So we'll read that text the first
12 verses 1st Corinthians chapter 8 Now, as touching things offered
unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs
up, but charity, that is, love, edifies. If any man think that
he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the
same is known of him. As concerning, therefore, the
eating of things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know
that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none
other god but one. For though there be many that
are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be God's
many and Lord's many. But to us there is but one God,
the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him, and one Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. Howbeit, there
is not in every man that knowledge. For some with conscience of the
idol under this hour eat it as a thing sacrificed unto an idol,
and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. But meat commendeth
us not to God, for neither if we eat are we the better, neither
if we eat not are we the worse. But take heed, lest by any mean
this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that
are weak. For if any man see thee, which
hath knowledge, sit at meat in the idol's temple, shall not
the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those
things which are offered to idol, and through thy knowledge the
weak brother perished for whom Christ died. But when you sow
sin against the brethren and wound their weak conscience,
you sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat make my brother
to offend, I will eat no meat while the world standeth, lest
I make my brother to offend." And over in chapter 10 and 25
through 29, whatsoever is sold in the shambles that eat, asking
no question for conscience' sake. For the earth is the Lord's,
and the fullness thereof. If any of them that believe not
bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever sit
before you eat, asking no question for conscience' sake. But if
any man say unto you, this is offered in sacrifice unto an
idol, eat not for his sake that showed it, and for conscience'
sake, for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof. Conscience,
I say, not thine own, but of the other. Or why is my brother
judged? Why is my liberty judged by another
man's conscience? Now, when we get, use these,
or this book, and use other text out of the book of 1 Corinthians,
we find the point of emphasis that most that Paul wrote in
this particular epistle was a result of two things. Two things caused
Paul basically to write this epistle and the things that are
in it. Number one of course is Paul
had received intelligence or had received information of the
things that were going on there in the church. Let me real quickly
run through them. First Corinthians chapter 1 verse
11, where it hath been declared unto me by them, my brethren,
which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among
you. And in chapter 5 and verse 1,
it is reported commonly that there is fornication among you,
and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles. Then look at chapter 7 and verse
1. Now concerning the things whereof you wrote unto me, is
it good for a man not to touch a woman? Then in chapter 8 and
verse 1, now as touching things offered unto idol. And so some had written to Paul,
secondly, asking questions about things that were on their mind. And Paul takes up their concerns
and answers their question. Now concerning the things whereof
you wrote unto me. And in chapter 7, you have that
long discourse on marriage and all the aspects and ramification
of it. Now the first was the question
of marriage, whether a sellable state is better than a marriage
state, that is, better in reference to being able to serve the Lord. Now, another issue, however,
a large one, taking up chapter 8, chapter 9, and chapter 10
comes before us here as touching things offered unto idols. Now there were idolaters among
them in the city of Corinth, those who worshipped at Ido's
temple, those who made sacrifices unto their idol gods, and some
of them even ate the meat that had been sacrificed upon the
altar under their heathen god. And that meant that a heathen
priest was resident in that city and that he officiated in the
idol's temple and offered sacrifices unto their imagined deities along
the way. We have said it before, we have
covered it many times in our study, but Corinth was not only
a large city at that time, but it was a very wicked and a very
immoral city as well. There was a lot of prostitution
in the city of Corinth, and they used prostitutes at their yearly
feastly sacrifices as they came together. And it is said that
the goddess Aphrodite was worshiped there in the city of Corinth. But the issue at hand today went
deeper than the presence and the practice of idolatry in this
city. It was deeper than the fact that
the idol's temple existed for it was the case throughout the
known world at that particular time where there was a church,
where there was a congregation of believers, there was almost
always a buffer of idolatry around them. In any city that they might
have a church in that were idolaters and idol worship. So it would
be an island of Christianity in a sea of idolatry, and particularly
here in Corinth. But we see in verse 4 that the
issue was this, concerning the eating of those things that are
sacrificed unto idol. Now, they carved it into another
rim. They carried it over into another
rim. This defines the issue more particularly
for the Corinthian. that is also a twofold matter. A. It is concerning those things
offered to idols in verse 1. And then B. The eating of the
flesh of the beasts that had been offered unto their heathen
gods. And notice how Paul goes about
it. There was a great contention
about this. Some were wounded and offended
at their brethren. So notice how Paul goes about
it. No sooner had the apostle introduced
the subject here in verse 1 of chapter 8, but he made a short
digressional parenthetical statement, and you have it in verse 1a through
verse 3. And he returns to the subject
again in verse 4, and he makes a sort of an explanative qualification
to them with a matter at hand regarding the Christian view
of idols and of idolatry and how it ought to be done as they
were the servants of Jehovah God. And we see that Paul is
moving both carefully and deliberately here as he is opening up this
issue. And he is doing so because of
what is at stake and the principle of Christian liberty that is
involved in the issue. but also the effect of the actions
of some on the consciences of those that Paul calls, and get
this, weak. The consciences of those that
are weak. Thus in verse four, the question
of eating those things that had been sacrificed and was meat
of the beast sacrificed unto idol. Here's the situation. These sacrifices can be seen
as having a threefold part. Number one, they were burned
upon the altar. They were killed, they were slain,
they were sacrificed upon the altar. Secondly, it was the heathen
priest's share, a priest got a share of the beasts that were
sacrificed. And in that light, remember in
the old economy, that even the Levites had their portion of
the meat sacrificed unto God. Part of the meat belonged, and
the choice of the meat, belonged unto the Levites. of the least
two. And then thirdly, the part or
the share that belong to the offeror. He might take some of
that left over, take it home with him, or put it in the marketplace
that it might be sold. Now, these two last ones that
I have mentioned, see 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 25 that we read.
