Understanding 1 Corinthians 8

Happy Sabbath once again to all of you. I'm delighted to fill in for Mr. Graham, and again, we'll try to go about 35, maybe 40 minutes, and conclude services today. So what we're going to do is we are going to go through a chapter in the book of Corinthians. Normally in the Bible studies they're interactive. I ask people to read the various scriptures, but that would take a little too long today. So I will just go ahead and read the scriptures that we run into. So we'll begin with our Bible study thought for the month from Mr. A.R. Adams. He said, don't stay away from church because there are so many hypocrites. There's always room for one more. And his point is, I'm sure I never met Mr. Adams, but I'm sure his point is, is that we're all flawed. We're all struggling with our own weaknesses. We're all trying to grow through the power of God's Holy Spirit and become better than we are. Sometimes those weaknesses are obvious. Sometimes we're struggling with those weaknesses that others can see. So let's be a patient with one another because we are all here trying to grow and be healed in God's spiritual hospital. So here's the Bible study question for the month that was turned in. It says, when Jesus says, I laid on my life for the sheep and I have other sheep, not of this fold. Who are these sheep who are not of this fold? And the question was, are those ones not yet called to fruit? Well, as with any Bible study, we should go right to the source and go to the actual scripture, which we'll do here, and take a look at it and learn the principle that God wants us to understand. So this actually comes from John chapter 10 and verse 15.

And here's what Jesus says, as the Father knows me, even so I know the Father and I lay down my life for the sheep and other sheep I have which are not of this fold. Them also I must bring and they will hear my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd. So even though there are sheep that were not with the disciples, Jesus says, there in essence, spiritually speaking, there is one flock and one shepherd. So obviously, these others the disciples didn't know about. Now, Jesus may have been referring to the Gentiles that he would soon begin calling after his resurrection, after the early church was founded. At the very time he said these words, he may have been already working with a man named Cornelius who might not be converted for a decade or more. But as we know, God has been working in our lives long before we begin going to church. I hope we realize that God has been working with us through certain circumstances and events from the time that we were born to get us to the point where he can open our minds and call us to his way of life. And the thing, of course, this really important emphasize here is the church is not simply the name of an organization. The church is a spiritual body. That's one of the foundations of our fundamental beliefs and in our fundamental beliefs booklet. The church is a spiritual body and it is composed of whoever God gives his Holy Spirit to. So it's not confined to a single organizational name.

Let's take a look at a few other scriptures here before we come to the conclusion of the point that Jesus wants us to understand. This is Luke chapter 9 and verse 47. And Jesus perceiving the thought of their heart and he said to them, whoever receives this little child in my name receives me and whoever receives me receives him who sent me for he who is least among you all will be great. And again, I have to emphasize a very important principle. I can't emphasize this enough. The kingdom of God is totally opposite of what we see in our world today. In our world today, greatness is defined by having a lot of money. Greatness is defined by being a celebrity athlete who plays with balls. Greatness is defined by having a title, CEO, President, Chairman. That's what the world does to epitomize what so-called greatness is. In the kingdom of God, it's the direct opposite. Those who will be praised, those who will be considered great are those who serve.

Those who are humble, like the attitude of a little child, wide-eyed, having a thirst for knowledge and understanding. Being obedient simply because they want to obey their father, they want to please their parents. That is what greatness will be like for all eternity, totally unlike the celebrityism and the politics and all the nonsense that we have in our culture today that distorts the definition of what true greatness actually is. Now, let's continue here, verse 49. Now, John answers, said, Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we forbade them because he does not follow with us. There's that exclusivity again.

And Jesus said to him, Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.

Now, that's kind of a pretty profound thought because, again, the disciples wanted to control.

They wanted to decide who God is allowed to work with and who God doesn't work with, and they were taking it upon themselves to make that kind of decision. And what Jesus is saying here is, don't worry about what they're doing. You know what? It's a full-time job for us to be using our resources to fulfill the work that God has given his church. It really is. And to sit around and spend resources and energy just pointing the finger at everyone else and deciding, this person's, or this group's okay, this group's bad, okay, bad, maybe, I don't know, bad, okay. That's just a waste of your resources. Jesus basically was telling them, don't worry about what they're doing. Let me ask you a question. If a neighbor moved in next door to you, would you rather that neighbor be an agnostic person who grew up with no values, no morals, and lives like an animal?

