SCRIPTURE: 1Corinthians (NIV) 8:1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God.
OBSERVATION: Paul was writing about food available for purchase in the market that had been sacrificed to an idol before being put up for sale. People who had a clear understanding of God and creation, knew that idols were not gods. They could eat the meat with a clear conscience because they were not offending the true God in their eating. However, there were people in the church who still looked at the idols as gods. Eating food killed as a sacrifice to an idol was very offensive to them. Since they had been saved out of a pagan society, they had probably worshipped those idols. It was confusing in their thinking to see believers eating food that had been sacrificed to those idols from whose worship they had been delivered.
Paul does not in these verses deal with the non-godness of the idols, but with the love we should have not to offend our brothers and sisters in Christ.
APPLICATION: Maturing in Christ is growing in love. It is seen in how we are willing to limit our freedoms in order not to offend, or, in order to serve others. Some people leave their family and homeland to take the gospel to others. Some people forgo a better car or house in order to give more money to spread the gospel. Some people give up an evening at home in order to minister to a group of boys or girls. Etc. We sacrifice what is not bad or sinful in order to make sure someone else joins us in heaven.
PRAYER: Lord, that is what you did for me. You gave up your home in heaven to come to earth, to make the sacrifice for my sins. May I never complain about what I may need to sacrifice in spreading the truth of who you are and how great is your love. May my love for you cause me to consider any sacrifice as only a minor inconvenience. Amen
Pastor Leon
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