A Matter of Conscience

Bible Text: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 | Preacher: Pastor Mike Hale | Series: 1 Corinthians

Paul is responding to a problem in Corinth, that is a common problem in our lives today, as well: “How much should another person’s views control my actions?” In other words, “What should the authority and priority be in reference to the freedoms I have and how those are expressed?” “How much should I adjust my actions in order to not offend someone else?”

See Romans 14:1-6; Colossians 2:16-17.

Paul teaches a principle here that applies to much more than eating meat sacrificed to an idol. The best place to buy a good roast, steak, or country rib in 1st c. Corinth was located right next door to the pagan temples, where animals were offered to various gods and goddesses as sacrifices.

Some of the meat went to the “priests or priestesses,” the rest went for public sale. And so, the best meat in Corinth was found at these meat markets. Everyone in town knew that, and so, for Christians, the question came up: “If a Christian eats meat offered to an idol, is he/she participating in some way in the worship of that idol?” Great question, and it caused concern for many.

If a Christian sits down in a restaurant next door to a pagan temple, and orders a steak, it is very likely that the meat he will eat had been offered in sacrifice to an idol. Should that be a problem for the believer?

Some of the Corinthian Christians were saying that to do this, is to condone the legitimacy of a false god, to worship an idol in some way, to dishonor Christ who died to abolish idols, and also to place a stumbling block in front of a weak Christian who may have come out of a pagan cult that worshipped idols, for he might be led back into idolatry.

But others in the Corinthian church were saying, there is nothing to an idol, i.e., it is just a piece of wood or stone. How are you helping deliver these people from their idolatrous ways if you act as though there is something to the idol?

In Christ, we have the freedom to eat this meat without it offending our conscience. It is perfectly good meat, and it should be enjoyed with thanksgiving toward God. There was a division in the church over these opposing views about eating this meat.

This is similar to many divisions in the church caused by disagreeing views, i.e., some Christians won’t have a Christmas tree, because of the pagan roots of that celebration; others won’t participate in Easter egg hunts, because of its pagan roots; some won’t “Trick or Treat,” because of the pagan roots of Halloween.
We are free as Christians to celebrate or not celebrate different activities (foods, music, entertainment, etc.) and holidays. But the question needs to be asked, why should we let the pagan or secular origins of something continue to keep it captive for the dark side? Why not bring it out into the Light of Christ and use it to bring glory, praise, and honor to the Lord?

The truth is, most of the days of the week are named after pagan gods: Sunday is derived from the Latin dies solis, “sun’s day,”; Monday is derived from the Anglo- Saxon monandaeg, or “moon’s-day”; Tuesday (Tyr’s-day) is named for the Norse god of war, Tyr, the son of Odin; Wednesday (Woden’s-day) is named after Odin, or Woden, chief god in Norse mythology; Thursday (Thor’s-day) is named for Thor, Norse god of thunder, eldest son of Odin; Friday (Frigg’s-day) is named for Frigga, the Norse goddess of the sky and wife of Odin; Saturday (Saturn’s day) is for the Roman god Saturn.

Even some of our months have pagan origin, e.g., January is named for the Roman god Janus, a two-faced god who looked back to the old year and forward to the new year, at the same time. July is named after Julius Caesar. August is named after Augustus Caesar. March was dedicated to Mars, the Greek god of war.

Paul speaks to this matter of conscience among Christians (v. 1), “we all possess knowledge,” i.e., (v. 4), “We know that an idol is nothing,” (v. 6), “for us there is but one God, the Father…; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ.” And so, “when we eat this meat we are not worshipping pagan deities, they don’t even exist.” Now, even though that is correct thinking and although we do not have this meat sacrificed to idols eating problem today, there are other issues that cause factions and divisions.

Some Christians are disturbed about the matter of drinking. Should a Christian drink? Is it wrong to take alcoholic beverages in any form — wine, beer, hard liquor? How about smoking? Tattoos? Public dancing? David danced before the Lord. What about “R” rated movies? Television sit-coms? What about working on Sunday? You can list a lot of issues that divide Christians. Is it a sin for a Christian to be involved in these things?