Or would you rather have that neighbor blinded and maybe worshiping on the wrong day, reading their Bible, though they don't understand what it really says, and maybe keeping pagan holy days instead of God's holy days? Which neighbor would you rather live next to? I don't know about you, but I would rather live next to the latter, because that is a person who at least has a sense of morality, at least has a sense of right and wrong. And though they may be blinded and not understand the fullness of God's plan and purpose, as God has blessed us to understand, I necessarily wouldn't be very smart to be judging and pointing a finger at someone who is sincerely trying to do the best that they can. After all, if someone is blinded, why in the world would I spend energies criticizing them? I think I've told you the example in the past of my father-in-law who was blind. He was blind. And sometimes if you left the hammock out or something in the living room, he'd be crossing the room and he'd stumble over the hammock. And he'd fall, he'd stumble. Well, what kind of person would say, well, what's wrong with you?

That would be a pretty insensitive thing to do, wouldn't it? The man was blind. He couldn't help the fact that he stumbled over things that he could not see. And there are many people in this world who were blinded to the truth of God. So again, rather than spending our energies and resources pointing the figure at everyone else on how right or wrong that they are, we need to be spending our limited resources on the calling that we've been given and the mission of preaching the good news to the kingdom of God and not to get involved with pointing the finger and judging everyone else. Here's an interesting example in Numbers 11 and verse 24. God decided, of course, that Moses needed some help. He was overworked. So God is going to give his spirit to 70 men. So let's read this example in Numbers chapter 11 and verse 24. So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he gathered the 70 men around the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. Then the Lord came down in the cloud, spoke with him, and took of the spirit that was on him, that's the spirit that was on Moses, and placed the same spirit upon the 70 elders. And it happened when the spirit rested on them that they prophesied, although they never did so again. But two men had remained in the camp. They hadn't come to the tabernacle like everyone else was told to do. They remained in the camp. The name of the one was El-Dad, and the name of the other was Medad. Picking up now here in verse 26. And the spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but they had not gone to the tabernacle because they remained in the camp. Yet they prophesied in the camp. Verse 27, and a young man ran and told Moses and said, El-Dad and Medad are prophesying in the camp. So Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, Moses, my Lord, forbid them. Very similar to the disciples saying, Jesus, we told these people, because they're not with us. We told these people they shouldn't be doing this. Verse 29, then Moses said to him, are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them. Moses says, my wish is that not just these two people would have had the spirit rested on them, but that God's spirit would be upon his entire congregation of Israel. So here's the conclusion, and I think it's really important for us in God's church to understand this. God has an absolute right to work with anyone or any group that he desires. We know that he's working with us. We see the fruits.

God has opened our hearts and minds, and we see the truth of God's way of life. But realize that God does not need our permission to work with anyone who he wants to, and he's under no obligation to inform us in advance if he chooses to work with another person or another group. It's his choice. That's why he gets to be called God. So understanding that our best course of action is to do our job and fulfill our calling. And I keep God's law, and I respect God's holy days, and his Sabbath, and I do the things that I do because I know it to be right and true. God has opened my mind to understand those things, and that's wonderful. But let's leave the other sheep in his hands for God's care and ultimately for God's judgment. And let's not spend a lot of resources, a lot of judgmentalism. Let's not come across as self-righteous or judgmental, condemning other people or judging them simply because they are not with us or they are not part of the United Church of God. Okay, let's get into this chapter in the Book of Corinthians. First Corinthians was part of Paul's third missionary tour, 55 AD. He wrote it from the city of Ephesus.

The theme of the entire book of Corinthians is Right Christian Social and Spiritual Conduct.

It's a casual book that covers a wide variety of topics, including schisms and finances, church conduct, resurrection, sex, marriage, legal matters, immorality, relations to idols, and that's what we'll be talking about today, church worship, and the Passover. His tone is very conversational and very informal in tone. So let's dig into it. This is chapter 8. We'll read verses 1 through 3. This is now concerning. He's totally flip-topped. He concluded one in which he was discussing marriage. Now he's totally flipped the theme and he's talking about a whole new topic beginning here in chapter 8 and verse 1. Now concerning things offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. We have truth. We have understanding. But Paul gives a warning here, and this actually kind of ties in to what the Bible study question was. Here's what Paul says, knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. Love builds other people. Edify coming from the word edifice.

