Idolatry and Freedom...

This week, we have been looking at the issue of idolatry. After looking at how we fail to flee from idolatry when we fail to understand worship, Paul then continues by revealing a second reason why Christians act unchristian by failing to flee idolatry in 1 Corinthians 10:23:

All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience' sake; FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS. If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience' sake. But if anyone says to you, "This is meat sacrificed to idols," do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake; I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.

Paul reiterates and responds to the members of the church at Corinth’s belief that “all things are lawful”. First, Paul states that while they may believe that all things are lawful, not all things are profitable. While we may believe that we have a great deal of freedom as followers of Jesus to engage in all kinds of behaviors, not all of these behaviors are advantageous or benefit our well being.

Second, Paul states that while we may believe that all things are lawful, but not all things edify. When Paul uses the word edify here, he is referring one’s improved ability to live effectively as a follower of Jesus. Paul is explaining that while we may believe that we have a great deal of freedom as followers of Jesus to engage in all kinds of behaviors, not all of these behaviors result in a growing and maturing relationship with Christ.

And because of this reality, Paul commands the members of the church to let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. Paul is explaining that as followers of Jesus, we fail to flee from idolatry when we fail to properly use our freedom. As followers of Jesus, we are to use the freedom that we have as a result of our relationship with Christ to strive for the spiritual good and growth and others.

Paul then applies this timeless principle to two specific situations that were occurring at the church in Corinth. First, the members of the church at Corinth wanted to know if it was o.k. to purchase and eat meat from the local markets in town that may have been previously sacrificed to idols. Paul responds to this question by commanding the members of the church to eat the meat that was sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience sake. When Paul refers to the conscience here, he is referring to our inward capacity of distinguishing right from wrong. Paul’s point here is that they did not need to engage in a thorough examination to determine whether or not the meat in the market was from an idol’s temple or not. They had the freedom to purchase and consume that meat.

Paul then transitions to a second situation that was occurring in Corinth. The members of the church at Corinth were wondering how they should respond to an invitation by a nonchristian friend to come over for a barbecue. Paul responds by commanding the members of the church to accept the invitation and enjoy the barbecue without asking questions for conscience sake. Paul’s point here is that the members did not need to engage in a thorough examination to determine whether or not the meat at the barbecue was from an idol’s temple or not. They had the freedom to accept the invitation to the barbecue and eat a steak.

However Paul commands that if the person who invited you over for the barbecue tells you that the meat was sacrificed to a false god, they were not to eat. While they could accept the invitation and attend the barbecue, they were not to eat the meat. Instead, they were to have a salad instead. Paul’s point here is that by eating a steak at the barbecue that you knew had been sacrificed to a false god, you would be sending the message to the nonchristian friend who invited you that worshipping a false god was o.k. Paul is explaining that while they may have the freedom to eat the steak, they should lovingly limit their freedom in order to reveal and reflect Christ to their nonchristian friend.

Paul then provides a timeless principle that should serve to guide our behavior as followers of Jesus: “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” This morning, the reality is that there are things that we can do or be a part of that simply do not bring glory to God. Followers of Jesus should not be engaged in any activity that does not bring glory to God. But in whatever we do; in however we exercise the freedoms that we have as a result of our relationship with Christ, we should exercise those freedoms in a way that brings glory and makes much of God.

Paul further unpacks this principle by explaining that we are to strive to live our lives as followers of Jesus in a way that does not offend religious people, irreligious people, or other followers of Jesus. While we have a great deal of freedom as followers of Jesus when it comes to how we live our day to day lives, we should lovingly limit that freedom when the expression of that freedom could result in offending the people you are with, whether they are religious people, irreligious people, or other Christians. Paul then states that the reason we are to live our lives in such a way is so that we seek the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.

The goal for lovingly limiting our freedom as followers of Jesus is so that those who are far from God, either because they are religious or irreligious, can benefit from being exposed to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel lived out in a way that reveals and reflects Christ. Our day to day lives should create space to engage those who are far from God in a way that leads religious people to repent from their religion and irreligious people to repent from their irreligious lives and receive the forgiveness of their sin and enter into the relationship with God that they were created for by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

Paul then concludes this section of his letter to the church at Corinth by commanding the members to be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. Paul’s point here is that just as Paul followed the example of Jesus, who lovingly limited His freedom in order to engage those who were far from God so as to rescue and redeem humanity, the members of the church at Corinth were to follow his example as he engaged those in Corinth. Paul’s point is that we best reveal and reflect Christ when we follow His example.

