Yesterday we did not look into the culture of Corinth yet. So, before we jump into the text, let’s get a little background.
As we’ve said before, Corinth had temples for many gods, and one of the common practices of the day was offering sacrifices to those gods. They often offered up meat from various animals.
The priests in these temples were allowed to eat the sacrificed meat for their daily meals. With thousands of people bringing in food on a daily basis, however, there was always plenty left over. The wealthier people who sacrificed the meat could reclaim it and serve it to their friends and family. Some meat was also sold in the market.
The Corinthians evidently had an ongoing debate about whether or not it was okay to eat the meat that had been sacrificed to false gods. Some felt fine about enjoying the food with friends and family, seeing it as Christ-given freedom. Others saw it as participating in the idolatrous worship of other gods.
That’s what Paul’s addressing in 1 Corinthians 8. Open up your Bible and read the entire chapter again with this information in mind.
1 Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. 3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.
4 So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. 5 There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. 6 But for us,
There is one God, the Father,
by whom all things were created,
and for whom we live.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things were created,
and through whom we live.7 However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. 8 It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.
9 But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. 10 For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? 11 So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. 12 And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. 13 So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.
1 Corinthians 8 (NLT)
Summarize the problem Paul identifies in your own words. What’s going on? Who’s in the wrong?
While it might feel like this chapter has nothing to do with us today, Paul’s pointing out a heart issue that still applies to us. The Corinthians were prideful. The ones who thought it was okay to eat the meat didn’t see the harm their actions were causing. And those who condemned eating the sacrificed meat judged those who did.
As we introduced yesterday, people on both sides of the issue were prideful. Neither group was living in the others-centered way Paul’s been advocating throughout his letter.
Today, we can also get wrapped up in pride, especially when it comes to how to live the Christian life. We can hold on to certain dos and don’ts—such as drinking alcohol, watching certain TV shows and movies, wearing certain clothing, spending our money in a specific way, or adhering to a certain political party. When we refuse to let go of certain non-gospel issues, it can tear a rift between us and other Christians.
Go back through 1 Corinthians 8. This time, look for hints of pride in the Corinthians’ actions and words— especially toward each other. Write down what you observe. Then spend a few minutes in prayer to ask God where pride could be showing up in your life.
We’ll dig into the issue of pride this week. Share with your peer a prayer asking God to open your eyes to the areas of pride in your life.
Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and/or share it as a comment below
Dear God,
I ask you to teach me humility since I’m a very prideful person. Please show me the pride in my life and ways you can help me fix it. Help me see that I’m just a sinner like everyone else and that I’m no better than anyone else. Amen
My prayer tonight is to open my eyes to the rift I create for myself and to open my heart to other Christians. Thinking back I see that I think more highly of my own opinions than I do of others, so I tend to put down others because our opinions do not align and I treat that as having a difference in “holiness” since I think of myself more “aligned” with Christ than they are. As such, I create a rift that makes it difficult for me to accept others simply because I can’t disregard our differences to see eye-to-eye. I’m reminded of an incident during WWII called the Christmas Truce where French, German and British troops crossed trenches not to fight but to exchange season greetings and talk. I see the truce as revealing that if we look beyond our opinions and differences, we can see a fellow human on the other side. I imagine that if I were to set aside simple differences that I would see a Christian behind all the politics and opinions and realize that despite a difference in worldly beliefs, we at least share a belief in Jesus Christ.