for consumption in private homes, some of it was consumed, to entertain
company or to have a feast and invite friends and neighbors
and loved one. Thus, there were three ways that
the Corinthian Christian might be partaker of the meat of sacrifice
that had been made unto an idol. Number one, they might purchase
it in the marketplace, for it was for sale. And they might
take it home, cook it, put it on their private table, and feast
on it as a meal. Now they might or they might
not know that it is meat that has been sacrificed Secondly,
another situation that could arrive, they might be invited
to dine at the feast or the home of another and be served part
of the meat that was sacrificed under the heathen deity. You
can see that in 1 Corinthians 10 verse 27, and we read it.
when a feast might be given by an unbeliever, and Paul says,
Whatsoever is set before you, eat that without raising a question,
unless it is announced unto you that it is the leavings of an
idle sacrifice. And then thirdly, Evidently,
some of them in the Christian assembly would even go into the
idol temple and there sit and partake of the meat that was
sacrificed under the heathen deity. You can see that here
in chapter 9, excuse me, in verse 9 and verse 10 of our chapter. And they justified their doing
so as part of their knowledge and of their Christian liberty.
They would say, we know that an idol is nothing. There is
one God and there is one Christ. Now the question is, How will
Paul mediate this dispute that had arisen among them? What side
will he take, or will he take neither side in the matter? And how will he navigate this
issue to the satisfaction of them and to the truth of the
Word of God? Will he lose face with one side,
no matter what he said? What's the answer, Paul? How
shall this be handled? And then there is the further
question. Who were they that stood on the opposite side of
the issue? One eating, the other offended. conscience by it. Was this strictly
a Jew and a Gentile issue that had risen to the surface? The
Jews holding one view and the Gentiles holding another. Or were there some of each, on
each side, that were partaking of the issue? You may remember
that the Jews had very strict dietary laws as to what could
be eaten and not eaten in the Old Testament. Now the main distinction
that Paul makes is between those that he calls weak and those
that claimed knowledge or to be strong in the things of God
and in their belief have deep conviction about the truth. Now,
check on the meaning of the two words weak that we find throughout
the New Testament. The most common words, that is,
seems to have the meaning of to be without strength, to be
strengthless or impotent, to be weak in the things of God. And the words are used in the
New Testament in at least three ways. That is the word weak. They are used of physical, infirmities,
and they're used of physical infirmities, bodily sicknesses,
or weakness or disease, and you'll find that in Matthew 26, 41.