So this morning, what do you worship? Is there something in your life other than God that you worship as God? Because Christians act unchristian when we fail to flee from idolatry. We fail to flee idolatry when we fail to properly understand worship. And we fail to flee from idolatry when we fail to properly use our freedom. So may we be Christians who act Christian by fleeing from idolatry. And may we be Christians who act Christian by doing all that we do to the glory of God by properly understanding worship and by properly using the freedom that we have as followers of Christ.

Christians Act Unchristian When we Fail to Flee from Idolatry...

When you hear the word idolatry, what comes to mind? A statue? A backwards group of people worshipping a strange image? Simply put, Idolatry is the worship of something other than God as God. We commit idolatry when we take good things and make them God things. We commit idolatry when we pursue position, possessions, pleasure, or pride more passionately then we pursue God. Idolatry is giving something other than God more attention, more honor, or more glory than God. With this definition in mind, we see Paul in a letter to a church talk about this idea of idolatry and the reasons why we commit idolatry. Let’s look at it together:

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; you judge what I say. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

In these verses, we see another timeless truth that can occur when Christians act unchristian. And that timeless truth is that Christians act unchristian when we fail to flee from idolatry. Paul challenges the members of the church at Corinth to judge and evaluate the wisdom of his command to flee idolatry by applying the knowledge that they possessed to the argument that he will make in the rest of this passage as to why they were to flee idolatry.

First, we fail to flee from idolatry when we fail to properly understand worship. Paul explains that those in the world who do not follow Jesus and instead worship false gods, their worship ends up pointed to demons and the demonic instead of toward God. Paul is revealing for us the reality that those who do not follow and worship God through faith in Christ instead worship and follow demons. All other religious systems are created, controlled, and influenced by demons, which are supernatural spiritual beings that were once angels but rebelled against God and place themselves in opposition to God and His kingdom.

And because of this reality, when we participate in the worship of something other than God as God, we are taking part in the worship of demons. Whether it is Wicca, or the occult, or atheism, or any other religious system with an ism, these religious systems were created and are controlled and influenced by Satan and demons to turn people away from the relationship with God that they were created for. In addition, whether it is the idol of position, possessions, pleasure, pride, or any other idol that we worship as God, those idols are used by Satan and his servants to turn people away from their Creator and towards creation.

Paul then hammers his point home: “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” Paul is explaining that followers of Jesus cannot participate in the worship of God through the celebration of communion and also participate in the worship of something other than God as God, whether it is participating in the worship of demons through eating at the pot luck fellowships that were occurring in Corinth, or though the participation of any other religious system or object.

You see, the issue is not whether or not we worship; God created all of humanity to be worshippers. The issue is what we worship. And Paul here is revealing for us the reality that we can only truly worship one thing. We cannot worship Jesus plus something else. We were not created with the capacity to worship more than one thing as the center and focus of our lives. We either worship, serve, and follow Christ, or we worship, serve, and follow something other than Christ. But only one person or thing can be the center and focus of our true devotion.

So what do you truly worship? What is the center and the focus of your life? What are you most devoted to? Because that is what you worship. If you are not sure what you worship, let me help you. To find out what you are devoted to and what is most important in your life, all you need to do is look at your checkbook, your calendar, your conversations, your contemplations, and your circumstances, because you spend your money and your time on what you are most devoted to; you think and talk about what you are most devoted to; and you lean into and trust what you are most devoted to in difficult circumstances. So what does your checkbook, your calendar, your conversations, your contemplations, and how you respond to your circumstances say about who or what you worship?

And because of the reality that we can only truly worship one being or thing, Paul explains that we provoke the Lord to jealousy when we worship something other than God as God. To provoke the Lord to jealousy literally means that we insult the Lord’s nature and character by worshipping something less than God as God. It is insulting to God to worship something other than God as God.

