have one because it is their example to weak Christians who
might see wrong things and be harmed. But on the other hand, as long as we know
when to switch off, we could argue that the TV helps to keep us better informed
and therefore more useful as evangelists, because we are able to understand
people more. Is it not better to have a TV where we control the on/off switch,
than have our children go next door to watch TV – and be allowed to watch
anything?
A missionary in a tribe once described how the simple
tribe people took the verse “Beware of dogs” (Philippians 3:1) literally,
rather than taking it as a reference to evil men. He was faced with the dilemma
of whether to give in to this misunderstanding, and not upset the tribe, and get
rid of his dogs? But what of the need for a guard dog, and the need to provide a
companion for his children and bring them up to understand animals?
Where we draw the line will vary. The do’s and don’ts
of the Christian life and the effect of our example are not all the same. For
one thing, it depends on our background. Often people from a very evil
background see the need to be extra careful and realize the dangers more than
people brought up in Christian home. It may be wrong to do things in some places
but not wrong in others, because the misunderstanding is greater.
But with all these points to bear in mind, it is still important to consider the weaker brother. It is a very important Bible principle. We are watched not only by non-Christians but also by other Christians, especially the young and immature. There are those who will undoubtedly follow our lead. We should play safe. If we act without thinking we could bring spiritual disaster.
Paul grounds his argument on giving up rights out of love
for weaker brother on a very strong case. This weak brother, for whom Christ
died (1 Corinthians 8:11). That young immature Christian is so precious to
Christ that He died for him. He is dear to Christ. Christ lives in him. How dare
we do something harmful to him and ruin him. To sin against him is to sin
against Christ. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of
mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40). Saul, Saul, why do you persecute
me? (Acts 9:4). Whatever we do for Christ’s people, for good or ill, we do
to Him. If we injure them, we injure Him. If we serve them, we serve Him. So we
need to be willing to give up our rights and claims for the sake of others, out
of consideration for Christ and love for Him.
Never dismiss another Christian as unimportant, not to be
considered. Christ loved him, gave Himself for him, saved him, indwells him, and
is coming back for him. We will spend eternity with him. How sad we would be to
hear the words, “Do you remember that occasion when you did so and so. I’m
afraid that didn’t help me. It set me back in my walk with God. It started a
problem in life which lasted years.”
It might go against the grain not to please ourselves (Romans
15:2), but our concern must be to build up and help. We must ensure we do not
hinder and destroy. We need to carefully consider the consequences of all our
actions. Do non- Christians look at us and think, “If that’s a Christian,
I’d rather stay as I am”? Do Christians look at us and feel drawn closer to
the Lord, or are they hindered in their walk? We are our brother’s keeper.
This is a very personal and individual thing. We all draw the line in different places. But one solemn consideration – we all, one day, will have to give an account of our decisions and actions before the Lord. C.f. Christ’s High Priestly prayer For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified (John 17:19).
