JULY 12, 2020
TOUCHING THINGS OFFERED TO IDOLS
INTRODUCTION:
1. The Corinthians had written the Apostle seeking advice on several subjects. In the previous chapter he gave answer to a number of questions concerning marriage.
2. In this chapter he takes up the second subject about which they had questions, namely, the lawfulness of eating of the sacrifices offered to idols.
3. In light of the decree which came out of the Jerusalem council, of which the Holy Ghost is said to be its author, why did not Paul simply refer to it? (See Acts. 15:29) He instead seems to go against it. (See Ch. 10:25-27) These facts do not prove any discrepancy between Paul and the council of which he was a part, nor that the decree was not obligatory on the church. They only go to explain its true intent and meaning. First, there was no permanent moral ground for the prohibition. Second, the ground of the prohibition being expediency was of necessity temporary and limited. It had reference to Christians in the midst of those to whom eating such meat was an abomination. It therefore ceased to be binding whenever and wherever the grounds of the prohibition did not exist.
4. His answer will provide a good example respecting one of the limitations upon Christian liberty that the Apostle gave in Chapter 6:12. “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient.” Our liberty ends where offence to our brother begins.
I. KNOWLEDGE ALONE IS NOT SUFFICIENT, BUT MUST BE TEMPERED AND MOVED BY LOVE FOR THE BRETHREN, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO RIGHT KNOWING. (VERSES 1-3) “The letter killeth, the spirit giveth life.” (II Cor. 3:6)
A. THIS INVOLVED SOMETHING OF FREQUENT OCCURRENCE IN THAT AGE WHEN THE CHURCHES WERE AMONG THE HEATHEN. (VERSE 1a) “Now as touching things offered unto idols.”
1. It was a custom among the heathen to make feasts on their sacrifices. They would eat themselves, and also invite their neighbors. They would take what was not eaten to their homes to partake of later. They would give portions to friends, or perhaps invite them to eat at their table. (See Ch. 10:25-27) Often the portion that was given to the priest would be sold in the marketplace.
2. So, it was a common occurrence to have occasion to either eat or decline to eat. The decision was not to be made solely on their knowledge that an idol is nothing at all. Other deciding factors must include their own conscience, and the conscience of others.
B. CHARITY MUST BE THEIR PREFERENCE OVER CONCEITED KNOWLEDGE. (VERSE 1b) “We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up but charity edifieth.”
1. Christians must take the course that is fitted to do the greatest good.
2. Knowledge itself, being untempered, can puff up and swell the head, and actually become a source of harm. (Rom. 12:16)
3. But, true love and tender regard for our brethren, will cause us to consult their interest, and act so as to build them up in the faith.
C. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF IGNORANCE MORE COMMON THAN THE CONCEIT OF KNOWLEDGE. (VERSE 2)
1. He that knows most will best understand his own ignorance and imperfection of knowledge.
2. He that imagines himself to be a knowing man, and becomes thereby conceited, has reason to suspect that he knows nothing aright, nothing as he ought to know it.
3. It is one thing to know truth, and another to know it as we ought, so as to improve us and to edify others.
D. HE THAT LOVES GOD, AND IS THEREBY MADE TO LOVE HIS NEIGHBOR, THE SAME IS KNOWN OF GOD. (VERSE 3)
1. Those who love God will be taught of God, so that they know as they ought.
2. The charitable person will be known of God. (I John 4:7, 8)
3. Those who love God, and for His sake love their brethren and seek their good, are themselves beloved of God.
II. ONE DETERMINING FACTOR CONCERNING THE QUESTION AT HAND IS THAT CHRISTIANS KNOW THAT THERE IS ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR, AND IDOLS ARE ALL NOTHINGS. (VERSES 4-6) Looking at the matter totally subjectively, Christians who had this knowledge needed have no qualms about eating meat offered to idols. However, if eating offended others, that also had to be a major consideration.
A. TO DETERMINE IF IT WAS PROPER TO EAT OF THESE SACRIFICES, IT MUST BE DETERMINED WHAT AN IDOL IS. (VERSE 4)
1. Heathen idols are nonentities, they have no existence. They are only images. Scripture calls them vanities, lies, and lying vanities. This is why it was so foolish for men to worship them. (Isa. 44:9, 10, 20)
2. From this it follows that eating or not eating is a matter of indifference. The eating could have no effect on one’s religious state; it could make him neither better nor worse.
B. THERE IS BUT ONE TRUE GOD, NOTWITHSTANDING THE MANY MYTHICAL HEATHEN DEITIES OR THE MANY POWERFUL BEINGS THROUGHOUT THE UNIVERSE. (VERSES 4b, 5; DEUT. 10:17; JOSH. 22:22; DAN. 2:47)
1. The Apostle concedes that in the wide sense of the term, there are many gods and lords, but he does not admit that the whole hierarchy of deities, as conceived in the minds of the heathen, actually existed, except in their imaginations.