Paul then reinforces this reality by asking another question: We are not stronger than He, are we? God desires our total devotion because of His incredible love for us. The most unloving thing that God could do is lead us to worship something less than the best, the most powerful, loving, intelligent, just, and eternal being. For God to want anything less that our total devotion would reveal that He does not want or know what’s best, which would mean that He would not be the best, and thus would not be God. It is because God is who He is that leads Him to desire our best, which is our total devotion and worship of Him.

So what do you truly worship? What is the center and the focus of your life? What are you most devoted to? Because that is what you worship.

We Fail to Exercise Self Control When we Fail to Trust God...

This week, we have been looking at an absence of a characteristic that results in Christians acting unchristian. This characteristic that marks the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives is self control. And the timeless truth that is that Christians act unchristian when we fail to exercise self control. We have seen three failures that the members of the church at Corinth made, and that we can make as well, that result in a failure to exercise self control. First, we fail to exercise self control when we fail to train the right way. Second we fail to exercise self control when we fail to learn from history.

Paul then provides a third failure that the members of the church at Corinth made, which is that we fail to exercise self control when we fail to trust God. We see this in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13:

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

Paul concludes this section of this letter by commanding the members of the church at Corinth, and us today, to let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. Paul here is calling followers of Jesus throughout history to beware or to watch out for the tendency to become overconfident and spiritually proud in their standing as Christians. Paul’s point here is that when we become spiritually proud and overconfident, we place ourselves in danger of falling into selfish and sinful behavior due to a lack of self control that results in falling from the spiritual growth and maturity that should mark their lives.

Paul then reinforces his command by explaining to the church that no temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man. In other words, every temptation that exists is a temptation for everyone. Paul then explains that not only are we susceptible to common temptations, we also have a faithful God who provides us a way to overcome temptation and exercise the self control that marks a growing and maturing relationship with Christ. When Paul states that God is faithful, he is revealing the reality that God is the one person who we can place our full confidence and trust in.

Paul then unpacks the evidence of God’s faithfulness by stating that God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Did you know that God is fully aware of the temptations that you are experiencing? Not only is God aware of our temptations, Paul reveals for us that God allows us to be tempted and then uses that temptation to test the depth of our faith and trust in Him.

And to do that, Paul explains that God provides a way that we can escape the difficulty that temptation presents which results in us leaning into a deeper trust in God. And as a result of leaning into a deeper trust in God, we are able to bear up under times of trouble and difficulty that reveals a growing and maturing relationship with Him.

So what temptation are you facing? With every temptation, we face a choice. We can choose to lean into and trust God and exercise self control. Or we can choose to give into that temptation in a way that reveals a lack of self control. And our choices reveal where we are at in terms of our relationship with Christ.

So how are you doing when it comes to exercising self control? If we could observe your life what evidence would there be when it comes to self control? Would we see the evidence of self control? Or would we see the evidence of things that control you?

We Fail to Exercise Self Control When We Fail to Learn from History...

This week, we are looking at Paul's confrontation of a group of people who claimed to be Christians, yet were not producing the fruit, or the proof of the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work, in their lives. Paul reveals for us is the timeless truth that Christians act unchristian when we fail to exercise self control. In 1 Corinthians 9:14-10:13, we see three failures that the members of the church at Corinth made, and that we can make as well, that result in a failure to exercise self control. Monday, we saw that we fail to exercise self control when we fail to train the right way.

We ended Monday wondering why Paul was so concerned about living a life that was striving to grow, mature and reflect Christ in his day to day life? Why was Paul so concerned about running the race of life here on earth in a way that results in winning and proving possession of the prize of an eternal relationship with God? We find the answer in what Paul says next:

For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness.

In these verses, Paul answers these questions by looking back at the history of the Jewish people. Paul gives the members of the church at Corinth a history lesson of God’s activity in the lives of the Jewish nation. When Paul states that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, He is reminding the members of the church at Corinth of God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery at the hand of Egypt, which is recorded for us in another letter in our Bibles, called the Book of Exodus.

