Wednesday, May 11, 2011

What's "Wrong" for You May Not be "Wrong" for Me

No, I’m not a relativist and I don’t support any theories of relative ethics. That’s a paraphrase of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 8, and he definitely wasn’t a relativist.

For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1 Cor. 8:10-13)
1 Corinthians 8 is a chapter about being considerate to our brothers and sisters in Christ - “considerate” in the sense that we do everything in our power not to defile their conscience. At the very outset, Paul contrasts knowledge and love.
This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Cor. 8:1b)

Though we know that a certain action or behavior is not wrong in God’s sight, our knowledge should never eclipse our love. We’re not talking about the bleeding edge or morality and immorality here - getting as close as we can get to sinning without “actually sinning” - we’re talking about behavior that is clearly moral, but may not be appropriate or right in certain situations.

If I know that someone objects to drinking alcohol (but I have no objection to it, as long as it’s done in moderation), then out of love for them I will refrain from drinking it when I’m in their presence. I would be glad to talk with them about the Bible’s view of alcohol, but love dictates that I not act in such a way as to knowingly offend them.

Paul uses the illustration of food offered to idols.

...we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.”... However, not all possess this knowledge. (1 Cor. 8:4b, 7)
In the interest of discipling, loving, and showing deference, we must sometimes abstain from things which may not be technically “wrong” in order to strengthen the weaker brother.

Now you may be thinking, “That’s just silly. If he would just study the Bible a little more, he would soon figure out that what I’m doing is perfectly moral. Consuming alcohol isn’t a sin. He’s just misguided.”

That’s not the point.

The fundamental problem is not with him. It’s with you, and your unwillingness to lovingly instruct him (which is largely done through how you act). The remedy to their “weak conscience” is not to flaunt your liberty in front of them (“knowledge puffs up”), it is instead to be considerate toward their stance on the issue, and to offer them instruction and a biblical reason for your position on the subject.

This is serious. You may unwittingly drift into sin, even though you are doing something which is not technically “sinful.”
And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. (1 Cor. 8:11-12)

You may need to take drastic measures, but if that self-sacrifice is for the sake of a brother in Christ, is it not worth the price?

Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (1 Cor. 8:13)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You made some great points. Enjoyed your premise. I would add that our own children are "weak" in their faith too and we can easily forget the impression we can have on them in our own home. Drinking alcohol is just one example. Eating in excess is another. Sometimes that weaker brother is right in our own home. We've always
taken our role as parents serious and if something doesn't have a real means of glorifying God then we've tried (not always successfully) to avoid that behavior or habit in our lives. I think the scripture that says, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." 1 Cor. 6:12 is very appropriate here. Does this habit or action help me to glorify God in everything I do? Will it help me to encourage others in Christ? Will it stumble a brother or sister in Christ? Or is it just something I do for self-fulfillment? We honor Christ when we can bring our lives into submission in order to for Christ to be magnified. Some of our actions are not helpful but destructive to ourselves, our children, and to others whom we have come in contact with. May we always live the life that neither stumbles others nor misrepresents Christ.
Keep up the good work!
Mrs. Bryan