2. There are two things that the Apostle here means to deny.
a) First, he denies the very existence of such beings as the heathen conceived their gods to be.
b) Second, he denies that the supernatural beings which do actually exist, and which even Scripture refers to as gods and lords, are really divine. They are all mere creatures.
C. THOUGH THERE ARE MANY CREATURES CALLED GODS, THERE IS BUT ONE TRUE GOD, THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS. (VERSE 6)
1. There is but one Being Who is eternal, self-existent, and almighty.
2. This one God is The Father; not in opposition to the other persons of the Trinity, but as the Author and Originator of all things. He is “The Father of whom are all things.” He is our Father.
3. As there is but one God and Father and Creator of all things, so there is but one Lord, Who is the administrator of the universe, into Whose hands all power in heaven and earth belong.
4. This one Lord is Jesus Christ. All things are by Him. (Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2, 3)
5. We as Christians are by Him. Though we are included in the “all things” as creatures; as Christians we have been redeemed by Him, and brought to God as new creatures by Him.
III. A MAJOR DETERMINING FACTOR CONCERNING THE QUESTION AT HAND IS THAT NOT ALL WITHIN THE CHURCH HAD THE UNDERSTANDING THAT IDOLS WERE ALL NOTHINGS. (VERSES 7-13)
A. EVERY CHRISTIAN WAS NOT AS YET SO FULLY CONVINCED THAT AN IDOL WAS NOTHING. (VERSE 7)
1. Such Christians, though they were weaker believers, still knew that there was but one true God. However, they were not fully persuaded that the gods of the heathen had no existence. Their weak consciences were still under the influence of an idol. “With conscience of an idol.” In I Pet. 2:19, “conscience of God” means a conscience under the influence of God.
2. Having this apprehension of the idol these were still eating the sacrifice as a sacrifice. They did not regard it as ordinary meat, but as having a religious character.
3. Therefore, Paul says, “Their conscience being weak was defiled.” A weak conscience, in this case, is one that is not clear and decided in its judgments.
a) In Scripture, “whatever is not of faith is sin.” (Rom. 14:23) Therefore, whatever one does, thinking it wrong, or doubtful, whether it be or not, to him it is sin.
b) The man who ate an idol sacrifice with such uncertainty defiled his conscience, whether right or wrong, because it was burdened with a sense of guilty, he was guilty.
B. NONE ARE MADE BETTER OR WORSE SPIRITUALLY BY THEIR EATING OR NOT EATING. (VERSE 8)
1. It appears that some of them may have made a merit of their eating, because it plainly testified that they regarded the idol as nothing. (Verse 10)
2. But, in fact, eating and drinking are in themselves actions indifferent.
3. It is a serious mistake to think that what we eat or do not eat has any particular virtue in it to recommend us to God.
C. ALL MUST BE CAUTIONED ABOUT ABUSING THEIR LIBERTY, LEST WE OFFEND THE WEAKER BRETHREN. (VERSES 9, 10)
1. It is always better to deny ourselves what we believe to be our right, than to have our liberty be the occasion of causing a brother to stumble. (Verse 9) This is a Christian principle which may be applied in a great variety of situations and circumstance. (Ch. 6:7; Rom.14:1-7; Phil 2:3, 4)
2. If those Christians who had knowledge (that an idol was nothing) were to sit at meat in an idol temple, their actions could influence a weaker brother who had not such knowledge (who thought an idol to be something) to eat of the idol’s sacrifice, and thereby by guilty of idolatry. (Verse 10)
D. THE WORST CASUALTY THAT MIGHT RESULT FROM THE ABUSE OF LIBERTY WOULD BE THE APOSTASY OF A PROFESSED BELIEVER. (VERSE 11, 12)
1. For sake of one’s liberty, would he be willing to see a brother perish. (Verse 11)
a) How totally contrary to the Spirit of Christ, to whom the redeemed are most precious.
b) None of the redeemed of the Lord shall ever perish, but it is possible for some who profess to be His to turn away. What Christian would want to be the cause of such a calamity? Let us rather nourish what we may see as weak faith.
2. To sin so against the brethren is to sin against Christ Himself. (Verse 12; Matt. 25:40)
E. THE APOSTLE ENFORCES ALL HE HAS SAID WITH HIS OWN EXAMPLE. (VERSE 13)
1. To offend one of Christ’s redeemed ones is a very serious sin. The word may mean to cause to stumble. (Matt. 18:6, 7)
2. Rather than to be guilty of such a crime, the Apostle was willing to deny himself that which was his right to enjoy.
a) Meat and flesh may refer particularly to that which had been offered to idols, which could be purchased in the marketplace.
b) However, he may be referring to meat and flesh altogether, in which case, he was willing to deny himself the enjoyment and nourishment of all meat, if need be.
3. How is it with us? Do we so love the brethren, that we esteem them better than ourselves? Does their wellbeing come before our rights as Christians?
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