In Exodus chapter 13-14, we read of God leading the Jewish people out of Egypt as a pillar of fire by night and as a cloud by day. The cloud revealed God’s presence among His chosen people. Paul then continues by reminding the church at Corinth that God not only identified Himself with the Jewish people through His presence. Paul reminds them that God identified Himself with the Jewish people through His provision of manna and water in the desert. And in the same way today, just as it was for the Jewish nation in the wilderness, and just as it was for the church at Corinth, God identifies Himself with His people through His presence and His provision. And as followers of Jesus, we are to respond to God’s presence and provision in our lives by living our lives in a way that is marked by a growing faithfulness and obedience to His word and His ways.

Paul then explains that in spite of God’s presence and provision for the Jewish people, Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now when Paul states that they were laid low in the wilderness, the word laid low means that they were killed. Paul is providing this history lesson to the members of the church at Corinth because of the timeless reality that we fail to exercise self control when we fail to learn from history. And we all intuitively know this don’t we? I bet that almost all of here this morning have heard the saying that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

And we can fail to learn from history when we miss God’s activity in our lives. But what would cause God to be so displeased with the very people that He chose to provide for and be present with? And why would God respond by killing them? Paul provides the answer for us in verses 6-11:

Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND STOOD UP TO PLAY." Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

Paul begins by explaining that God’s displeasure and His response was to serve as an example to following generations. Paul then states that the reason for such an example was so that we would not crave evil things as they craved. The word crave here means to have a strong desire for something. Paul’s point here is that the Jewish people that lived in the wilderness lived lives that were marked by selfishness, sin, and rebellion as a result of their lack of self control.

Paul then unpacks the nature of their lack of self control with four examples. Each of these examples revealed that the Jewish people selfishly rebelled against God through acts of idolatry, immorality, unbelief, blame shifting, and criticism that demeaned the character of God and others. Paul explains that these stories were preserved and recorded for us in the Bible in order to provide counsel so that the members of the church at Corinth and people throughout history would avoid or cease being involved in selfish and sinful activities that reveal a lack of self control.

Paul’s point is that as followers of Jesus that live at this point in God’s story, we are to live a life that reflects a growing and maturing relationship with Him that is marked by a growing faithfulness to His word and self control in our behavior. As followers of Jesus, we are not to worship something other than God as God; we are not to reflect a lack of self control by becoming involved in unlawful sexual activity; we are not to reflect a lack of self control that is seen in harsh or critical comments that demean God’s character or one another.

So do you live your life in a way that learns from history? Or do you fail to exercise self control because you fail to learn either from your past mistakes or the past mistakes of others?

Accidents Happen and I am Thankful for God's Protection...

As my wife and daughter were driving to school this morning, they were involved in a pretty scary accident. This is what happened when a car tried to make a left hand turn in front of my wife, who was going 50 m.p.h. through an intersection. We are thanking God for His protection as everyone who was involved in the accident walked away not seriously hurt.

Training to Take Control...

For the past several months, we have been involved in a sermon series entitled when Christians act unchristian. Throughout this series, we have seen a man named Paul repeatedly confront a group of people who claimed to be Christians on their unchristian behavior. To understand why Paul is so direct and passionate in his objections, we must keep in mind what is supposed to happen in our lives when we become followers of Jesus.

When we become followers of Jesus, God gives us His Spirit to dwell in us so that we may live the life in relationship with God and others that we were created to live. The Holy Spirit teaches us, convicts us, and motivates us to repent from sin and to live a life that faithfully follows the message and teachings of Jesus. And as we grow in our relationship with Jesus, the Holy Spirit continues to transform and change our hearts and our mind, which results in changes in how we live our day to day lives. The Bible refers to these changes that occur as the result of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives as the fruit of the Spirit.

Yet as Paul looked at the members of the church at Corinth, he was not seeing the fruit, or the proof of the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work, in their lives. Instead of seeing the evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s transforming activity that revealed a growing and maturing relationship with Christ, he was seeing the evidence of lives that looked no different from those who far from God.

The Apostle Paul responds to this situation by addressing the absence of a characteristic that marks the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s that results in Christians acting unchristian. This characteristic that Paul reveals for us is that Christians act unchristian when we fail to exercise self control. In 1 Corinthians 9:14-10:13, we see three failures that the members of the church at Corinth made, and that we can make as well, that result in a failure to exercise self control. First, we see that we fail to exercise self control when we fail to train the right way. We see Paul reveal this failure in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Paul begins this section of his letter to the church at Corinth by asking them a rhetorical question designed to introduce a well know and generally accepted fact: Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Paul here is painting a word picture of a track meet that occurred in the athletic stadium in Corinth, which held games that were second only to the Olympics. And just like today, the members of the church knew that while there were many athletes that competed in these races, there was only one athlete who would win what was called the victors prize.