How do you settle these disagreements? One person’s convictions are not necessarily another persons. Paul says (v. 1), “knowledge puffs up,” it makes you feel superior to those who don not act or believe as you do.
In the church at Corinth and in the church in America, some will say, ”Look at how worldly those believers are behaving. How can a they do this or that with a clean conscience?” Others will say, “Look how legalistic and bound by the law those believers are. Why don’t they grow up? Don’t they realize we are free of all those regulations and restrictions?”

And besides, although we can view what a person does, we do not know why they do it, what their intentions or motives are.

The result is a failure to recognize that people may hold some convictions sincerely, yet we judge their motives by our limited knowledge and that creates pride, which puffs us up and makes us feel superior to those who may be limited by certain restrictions.

Our knowledge is incomplete (v. 2), “The one who thinks he knows something, does not yet know as he ought to know,” i.e., when we believe some attitude, action, or freedom that someone exercises is wrong, we are seeing things from our point of view, which may be limited, we do not see all the factors involved.

Paul’s says, something else is needed to settle these kinds of disagreements (v. 3), we need the love of God. If any one loves God, “he is known by God,” i.e., God knows us personally; in fact (1Corinthians 2:16), “we have the mind of Christ.

Back to the meat issue: We are told (v. 8), that we are no worse off if we eat meat; no better off if we don’t, for it is God’s love that is important, expressed in the way we treat others.

Paul says (v. 7), being legalistic is a weakness, and such a person needs instruction, training, and growth; but we are not to flaunt our strength and show off our freedom in the face of another’s weakness; instead, we are to help them in their struggle, not put them down or make them feel rejected or of less worth.

To restrain yourself, for the sake of another is a gracious, godly, Christian thing to do. Therefore, we are to consider our influence upon others, and weigh the fact that what we want to do, what we have the freedom in Christ to do, is not important compared to the possible harm to another’s spiritual life, especially how we act in public, in reference to flaunting our freedom in somebody else’s face.

If we purposely hurt someone or cause them to stumble in their faith, because we are insisting on our own freedom to do something that previously held them in bondage, we are sinning against Christ, seeking our own momentary gratification or pleasure at the expense of a another’s spiritual welfare.

I must say here that this kind of situation only applies when there is a clear case, or at least a possibility, of injuring someone spiritually (v. 10), “For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?”

Many situations are not a question of somebody’s conscience being weak; it is a somebody’s prejudices being irritated. That is different. Just because someone is offended or doesn’t agree with your freedom is not a reason to abstain.

Love would demand that we not flaunt our liberty before someone who feels strongly that it is wrong; but I must also add here that avoiding behavior because it offends the conscience of the weakest brother in the church is not beneficial, for this does not help those in the the church, bound in legalism, to grow.

The priority is God’s love, “why do I do or not do something I have the freedom to do based upon no clear teaching in God’s Word forbidding or discouraging me from such behavior,” (v. 13) ”Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.”

God is clearly telling us, through Paul’s instruction, that as servants of God and as brothers and sisters to all of those in God’s family, we may, at times, need to allow others the freedom to express themselves in ways not comfortable to us,and we may need to give up our own freedoms for the sake of not injuring the conscience of a weaker brother or sister.

Jesus told His disciples (Luke 17:1-2), “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.”

Our example is Christ, as we live out our lives we should not intentionally hurt or offend anyone if it possible to avoid it; our service is to God and it is to Him we are to submit ourselves.

1Corinthians 10:31, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

Jesus laid down His life for you and for me, and for all those who will believe in Him, so that we might receive forgiveness and eternal life. We must be willing to give up our individual rights, freedoms, comforts, even wants, rather than offend or injure the conscience of a brother or sister in Christ, whose faith is weak. As Christians we are slaves of Christ!

Philippians 2:1-11, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”