Secondly, the words are used of the rudiments of the Jewish
religion in chapter 4, verse 9 of Galatians. The weak and
beggarly elements of this world. And you'll find it in Hebrews
7 and verse 18 of the weakness and the unprofitableness of those
sacrificed in the Old Testament. And then thirdly, you'll find
it of weak in knowledge and in the spiritual sense as Paul uses
it here. I counted in the concordance
at least nine times that Paul uses the word weak in the context
of contrasting the strong and the weak as discussed in 1 Corinthians
8, 9, and 10, and again in Romans 14 that we might visit during
the course of our study. And here are some examples of
Paul Making reference under those that are weak in first Corinthians
chapter 8 and verse 7 he speaks of their conscience being weak
and their conscience being weak is defied in verse 9 of a stumbling
block to those that are weak weak in the faith in verse 10
in The conscience of him which is weak. Weak in the things and
the knowledge of God. And in verse 11, he speaks of
the weak brother. The weak brother who is to be
considered. Again in verse 12, of wounding
their conscience. And then I mentioned Romans 14,
Paul speaks of him that is weak in the faith, but is to be received. And in verse 2 of that chapter,
one believes he may eat all things, and another who is weak confines
his diet unto herbs. One eats meat, one eats herb. Now before proceeding, let's
see if we would agree that this issue is much more complicated
than it might appear at first or that we might imagine. And
that from both sides, those that are strong and those that are
weak. At first hearing, really, and
especially in its first issue. And that by the fact or facts. Number one, sometimes the weak
believe that they are the strong ones. Many times you find that
the weak in the faith, weak in knowledge, believe they are the
strong one because they have all of the conviction and all
of the scruple. And they find sin in many things
where there is no sin. And they take offense at the
things that are done under the name of Christian liberty by
the strong and they cannot practice it as they do not have an enlightened
knowledge or conscience. And they may tend toward legalism
and are hurt and they are grieved at the actions of other, and
they call the strong libertines and antinomians. So there is
a difference. Secondly, the so-called strong
on the other side had to consider themselves as knowledgeable,
to know truth, to understand. They said, we know and understand
the truth of these things. And so they at times would run
roughshod over their weaker brethren, and so wound their conscience,
as Paul said, and offend them, and yet complain, as in 1 Corinthians
chapter 10, In verse 19, why is my liberty judged by another
man's conscience? Why must I bring my liberty into
subjection with the weak conscience of another? Let's look now at
1 Corinthians chapter 8 and 1 through 6 a little bit more thoroughly. In verse 1, Paul concedes, we
have knowledge concerning idols. And then Paul cautions, such
knowledge is to be practiced and is to be tempered in love. And anyone who considers himself
to be knowledgeable has, again, much to learn, Paul tells us. And love to God will manifest
itself in the treatment of other brethren who might be offended. in verse 4 through verse 6, that
in eating meat sacrificed unto idols, Paul concedes the fact
we do indeed know that an idol is nothing in this world. It might be a stone, a gold,
a silver, a dirt, or an imagined deity in the sky, but really
It is nothing in the world but a material thing or a man-made
object. Now, this is the case with many
that are called gods and that are called lords. And even though
that is the case, that they are nothing, and no matter whether
imagined in heaven or in the earth, to us, verse 6, look at
it, There is one and only one God who created all things, is
the first cause of our existence, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the Savior of us all. Now the world is full of gods,
but there is only one true living and eternal God, and that is
Jehovah. Now there is an implied contrast
here. While some regard and believe
in many gods and actually pretend to worship them, to us there
is the one God and the one Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that
there is one and only one. And though some may have the
name, yet they do not have the nature. Some may be called gods,
but they do not have the nature of God. Hence the folly of those
who say, one god is as good as another. We've heard that all
of our life. One God, one religion is just as good as another as
long as one is sincere. Oh no, not Allah and not any
other. Israel held to the belief in
one God. Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse
4. There is one God, O Israel. But then look at verse 7 of our
text. There is another contrast here
as Paul writes. How be it? And the word here,
how be it, is from the word that can be rendered but or however
or nonetheless or yet. how be it nonetheless, yet there
is not in all this knowledge. They're not yet fully persuaded
that an idol is nothing, even though idolatry is a great sin
and is so against God. Not everyone has an unaccusing
conscience on the matter. And so we ask, to what does Paul
then refer? What is the knowledge that they
are lacking? It cannot be that they are completely
without the knowledge of the fact that there is but one God
and one Lord. It would not be reasonable to
count them as a Christian who believe in a plurality of gods. Don't call any a Christian who
believe one God is as good as another, and that all gods are
all right if one is sincere. It's with a statement there in
verse four. We know that an idol is nothing,
and that this is the proper connection is confirmed by the last part
of the seventh verse. For some with conscience eat. Some, their conscience rises
up if they should eat the meat sacrificed unto idol. Now one is able to totally totally
ignore the fact that the meat was sacrificed to a heathen deity
by a heathen priest and even in a temple setting, while some
are not able to discount the idea of an idol being as nothing. The first one, therefore, ate