Paul then takes this picture that the members of the church were very familiar with and applies it to their spiritual life: run in such a way that you may win. In other words Paul was calling the church and us here today to live out our lives as followers of Jesus with a focus on growing and maturing spiritually that reveals the reality that we have come into the possession of our position as part of the kingdom of God. Because, the reality is that while many people run the race of life here on earth not everyone is running the race of life here on earth in a way that results in winning that race and possessing the prize of an eternal relationship with God.

Now a natural question that arises here is “how do we run in such a way as to win? Paul answers this question for us by pointing to the training that the athletes in Corinth put themselves through in order to have an opportunity to win. When Paul states that everyone in the games exercises control in all things, he is referring to the athletes focus on keeping their desires under control during their training. An athlete’s training requires that they keep their desire to satisfy their appetites with food that would harm their performance under control. An athlete’s training requires that they keep their desire to stay out late and ignore their workout routines under control.

Paul then explains that if an athlete is willing to keep their desire under control in order to win a prize that will not stand the test of time, how much more should the members of the church at Corinth strive to keep their desires under control, so that they would be able to attain the indestructible prize of eternal life with God that awaits followers of Jesus. However, when we fail to train the right way as followers of Jesus by failing to exercise self control, the result is a lack of spiritual growth.

Paul then describes how this reality impacted how he lived life in the here and now. When Paul states that he runs in such a way as not without aim, this phrase literally means to run aimlessly and without a fixed goal. Paul then transitions to use a word picture of another athlete in training, this time a boxer. When Paul states that he boxes in such a way, as not beating the air, he is painting a word picture of someone flailing away and missing the mark. Paul’s point that when we fail to train the right way as followers of Jesus by failing to exercise self control, the result is a lack of direction and aim.

Instead of wandering aimlessly through life without a fixed goal; instead of living a life that continually is missing the mark when it comes to growing and maturing spiritually, Paul explains that that he has enslaved his body to a strict and disciplined life of spiritual training designed to produce growth and maturity. Paul then states that he had made this decision so that he would not make the fundamental mistake of talking the talk when it came to proclaiming the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel, yet not walking the walk as a follower of Jesus in his daily life.

Paul did not want to live a life that was marked by selfishness and sin as a result of a failure to exercise self control. But why was Paul so concerned about living a life that was striving to grow, mature and reflect Christ in his day to day life? Why was Paul so concerned about running the race of life here on earth in a way that results in winning and proving possession of the prize of an eternal relationship with God?

We will look at the reason for Paul's concern tomorrow. But in the meantime, how are you living your life when it comes to the issue of exercising self control?

Christians act unchristian When We Fail to Lovingly Limit our Freedom for the Sake of Others...

This week, we are looking at the tension of balancing the individual freedoms that we have as a result of our relationship with Christ and the responsibility that we have in community with other followers of Jesus. When can I exercise my freedom in Christ on issues such as drinking, dancing, music styles, tattoos, and the like which are debated amongst Christians, and when can’t I exercise those freedoms?

We have seen Paul reveal for us the timeless principle that pastors who are involved in a full-time commitment to serving in a local church should be financially supported by the church. Unfortunately many pastors stop their sermons there. This is unfortunate because while Paul provides us with this timeless principle, this principle is not the main point that Paul is attempting to make to the church at Corinth and to us today.

We see Paul’s main point, and a timeless truth that can occur when Christians act unchristian, revealed for us beginning in 1 Corinthians 9:15, so let’s look at these verses together:

But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

In these verses Paul explains that he had chosen not to exercise his freedom to receive financial support from the church. And in case they misunderstood his previous comments, Paul explains to the church that he does not want financial support from the church. Paul then provides the reason for his decision by stating that it would be better for him to die than to have any man make my boast an empty one. But what does that mean?

