Year of the Bible: Part Ten of TwelveSýnishorn

Love Others More than Your Freedom

The Corinthian church struggled to be in the world but not of the world. Even the religion of their culture was sensual and given to self-indulgence. Paul confronted the Corinthian church about behaviors even non-believers would have gasped at.

One thing Paul addressed was the issue of food that had been offered to idols. Any food purchased in the public markets had likely been offered to false gods. Paul explained that a Christian is free because of what Jesus did on the Cross. So, in the case of food offered to idols, a Christian could eat with good conscience, knowing that we are given freedom in Christ. However, if the server told the believer that the meat had been offered to idols, the believer should refrain. Why would we allow our freedom to be restricted by someone else?

The answer lies in the command to love. Paul also reminded the Corinthians that we must do everything out of the love that flows from our hearts: we love because God first loved us. Does it show love to defiantly do what causes someone to question God’s goodness? Is it loving to eat what we want even though it might cause someone to reject Jesus? Of course, we would answer “no!” to these questions, yet we often demand to act in personal freedom without using wisdom to discern who is watching.

Paul affirmed the freedom believers have. We may eat whatever we wish and not call unclean what God has called clean. Yet, at the same time, we are admonished to take the circumstances and convictions of others into account and defer to others who have a different view. The self-discipline of abstaining to encourage the faith of another is honoring to God.

Question: Are there things that you enjoy eating, drinking, and participating in that may cause another to stumble?

Prayer: Ask God to give you the love and humility to honor others above yourself, even if it interferes with your freedom.

Go Deeper: Pay attention today and see if the Holy Spirit will ask you to lay down your freedom to set a godly example for someone else. Don’t get religious; just listen to see if He will direct you to defer to someone else.