Edifying Our Brothers
Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 8:8-13 (NASB)
8 But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? 11 For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. 12 And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.
SUMMARY
In this passage, Paul warns believers about sinning against the brethren by "wounding their conscience when it is weak" (v. 12). He uses the example of food offered to idols. In 1 Corinthians 8:1-7, Paul explains that it is not a sin to eat food sacrificed to idols when one knows that idols are non-existent and that there is only one God. So, the believers are free to eat all foods because they know they are from and for and made through God (v. 6). However, in verses 8-13, Paul says that it is sin if a fellow believer with a weak conscience sees you eating the food sacrificed to idols and interprets that as being okay to participate in the ritual of eating food dedicated to idols (v. 10). Paul encourages the believers to not allow the knowledge and liberty of theirs to become a stumbling block to the weak (v. 9, 11). Knowledge makes one arrogant but love that edifies (v. 1) bears with the weak.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
The verse that stuck out to me was verse 9, "But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak." I have a lot of freedom as a Christian. I am free from the judgments of man, free to speak the knowledge of truth, free to express myself to the Lord in worship, free to gather with other believers all day any day, etc. However, if I lived out my freedom to the fullest, without minding others at all, this could become unedifying to the brethren and self-centered.
I was thinking of one example: telling my fellow brother with a weak conscience about my disappointments with others. Though I may not intentionally be speaking with the purpose of slandering the other person, if the brother I am telling my disappointments to is influenced to despise the person I am talking about rather than give me sound counsel to love my neighbor, I am engaging this person in and may be encouraging this person to gossip. I actually had to repent of this recently and I realized that God wants me to be very careful with what I say, as well as why, how, when, where, and to whom I say it.
APPLICATION
I am reminded of Paul's writing from Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves." It takes humility to value my brother or neighbor as more significant than myself. In other words, it takes humility for me to lay down my pride, knowledge, and liberties for the good of my brother or neighbor. The phrase in verse 11, "the brother for whose sake Christ died," reminds me that I am not special, that Christ died for my brother, as well — whether he/she is weak or strong, poor or rich, etc.
Today, I want to lay down my pride. I will be patient with those around me, meeting them at eye's level and loving them right where they are. I will listen to those God puts in my life without judging them. I will serve my family with a glad heart. I will be careful with what I say about others to others so as to not break down and divide but to build up and edify.
PRAYER
Father God, thank You for showing me my pride and sin. I thank You for this opportunity to repent and to turn to You that You may bear everlasting fruit in my heart and life. Teach me Your heart and ways of humility. Help me to value others more than myself and help to build others up, especially my brothers and sisters in the faith. Thank You, Jesus.
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