Here Paul is talking to the people in Corinth about a situation that believers may be caught in the middle of in their day. As followers of Christ they knew that there is only one God, which is the father, and only one Lord, which is Jesus Christ. So they knew that it meant nothing to partake or not partake of any food sacrificed to idols because the idols were fake. Just because the followers of Christ knew this Paul taught them to be careful around these things because it could tear some away from hearing the gospel. The same is true for us today. For example if you are at a gathering and there is alcohol at the gathering you know that as long as you don’t get intoxicated it is not a sin for you to have a drink. Where it becomes a sin is if people around you know that you are a Christian and form an opinion about you in their mind because they see you drinking and it makes it to where they would never allow a conversation to happen with you about the gospel. That is where drinking just became a sin. It also becomes a sin if you are prominent in a church or a leader in the church and you turn people away from coming to church because you had a drink. This subject is something I would never bring up in church because it is so controversial but I have this conversation a lot when it comes to talking to linemen. We should always be more worried about protecting the image of Christ around other people. It could make or break any opportunity for them to follow Christ. Satan is always looking for ways to disqualify us from talking to someone about Jesus and for Lineman I have seen where this subject tears down a lot of those opportunities. Does having a drink mean you’re going to hell? No it does not. Can having a drink in a crowd of people turn someone away from church or having a conversation about Jesus with you? Absolutely. The point is to always look at your environment and never do anything that would hinder anyone from hearing the gospel message. As a Christian it should always be our primary goal and focus to lead people to Jesus. If anything gets in the way of that we should be willing to adapt to any environment we step into. Love y’all!Have a great day!
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
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“Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it. But if anyone loves God, he is known by him. About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,” and that “there is no 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 is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him. However, not everyone has this knowledge. Some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not bring us close to God. We are not worse off if we don’t eat, and we are not better if we do eat. But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged to eat food offered to idols? So the weak person, the brother or sister for whom Christ died, is ruined , by your knowledge. Now when you sin like this against brothers and sisters and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother or sister to fall, I will never again eat meat, so that I won’t cause my brother or sister to fall.”
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