it as common meat, and the second one nearly gagged on it, as being
offered to an idol and therefore polluted and defiled by having
been done so. The first ate with a clear conscience
and the second with a wounded or a convicted conscience made
defiled by the remembrance that it was consecrated first of all
in sacrifice unto a heathen deity. Reading John Murray I was probably
in the 14th chapter of the book of Romans in connection with
this issue or this dissension in the church there about eating
meat that had been previously sacrificed in the temple. unto
idols, that there was the firm conviction, quote, entertained
by some that meat offered unto idols had been so contaminated
in this idolatrous worship that it was not proper for a Christian
to partake of it, unquote. And that's how many looked at
it in that day and time. And it was directly related to
the conscience. It was the conscience that decided
for or against it. And the state of the conscience
made the difference in the decision. Paul, at least nine times, mentions
that faculty called conscience in chapter 8, 9, and 10 of 1
Corinthians. one of the most intriguing, one
of the most powerful, one of the most important faculty with
which people are endowed. The one by which God more than
any other the conscience, governs the world and restrains sin in
those that are not regenerate. That word is some 30 times in
the New Testament, the word conscience, and it's from a compound word
in the Greek, meaning joint knowledge or a knowing with or a co-knowing. A co-perception is how we might
understand it, as used by Paul in Romans 2. And verse 15, their
conscience bearing witness, that is, their conscience bearing
them witness with the work of the law written in their hearts. I want to give you a short catechism
from an old time writer, way back, named Samuel Rutherford,
and I think it's very helpful on this question. Here's the
catechism. A, our question, what is the
conscience? We hear a lot about what is the
conscience in the light and meaning of scripture. Answer, it is the
judging part of the soul under God, approving good and convicting
for evil. Question, what are the lights
that direct or guide the conscience? What most influences the conscience
in an individual? A. Answer, the law of nature
in man's heart and the word of God are two candles that God
has lighted in order to let it see how to walk. Again, question,
what are the proper works of the conscience. What is the function
and the need and the work of the conscience? And answer, it
applies the law to our deeds as a witness and also to our
deeds as a judge. Their conscience bearing witness
with them concerning the works of the law. Thus the conscience
can only function or operate, if you prefer, upon the light. or the revelation and the knowledge
that it is given, whether it's natural light in the unregenerate
or the added light of the word of God and the spirit of grace. And so when Paul talks about
the weak conscience in some that were numbered among them there
as believers, he equates that weakness with a deficit knowledge
of the things of God and because of that lack they considered
the eating of meat that had been offered unto idols as a partaker
of idols and grieved and wounded their conscience if they ate
it or saw another eating it also. They did not have the full knowledge
and the full conviction that an idol is nothing at all in
the world. chapter 8 verse 4 through verse
6. Perhaps there are former idolaters
there in that assembly who once reverenced the idols when they
were not Christian. They had not yet come to view
them as nothing, for to them in that day they were their God,
and they worshipped and they served them. It was not the same
to them as a raised lamb or food trapped for, or trapped food
that they might put up on their table, but it was to them in
their mind and conscience a thing that had lain on an idol's altar
in the temple. So now, let's turn to Romans
chapter 14 because Paul has some things to say there upon this
very same matter. The principle is of the like
sort, though the issue is somewhat different. And in Romans 14 and
verse 1, Paul enjoins them. Him that is weak in the faith,
receive ye, but not to doubtful disposition, or disputations,
correctly. Then look at the second verse.
For one believeth that he may eat all things, another who is
weak eateth herbs. Then let's read verse five. One man esteemeth one day above
another, another esteemeth every day alike, Let every man be fully
persuaded in his own mind. Thus here in chapter 14, the
issues were diet and days, and down in verse 21, the drinking
of wine even. And so look now at the scruples
of the week, reading again verse 14. I know and am persuaded by
the Lord Jesus Christ that there is nothing unclean of itself,
but to him that esteem of anything to be unclean To him it is unclean,
and it is so until he is given the knowledge. In other words,
what he thinks is wrong is sinful unto him in his mind, and according
to his scruples, it is wrong and it is sinful. Now, look at
verse 20, Romans 14, and the last part. All things indeed
are pure, but it is evil for that man who eats with the conscience. Verse 23. He that doubteth is
damned, or condemned, if he eat, because he eats not of faith. For whatsoever is not of faith
is sin. If he can't do it in faith, to
him it is a sin. Now Paul enjoins the strong and
the knowledgeable not to engage in what John Murray called censurous
scrutiny, quote unquote, and making judgment on the thoughts
and the scruples of some who lack understanding in these things
of God and the truth. And to the converted idolater,
eating meat sacrificed on the idol was something they could
not easily dismiss or ignore or accept in their conscience. To the complete teetotaler, for
example, A glass of wine is an ugly thing to so many Christians
today. Offensive and sinful to see one
claiming to be a Christian do that. To some, if they saw their
brother with a cigar in his mouth after a meal, it would be a great
offense unto them. to the strict Sabbatarian, to
miss church on Sunday, and even to eat out in a restaurant or
watch a sporting event in the evening would be a violation
of the Sabbath day to some and would be an offense unto them.
