MY BROTHERS KEEPERS
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Growing up in the south, we lived by the rule that we were our brothers
Keepers. In the community I grew up in, every parent looked after the children
Of the neighbors. The parents were free to discipline another parent’s child
And give council. If I did something wrong, neighbors would contact my
Parents. I was disciplined based on what other parents said. It was the norm
Throughout the community.
Discipline was not questioned in the home or school. There was no
“time out”. You were disciplined immediately with a belt or paddle.
Parents had total control over their children.
Today, looking or speaking to another person can cause enough anger
To get you killed. We have to be careful how we treat our own children
With the fear of a neighbor calling the police.
So how can we be our brother’s keepers? As Christians, we must follow the
Word of God and trust Him to handle the consequences of our concern
For our neighbors.
This text points to Christians being role models for others to follow.
The love of our neighbors should cause us to act in their better interest.
ACTIONS CONTROLLED BY KNOWLEDGE
V:1. Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God.
- Paul points to the issue of eating foods sacrificed to idols.
- Corinth was a city dominated by idol worship.
- Eating foods offered to idols was the norm.
- The young church faced a dilemma.
- According to the Voice printed by The Dallas Theological Seminary,
What was the social context of this passage, and what was Paul actually forbidding? This is a complicated matter because there seem to have been four contexts in which idol food could be encountered (although the first three could constitute a single setting): (a) pagan temples (8:1–13), (b) table of pagan gods (10:14–22), (c) a meal at the invitation of a pagan (10:27–11:1), and (d) the market (10:25).
- The Christian church has rules concerning idols
Leviticus 17:7
They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.\’
- The real issue is sacrificing foods to be offered to idol gods.
- This was continuing the practice of idol worship.
- All foods were created by God for our benefit.
- Eating food that had been offered to an idol is not a sin as long as we are not participating In idol worship.
- When you buy food in a market, you don’t know if has been offered to
An idol by the person who prepared it.
- Having this knowledge, I could say I can eat what want
No matter who prepared it since I am not an idol worshipper.
- I am right in the statement as it pertains to me.
- However, there is another immature neighbor I am
Responsible too.
- No matter what I do, there is someone looking on that may
Be adversely affected.
- I cannot get too puffed up about the knowledge I know is right,
Because there may be someone looking on who doesn’t
Have that knowledge.
- The love of my neighbor forces me to consider how my actions
Might affect another person.
- As an example; having sex with my wife in the privacy of my
Home is commanded by God.
- Having sex with my wife in public is not acceptable and not
Commanded by God.
KNOWLEDGE IS BLESSED
V:4. So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many \”gods\” and many \”lords\”), 6 yet for us, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
- I can eat food sacrificed to idols in good conscience.
- An idol is nothing but something created in the mind of man
And set before himself as a god.
- Consider this, a person takes something created by the Almighty God
Shapes it into a dumb idol and then considers it more power than the creator.
- How can I take a tree created by God and consider it more powerful
Then the living God?
- In the world, there are many religions that worship objects made with
Human hands.
- None of these objects ever created anything.
- The power of these idols exists only in the imagination of
Man under the evil influence of Satan.
Elijah put the power of Baal, the idol god of Ahab and Jezebel to test.
He assembled all the priests of Baal.
1 Kings 18:27-29
At noon Elijah began to taunt them. \”Shout louder!\” he said. \”Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.\” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
- As Christians, we know the power of the one and only living
God.
- We have access to the living God through our Faith in our Lord
And savior Jesus Christ.
John 1:3-5
Through him all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
- Those who believe in idol gods live in darkness.
KNOW THE WORD FOR YOURSELF
V:7. But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
- Know the word for yourself.
- Not everybody who talks about God knows the Word of God.
- If you don’t study the word for yourself, you can listen to the
opinions of others and be misled.
- It is easy to take the word out of it’s context and miss apply it
To your circumstance.
- The word was not to sacrifice to idols, not the food itself.
- The immature Christian may not be able to distinguish between
Eating food sacrificed to idols and worshipping idols.
- They may see eating food that was sacrificed to an idol as a sin.
- Everyone sees and understands scripture at their level.
- Just because you know that eating food sacrificed to an idol
Is not a sin, does not mean others see it that way.
- Another common misinterpretation of scripture is the drinking
Of wine.
- The scripture is this
Ephesians 5:18
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
- It did not say don’t drink wine, nor drinking wine is a sin.
- If that was so, then Jesus was violating His law when
He served wine in the first communion of the church.
- The emphasis is on “not getting drunk with wine”, not
The wine itself.
- The immature Christian may see sin in every grocery store.
BROTHERS KEEPER
V:9. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol\’s temple, won\’t he be emboldened to
eat what has been sacrificed to idols?
- We are free to do everything that the Word allows.
- However, we must consider the needs of our neighbors.
- To know the level of knowledge of other Christians is to
Know them.
- It is in Bible Study groups that we come to know how each of us
View scripture.
- We cannot read each other\’s minds. Therefore it\’s up to
Each of us to voice our concerns.
- As a teacher, I can’t know where you are spiritual, unless
You to talk to me.
- If I am acting in a way that you view as improper, I give you
The freedom to call me out.
- If I am doing something that confuses your interpretation
Of scripture, we should discuss it.
- We should change what we are doing if it offends another
Christian or cause him/her to stray away from the truth.
- Nothing is more important than the spiritual growth of
Our brothers and sisters in Christ.
APPLICATION OF SCRIPTURE
V:11. So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes, my brother, to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.
- We should not use the freedom we have with scripture to destroy
A weaker Christian.
- Brotherly love requires us to be concerned about the spiritual
The welfare of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
- I know people who don’t eat pork or certain kinds of seafood because
Of their view of scripture.
- It is up to me to not eat what I know does not violate scripture
In their presence.
- Woe to me, if I cause a brother or sister\’s faith to be weakened by my
Actions.
- If I cause another brother or sister to sin, then their sin is on me.
- How will I know your offense if you do not make it known;
In that case, the sin is on you.
In summary, Christian freedom allows me to do many things.
I should not use the knowledge I have to weaken the faith of
Another brother or sister in Christ.
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Listeners. Feel free to question me.
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