Love builds. And if anyone thinks he knows anything, he knows nothing. Yet, as he ought to know. So Paul is saying, if you think you're so smart, if you think you've got everything figured out, and you know me and you know the truth and you know the doctrines of the church, he says you need to ask yourself again just how smart am I really? And then he says here in verse 3, but if anyone loves God, this one is known by him. And here's what Paul's saying. The self-righteous know about God. They spend day and night learning new truth, additional truth, extra truth. But that's not the question. We far too often forget that knowing something never ever makes us righteous. The only thing that makes us righteous is by the grace of God, him giving his spirit in us, and the righteousness of Jesus Christ living his life through us. Knowledge itself doesn't make us righteous. Knowledge doesn't make us superior to the person sitting next to us, or the people walking in the street outside. The real question isn't how much we know the real question Paul is saying is, does God acknowledge you? Now, we strive for truth. We spend a lot of resources to have booklets and doctrines and lots of things in order to understand God's way of life. We put a lot of value on doctrines. But what Paul is saying here is that knowledge of itself, for the sake of knowledge and for the sake of thinking that somehow it makes us better than someone else, is very destructive. The real question is, does God acknowledge you? You may remember in Matthew 7, verse 22, Jesus said that when he came back, people will come to him and say, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name. Lord, we cast out demons in your name. Lord, we did mighty works in your name. And Jesus says, I never knew you.

Depart from me. So the question isn't how smart we are, how much truth we have.

The question is, does God have a relationship with us? Does he acknowledge us? Does he know us?

Does he call us my child, my son, my daughter? Let's take a look at this from another translation.

This is God's word for today. Now, concerning food offered to false gods, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes people arrogant, Paul says, in human nature. That's exactly what knowledge does. Sadly, that's the dark side of human nature, but that's exactly what it does. If you don't believe me, just get involved in the intellectual communities of a typical college, and the academia, the attitude and academia of a typical college in this country, and the smugness and the arrogance of the educated elite who are walking around with their PhDs and their dissertations and their thesis and writing for journals. So if you think I'm kidding, if you think Paul doesn't know what he's talking about with this rather strong statement, just get a taste of what it's like in academia in our world today. He says, but love builds up. Love doesn't tear other people down. Love isn't condescending like arrogance is, so it doesn't tear down. Love does the opposite.

It builds up. Those who think they know something still have a lot to learn. That's called having an attitude of humility. I want to read that again. Those who think they know something still have a lot to learn, but if they love God, they are known by God. That's what really matters. Again, not how much we know or how smart we may think we are. Does God really know us? Does he look down and say, that's my child? I have a special relationship with that person right there.

Part of me is in that person through my Holy Spirit. I love that child. I'm proud of that child.

That's the really important question. Rurie's Bible notes, commenting on verse 1, things sacrificed to idols, the remainders of animals that had been sacrificed to heathen idols. So this is what Paul's talking about. If the offering was private, the remainders were claimed to buy the offeror. But here's what Paul's talking about the latter. If public, they were sold in the market. The question discussed here concerned what a Christian should do about buying such meat, eating it when served to him at a banquet, and whether to eat it in the temple of an idol. So this is really the discussion of what Paul's talking about in this chapter. The issue, just so we understand, it's not unclean meats, but meat offered to a pagan. Paul assumed they'd be buying beef. So it's not a question of whether it's okay to eat pork that was offered to an idol. Paul understands God's health laws. So the question is whether there is somehow a sin or a violation if you are to eat meat that had previously been offered to an idol, or if you should be so bold at a banquet that you literally walked into that building where the idol was, and you sat down and ate the meat that had been offered to that idol. This is the question.

From the Cambridge Study Bible, meat purchased in the Greco-Roman cities was nearly always linked in some way to pagan religious practices such as having been offered to an idol. Some members of the new community, he's talking about Christianity, prided themselves in knowing that the gods thus honored did not exist. So some members in Corinth said, it's artificial, it doesn't mean anything.

This god does not exist. This god has no power over me. It's not real. Therefore, I don't have a problem eating meat that was offered to idols. I don't have a problem going to a banquet and eating meat that in that banquet was offered to that idol sitting up there. Continuing, while others could not ignore the connection of most meat with idol worship. So others were saying, that's creepy. I don't like that. It's pagan. I don't want to have anything to do with paganism.

So therefore, I refuse to eat that meat. All right, let's continue here. Paul rebukes those who take such pride in their superior knowledge, in other words, those who didn't have a problem with it, and affirms the uniqueness of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. But he warns those who agree and thus consider themselves to be at liberty, not to be insensitive toward those weak believers who cannot free themselves from the association of such food with idols and may fall back into idolatry. Paul's position on this is Paul, as we'll see, says these idols are nothing.

