We\u2019re at the halfway point in 1 Corinthians. Since the beginning of this study, we\u2019ve walked through Paul\u2019s frustrations with the Corinthians\u2019 actions. In chapter 5 we talked about sinful practices that even non-Christians deplore. In chapters 6 and 7, Paul spoke about actions the world accepts but Christians should not pursue. Now as we dive into chapter 8, Paul will hit on some of the gray areas of Christianity\u2014the practices some Christians approve of and other Christians don\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re also going to encounter an overarching argument both in this session and the next. Paul\u2019s going to unpack the issue of sacrificing meat to idols\u2014a custom that couldn\u2019t be more different from what we experience today. While the cultural divide might seem too wide to bridge, we\u2019ll find in this session and the session that follows that the principles from this passage still apply to us today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ll hit on the main idea of spiritual maturity and how it should affect us as Christians. If we\u2019re going to live a selfless life, then the longer we follow Jesus the more humble and self-sacrificing we should become. Being grown-up, knowledgeable, or experienced in the Christian life shouldn\u2019t puff up our pride\u2014it should make us more like Jesus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you read the Bible for all of 1 Corinthians 8, note all the characteristics of a spiritually mature person<\/strong> \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/strong> Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that \u201cwe all have knowledge\u201d about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. 2<\/strong> Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn\u2019t really know very much. 3<\/strong> But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.<\/p> 4<\/strong> 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<\/strong> There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. 6<\/strong> But for us,<\/p> There is one God, the Father, 7<\/strong> 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<\/strong> It\u2019s true that we can\u2019t win God\u2019s approval by what we eat. We don\u2019t lose anything if we don\u2019t eat it, and we don\u2019t gain anything if we do.<\/p> 9<\/strong> But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble. 10<\/strong> For if others see you\u2014with your \u201csuperior knowledge\u201d\u2014eating in the temple of an idol, won\u2019t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? 11<\/strong> So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believer for whom Christ died will be destroyed. 12<\/strong> And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. 13<\/strong> So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live\u2014for I don\u2019t want to cause another believer to stumble.<\/p>1 Corinthians 8 (NLT)<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n As we grow up in real life, we must answer this question: Will we use our experience, knowledge, and expertise as an adult to help others or ourselves? Maturity doesn\u2019t necessarily give us free rein to wield our power or strength or understanding over the younger kids who aren\u2019t as far along as we are. Growing up should mean we give up certain things for the sake of others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we grow up spiritually, we encounter the same question\u2014will we use our spiritual maturity for others or for ourselves?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we choose to live for ourselves, the inevitable result is pride. We begin to think our knowledge of God or our way of living the Christian life is better\u2014or even the best. That\u2019s what the Corinthians had fallen into. We\u2019ve seen it all throughout the book. Their pride comes to the surface in a whole new way in the chapter we\u2019ll be studying this week. Their actions are now leading other people to sin. It\u2019s a big deal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is another way. It\u2019s what we\u2019ve been talking about throughout this entire study. We can use any wisdom or growth in our Christian lives to help other Christians. We can take the self-sacrificing route of humility\u2014the road Jesus trekked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s what we\u2019ll dig into this week\u2014the choice we have between pride and humility and how our choice affects other Christians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Close your time today by wrestling with this question: Where does pride pop up in your life?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a virtual journey through a typical day in your life and ask God to show you where pride takes center stage. Ask him to soften your heart to what he has to teach you through this week\u2019s study. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Text your response to the above prompting questions to your group and\/or share it as a comment below<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We\u2019re at the halfway point in 1 Corinthians. Since the beginning of this study, we\u2019ve walked through Paul\u2019s frustrations with the Corinthians\u2019 actions. In chapter 5 we talked about sinful practices that even non-Christians deplore. In chapters 6 and 7, Paul spoke about actions the world accepts but Christians should not pursue. Now as we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n Welcome!