1 Corinthians 8:1-13 We Must Be Careful With Those Whose Faith Is Weak, Not To Violate Their Conscience

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know But whoever loves God is known by God. 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. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”) 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. But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall. Today's message is directed toward the relationship between a mature Christine who understands their liberty in the resurrection of Christ from the Cross verses an infant in the faith who still compares the Christian faith with religions of the world. To the mature, they recognize there is only one True God and idols made with human effort are nothing. Furthermore they recognize sacrifices to man imagined gods is nothing and tendering food to this idol is likewise nothing. But to the weak, they do not want to violate their conscience by eating perfectly good food for fear that it would violate God's holiness. For the sake of the weak, do not exercise Christian liberty if it causes another believer to feel guilty. Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us all to become your disciples instead of believers only. This way our minds will know your will and keep superstition out of our life in Christ. In Jesus name I pray Amen.