He personally would have no problem going into that banquet, sitting down and eating meat offered to an idol. But Paul says that when you have that understanding, that liberty, you should not be lording it over. You should not be bullying. You should not, through peer pressure, trying to get brethren who are uncomfortable with that to violate their conscience and do that simply because you have that knowledge and it's not a problem to you, simply because you understand that it's allowable and it's not a problem.

Verse 7, however, there is not in everyone that knowledge for some with consciousness of the idol, in other words, they're looking at it, they're bothered by the fact that there's an idol there, the consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. They feel guilty if they were to do that. He says in verse 8, but food does not commend us to God, but neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

So he says it's really not about food and we shouldn't make it a doctrinal issue about food. It's about your conscience and how you feel about this. Verse 9, but beware lest somehow this liberty of yours, that liberty and understanding and knowledge you have, that it's not a problem to you, this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

So Paul first corrects those who have no issue with eating meat offered to idols, but some are very insensitive. They're so bold about it that they're offensive and insensitive to those who are struggling with this issue. Verse 7, but not all people know this. Some people are still so used to idols and the fact that an idol is a pagan and it bothers them that when they eat meat, they still think of it as being sacrificed to an idol because their conscience is weak.

When they eat it, they feel guilty. I'm reading the same verses from the New Century version. Verse 8, but food will not bring us closer to God. Refusing to eat does not make us less pleasing to God, and eating does not make us better in God's sight. But be careful that your freedom, and the knowledge of the fact that it doesn't bother you and you don't see a problem with it, that you realize the idol is nothing, as we say in our modern term today, a nothing-burger.

Don't allow that knowledge to make you arrogant. Don't allow that freedom to have you try to force, through peer pressure or bullying or humiliation, people who wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. But be careful that your freedom does not cause those who are weakened of faith to fall into sin. Getting back now to the next verses from the New King James Version. Therefore, concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one, for even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there's one God the Father, for whom we are all things, and we for him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

So Paul is saying that the idol is nothing. It's empty. It has no power over you. It has no spiritual influence over you.

It's a bunch of silly people worshiping a piece of wood that they carved into an image of a dog or the head of a cow or whatever people do, or it's a stone that's been carved to look like something that people worship. It has no power. It's a nothing. This actually ties in very well with the scripture in Jeremiah chapter 10 to remind us, sometimes people refer to this as the Christmas tree. This wasn't actually a Christmas tree, but it has the same principles on why we don't do these kinds of things. And the latter part of it, it ties in real well with what Paul just said.

It says, for the customs of the people are futile. For one cuts a tree down from the forest, the work of the hands of the workmen with the axe. They decorate it with silver and gold. They fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. They are upright like a palm tree, and they cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot go by themselves. So it's saying we don't want to do this. This is something the pagans do. But let's understand this in context. This is a nothing burger. This thing can't even walk. It has to be carried. This is not only not a god. It's incapable of walking by itself. It's incapable of talking by itself. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil. Neither can they do any good inasmuch as there is none like you. Oh, Lord, you are great, and your name is great in might. So the balance is, of course, understanding that we don't want to participate in anything. And it's religious practice that is pagan. But the balance is understanding is that this idol, this false god, is a nothing. It has no power over us. It's an artificial construct made by people who are trying to worship something that really doesn't exist.

Not to imply to it magical powers or demons or things that, frankly, aren't there because it is a nothing, as Paul would say. Getting back to 1 Corinthians 8, verse 10. For if anyone sees you have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscious of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died? So he's saying if you set this example and you go to this banquet and other people feel inferior and you've been haranguing them, you've been putting peer pressure on them, perhaps you've been bullying them, oh, it's okay, it's all right, you just need to do this.

And against their own conscious sake, they go and do it. He says we're not setting a very good example because, in essence, we're causing our weak brother to sin because they're violating their conscience. Verse 11, and because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. So by using this peer pressure, by using these bullying techniques, trying to shame someone into doing something they're not comfortable with, he says you are wounding them and therefore, since they are a child of God, you are offending Jesus Christ himself against Christ. Verse 13, therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, the Greek word meaning makes my brother fall, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat lest I make my brother stumble. So he's saying if I know by my example of going into a banquet hall where there's a pagan god and eating food there that was offered to that idol, and I know that it's causing issues for my brother, for someone who doesn't quite have the liberty and the understanding that I have, it's violating their conscience, he says if I know that, I'm aware of it. He says I will never eat meat again. I will never in that situation put that person into a feeling of violating their conscience. Here's a couple of other scriptures that ties in with this.