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Welcome to the book of 1 Corinthians. As we study this letter, we\u2019ll step into ancient Corinth while reading the words Paul wrote to the fledgling church. We\u2019re going to see that, like all churches, the Corinthian church wasn\u2019t perfect. They had a problem. A big problem. And it grew to such an epic proportion that it poisoned the church in various ways. Paul wrote to provide the antidote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this study, we\u2019re going to explore Paul\u2019s solution to both the problems in Corinth and in us. Through his words, we\u2019ll learn more about Jesus\u2019s plan for a people who live radically different lives than the world around them. But we\u2019ll also take a hard look in the mirror and ask the Spirit to point out our own self-centered attitudes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading the Bible isn\u2019t just something we do to impress people or to check off on a to-do list. It\u2019s about getting to know God. It\u2019s about shaping every minute of our lives to reflect Jesus. It\u2019s about thinking differently in the power of the Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So as we approach each week, we\u2019ll focus on one main idea. That main idea will point us to change how we think, feel, and act. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This week, we\u2019ll see that resolving relational disunity begins in our hearts because division is a symptom of self-focus. From this main idea, we have three goals: <\/p>\n\n\n\n First Corinthians will take us on a journey. We\u2019ll look at the struggles of one of the first local churches in all of history. We\u2019ll see that the Corinthians weren\u2019t much different from us. And we\u2019ll realize that Paul\u2019s words to them still ring true today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But before we jump into 1 Corinthians, spend a few minutes writing out a short prayer to God. Ask him to use this study to change you. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Open up your Bible to 1 Corinthians. Go ahead and read the entire first chapter. As you read, ask yourself this question: What was the problem in the Corinthian church?<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1 Corinthians 1:1\u201331 (ESV): <\/p> 1\u00a0Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, \u201cI will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.\u201d<\/p> 20\u00a0Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21\u00a0For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. 22\u00a0For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23\u00a0but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24\u00a0but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25\u00a0For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.<\/p> 26\u00a0For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27\u00a0But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28\u00a0God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29\u00a0so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30\u00a0And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31\u00a0so that, as it is written, \u201cLet the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The Corinthian church suffered from division. We\u2019ll see it all throughout the book. The struggling church fought over leadership, spiritual gifts, food, marriage, and theology. Since the theme of disunity runs throughout the letter, it\u2019s tempting to think that was the church\u2019s problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it wasn\u2019t. Disunity was only a symptom of a far more insidious\u2014and common\u2014 disease. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Did you catch the real issue that was going on in Corinth? It was selfishness. They were so consumed with themselves that they tried to solve their problems their own way, held on to their culture, and, as a result, blasted chasms between them and other Christians.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n No one likes to admit to selfishness\u2014 especially people who claim to follow Jesus. But it often sneaks into our lives in ways we don\u2019t readily see. And then it spills over in ways we never expect. For the Corinthians, their selfishness led to severe divisions in the church. What is it for us? We\u2019ll spend the rest of the study unpacking that very question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we know the main problem Paul\u2019s tackling in 1 Corinthians, take a moment to be honest with God. Write down any fears or concerns you have about confronting the problem of selfishness. Ask God to use this study to turn your gaze to him.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-223997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1corinthians"],"yoast_head":"\n
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.<\/p>
2\u00a0To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
3\u00a0Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4\u00a0I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5\u00a0that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge\u2014 6\u00a0even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you\u2014 7\u00a0so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8\u00a0who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9\u00a0God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10\u00a0I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11\u00a0For it has been reported to me by Chloe\u2019s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12\u00a0What I mean is that each one of you says, \u201cI follow Paul,\u201d or \u201cI follow Apollos,\u201d or \u201cI follow Cephas,\u201d or \u201cI follow Christ.\u201d 13\u00a0Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14\u00a0I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15\u00a0so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16\u00a0(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17\u00a0For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
18\u00a0For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19\u00a0For it is written, <\/p>