And the converted, some of them Jew in the apostolic era, in
that day, had trouble ignoring the special days, the high days,
and the holy days of old Judaism. They had trouble casting them
aside and passing them by without notice. And that's seen in Romans
chapter 14 verse 5 and verse 6, what one called regarding
the holy days. of the ceremonial and of the
economy of old, as having abiding sanctity, abiding sanctity, as
if they were still in force and ought to be observed. And of
course, such would urge their conviction upon others. That's the thing that we often
do. encourage our conviction upon others, since the observance
of such days were for centuries and centuries required by God
as a part of his worship. It was hard, therefore, even
for some of the converted Jew to let them know, while others
could let special day pass by, come and go, ignoring them completely
as having come to an end with the death of Christ upon the
cross. What made the difference? What
made the difference between the two? Knowledge and light. truth and revelation. The only way to strengthen one
with a weak conscience is not to force things upon him and
scrutiny and disputation and that like. But the only way to
strengthen a weak conscience is by truth and by knowledge
and not by force. I have long believed, and I think
you might agree, that the first teachings that we receive when
we entered into Christendom. The first forming of our Christian
conviction, if they were weak or deficient or even in error
on our part, are hard to shake off and very hard to give up,
very hard to cast them aside and to walk in them no more. They cleave to us, we cleave
to them. long, and then only knowledge
will set us free. We resist letting them go. Even
in the face of truth sometimes, we hold on. This could involve
a lot of things, and does in the mind of people. The wine,
as we mentioned. Some stumble at divorce and remarriage. Some at the some at the Sabbath,
some at the holiday, working on Sunday, family, and a host
of other things. Some have trouble with women
in pants, even at church or away. And they're not easily resolved
by the weak conscience. While these things are convictions
unto them that they hold to, They cannot let them go for the
sake of conscience because to them they are wrong. So we see
the issue and division. Now, in closing, we have to admire,
I think, the wisdom and the skill of the Apostle Paul as he navigates
these issues and matters between the strong and the weak. so that
no principle, none at all, of the gospel is sacrificed in resolving
them. Not on either part is there any
compromise of the gospel. He concedes to them and idol
is nothing in the world. There is but one true God, 1
Corinthians 8, 4 through 6. Meat does not commend us to God. Eating makes us neither better
nor worse, as we do those saying, 1 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse
8. Nothing is unclean in itself,
that is, as far as food is concerned. Romans 14 and verse 4. We don't take that literally
and absolute. Paul's talking about food and
days and such like. Can I give you an illustration?
I worked one time in a packing house for a man who was a member
of our church, and he would always load the preacher up with some
of the best cuts of meat. I mean, he would They'll bring
him meat for his family and deep freeze and such like. And one
day his worker in the cooler put that meat in a Budweiser
beer box, a cardboard Budweiser beer box. And when the boss saw
it, he said, oh no, that won't do. You'll have to get another
bottle. You can't put the meat in a beer
box and me take it out to the preacher. You see, there's the
kind of conviction sometimes that we see. All things indeed
are pure as far as meat and eating. These were the persuasions of
the strong. And Paul grants their knowledge
of these things to be true and to be correct. However, and listen
to this, since no principle of the gospel or salvation was at
stake in what Paul asked the strong to do, Paul calls upon
the strong and the knowledgeable to exercise a measure of charity
toward their weaker brethren in things that would not compromise
the gospel, but would spare the conscience of the weak and to
not make their liberty an occasion of stumbling of the weak or a
wounding of their conscience. Not to wound by their liberty
and not to embolden the weak to violate their conscience until
they are properly enlightened in the Word of God and of truth. And you'd be surprised how many
people there are in the church that have scruples that making
sin of things that are not sin, but yet to them it is. And they
would impose it on on others and be offended at others doing
those things. So the conscience is one of the
most important faculty. You feel it working every day. It is at work every day. It's
stronger in some and weaker in others. But it is at work every
day. When you feel something is wrong,
or you have done wrong, and you are convicted of that, what is
that but God's deputy in the soul doing its work that it has
been appointed to do?