Romans chapter 14 and verse 23, Paul wrote, but he who doubts is condemned if he eats because he does not eat from faith or whatever, is not from faith, is sin. So I've said many times we should not violate our conscience, and we should give people space where if they're not comfortable doing something, you have to give them space so that allow God to work with them to come to the point of changing a belief or a doctrine that they have. Force doesn't work. Fear doesn't work. Intimidation and bullying doesn't work. What works is allowing God's Spirit to help them to get to the point where they understand something more fully than they have before. Paul would say that person is weak in the faith, meaning they have a greater understanding they need to come to, but they shouldn't be forced to that understanding. They should not be humiliated to come to that understanding.

Romans 14, 23 from the New Century Version, but those who eat something without being sure it is right are wrong because they did not believe it was right. Anything that is done without believing it is right. It's a sin. This is the point that Paul is bringing across here. I'm going to read verses 10 through 13 from the New Century Version. He says, you have knowledge so you eat in an idol's temple, but someone who is weak in faith might see you eating there and be encouraged to eat meat sacrificed idols while thinking it is wrong to do so. Well, I should just fit in. Maybe I should do it because everyone else is doing it. Paul's saying that's not right. That's not why we should do anything, frankly. Verse 11, this weak believer for whom Christ died is ruined because of your knowledge, because of your sense of superiority that you had to inform them, you had to tell them what they should be doing. Verse 12, when you sin against your brothers and sisters in Christ like this and cause them to do what they feel is wrong, you are also sinning against Christ. So, if the food I eat causes them to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again so that I will not cause any of them to sin. So, by my example, I won't make them feel obligated or intimidated to do something that they're not comfortable with. Here's what the Rheary Bible note says in verse 13.

Here is the great principle that regulates conduct and morally in different matters.

It is the principle of love voluntarily regulating liberty. Let me put this another way. Love trumps knowledge. Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians? We're not there yet, but prophecies will fail, right? Knowledge comes to a point where it doesn't have any meaning anymore.

Sometimes a lot of people who believe they're knowledgeable are actually very wrong. But what goes on forever? Love. Love is what goes on forever. So, Paul was saying it's more important to love your brother and sister in Christ and set a right example and to build them, then be patient with them, to care for them, and to help them. That's far more important than you exercising your rights because you're so knowledgeable, because you're a mile ahead of them, because you think you're so much smarter than they are. Galatians 5 and verse 13 from the New Revised Standard Version, For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.

For the whole law is summed up with a simple commandment. Does that commandment say, you shall be smarter than the person sitting next to you? You shall be the smartest man in the room.

You shall have all knowledge. Now, that's not what it says. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And that means the way that we conduct ourselves and by our examples, that we're thinking out for the needs of another person and not just what our rights are, or not just because we can do something, but we're allowed to do something. So here are some modern lessons from this principle. Let me ask this question. What's our reaction to so-called pictures of Jesus? You know those pictures that exist where Jesus Christ looks like this Italian fella, the Roman nose, long flowing hair. I've been with church members who were like, it's a nothing. Don't overreact to it. It's a poor artist rendition of an Italian hippie and has nothing to do with what Jesus Christ actually looked like. But don't overreact because it's a nothing. How about entering a church? I've known church brethren who would never enter a Protestant church even to go to like a potluck or something. Oh, there are crosses in there.

It's a nothing. That shouldn't inhibit you from spending time and fellowshiping with people. This building here at one time was a Protestant church.

How about symbols like the cross? Now, obviously, we don't have any crosses, and we don't recognize the so-called Roman cross as a legitimate symbol of Christianity because really no one knows what the original cross looked like. It most likely was probably like the capital letter T and not the Roman cross. But the point is the Bible doesn't say to idolize the cross, the kiss, the cross.

We are supposed to idolize God and not objects and not symbols. But again, in balance, if you go and you see a cross hanging on the wall, do you freak out? I've known people that would just absolutely go nuts if they walked into a room and there's a cross hanging on the wall.

That symbol of the cross to us is nothing. It's sincere people's attempt to associate the true God with, unfortunately, what is a pagan symbol. But having that knowledge and understanding, we shouldn't become arrogant and overreact and make more out of it than it really is because it's really nothing. Let me ask some more questions. How do we react to others who have different views on some doctrines within our own congregation, within our own faith? Like, what's proper to do on the Sabbath? We have people that have differences on what's okay to do in the Sabbath day and what isn't? We have people who have calendar differences in we do. Some people want to honor each Hebrew new moon and want to have a little personal service at home and want to honor the new moon festival. Some people, because they begin counting the Hebrew calendar at a different time than we do, might end up with some holy days that are a few days different than we are.

Do we overreact? Do we become critical, judgmental? Do we think, well, somehow I have to inform this person just how wrong they are. Some people feel a need to say special names for God, either in Greek or Hebrew or whatever, and they feel a need to do that. To how are we handling those situations? We have some people who will vaccinate their children. Other members will say, I'm not putting monkey pus in my children. No way, I'm not going to vaccinate my children.

Some people in a congregation vote in political elections and some don't vote.

How are we reacting to those things? Are we trying to flex our knowledge and make sure we fix and correct everybody who's different than we are? Or are we trying to edify them in love and allow God to work with them and allow our example to speak volumes rather than our mouth speaking too many words? How about movie watching? You know, that again, that's an area like some people, there's types of music they can't stand and they want to equate it as righteous music or unrighteous music. Some people watch movies. Other people, well, PG means pure garbage. There's no way I'll watch a PG-rated movie. I'm going to tell you something. In this very congregation today, just from conversations I've had among a number of you in this very congregation today, there'd be some of you who'd have no problem walking with Paul into an idol's temple and sitting down and enjoying a banquet of meat that had been served to that God. And I know very well that there are others of you in this congregation from past discussions who would not do that, because it would violate your conscience. And you know what? That's okay. The point here is that if we are to be the family of God, we've got to give people space to grow.

And we've got to be very careful not to force, intimidate, bully, or push what we think is right and the knowledge that we have on someone else who's doing it a little differently.

There are laws that are black and white and very clear in God's word, and those things we are very determined and dogmatic on. But there are a lot of things, like the issue that Paul is discussing here, in which there is plenty of room for different perspectives and opinions, because the Bible doesn't speak loudly, clearly, and dogmatically on those issues.

From the Believer Study Bible, often the believer is faced with a choice about which nothing has been explicitly stated in the Bible. And I know, yes, I don't know, for the self-righteous, everything is explicitly stated in the Bible, because their whole existence is based on two zones, good, bad, right, wrong. And that is a spiritual disease, if you think that way. It really is.

So, continuing here, often the believer is faced with a choice about which nothing has been explicitly stated in the Bible. The question facing the Corinthian Christians had to do with the availability of meat, which had been sacrificed to idols. Should a Christian eat such meat?

Paul views idols as nothing, nevertheless, the Christian has other considerations.

Those other considerations? Or some may say, look, it's a pagan god, I don't want to have anything to do with paganism, I am not going to eat that piece of meat, I don't care how cheap it is.

The Believer Study Bible in this verse, Paul provides a general guideline for a Christian's ethical decision-making and supplements this with two additional tests in chapter 10, which were not there yet. But here's the guidelines that Paul gives. Number one, will the given action cause a brother to stumble? And if our example of doing something is going to cause a brother to stumble, then we should not do it. Certainly not in their presence. Certainly not mention it to them that we're going to do this, we know something like that would bother them. That's the first one.

Number two, will the action be edifying to the disciple himself? If it has anything to do with tearing down, belittling, demeaning, or implying that someone else is inferior, we shouldn't do it.

Number three, will such action glorify God? These simple tests provide a foundation for decision-making, which, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, will faithfully direct the earnest Christian.

Okay, brethren, that's it for the Bible study today. I know that was kind of some strong meat there, and we don't often cover that, but I think it's very important for God's church and God's people to have the right balance in judging and be careful that we don't appoint ourselves as judge and condemner of everything and everybody who does something differently than we do. Let's leave that in God's hands. Let's do what God has called us to do. Let's be excited about God's way of life. Let's use His Holy Spirit to transform who and what we are so that we can become those new creatures that Paul talks about, and let's not spend excessive resources or time just simply pointing the finger and condemning everyone or anyone who isn't like we are. Have a wonderful Sabbath. We'll now ask Mr. Blakey to come on up and lead us into closing him.