To understand what Paul is communicating here, we first must understand what was happening in Corinth. Corinth was a very academic and philosophically based community. And as a result there were many different philosophers and teachers who made their living proclaiming, explaining, and defending their teachings. So there were members of the Corinthian community who would view Paul as just another philosopher who just wanted a paycheck. They would view Paul’s message and motives to be driven by money instead of the kingdom mission that he was given.

Because of this danger, Paul believed that it would be better to die that to create an environment where the message of the gospel was viewed as just another money making scheme. Paul’s source of pride was in God’s activity in the lives of the people at the church and he did not want the pride that he felt from God’s activity to be damaged or destroyed as a result of people questioning his motives for the ministry.

Paul then unpacks the reason for his pride by explaining that he does not proclaim the message of the gospel because he gets something from the gospel; instead he preaches the gospel because he has to. The phrase under compulsion literally means to have an obligation laid upon someone. And because of this obligation that has been laid upon him by Jesus, Paul states woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. Paul’s point here is that his motivation for proclaiming the message of the gospel had nothing to do with his freedoms; his motivation for proclaiming the message of the gospel came from Jesus pressing passion in his life.

Paul then states that if he was to publicly proclaim the gospel without any pressure, but voluntarily, then it could be considered that the only reason that he was preaching the gospel was so that he would receive financial support. But since he proclaims the message of the gospel unwillingly and under compulsion, it reveals that he is not eligible for pay as he is merely functioning as a manager called to proclaim the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

Paul then asks the members of the church “What then is my reward?” He then answers his own question by explaining that he chooses not to exercise the freedoms that are rightfully his as a church leader when he proclaims the message of the gospel. Paul’s pay was not pay. Instead, Paul’s reward was to lovingly limit his freedom as a church leader in order that those who were skeptical and far from God would be able to hear and respond to the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel.

But not only did Paul lovingly limit his freedoms so that his motives would be clear. We see a second reason why Paul lovingly limited his freedom in Christ in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23:

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Paul continues by stating that while he has freedoms as a follower of Jesus and church leader, he has made himself a slave to all, so that I may win more. The phrase, made a slave literally means to make one subservient to one’s interests. The win here for Paul is that they would receive the forgiveness of their sins and enter into the relationship with God that they were created for by believing, trusting, and following Jesus as Lord and Leader.

Here we see Paul reveal for us the timeless principle that as followers of Jesus, there are times that we are to lovingly limit our freedoms as followers of Jesus in order to engage others with the message of the gospel. Paul then unpacks how he limits his freedoms and rights in order to be used by God to share the gospel and bring people to faith in Christ. When Paul refers to Jews, he is referring to those who were God’s chosen people but instead chose to be religious people instead of having a relationship with Christ. Paul explains that he lovingly limits his freedom so that he can engage those who were culturally religious on their own turf with the message of the gospel.

When Paul refers to those who are under the Law, he is referring to religious people who were not Jewish. Paul explains to the church that that while he understands that keeping the rules of the Law will not save Him and that he has freedom from the Law, he will lovingly limit his freedom from the Law so that he can engage those who are under the law on their own turf with the message of the gospel so that they can leave religion and enter into the relationship with God that they were created for.

So if Paul was invited to have lunch with an orthodox Jew, Muslim, and Mormon, he would not order an pulled pork sandwich with a vodka and coke. He would lovingly limit his freedom in order to engage those who lived under religious rules with the message of the gospel.

When Paul refers to those without the Law in verse 21, he is referring to irreligious people. Paul explains that while he followed the message and teachings of Jesus that brought salvation, he will lovingly limit his freedom that comes from the teachings of Jesus in his day to day life so that he can engage those who are irreligious on their own turf with the message of the gospel so that they can leave the irreligious life and enter into the relationship with God that they were created for. So if Paul was invited by an irreligious person who was far from God to have lunch at Hooter's, he would not be judgmental: instead, he would go have lunch with at Hooters without compromising his personal convictions.

In verse 22, Paul shifts from religious or irreligious people who are far from God to those who are followers of Jesus who are immature and weak in the faith. Paul then explains that while he had freedom and rights as a mature follower of Jesus that informed how he lived his day to day life, he will lovingly limit his freedom so that he can engage those who are weak and immature in their faith so that they can grow and mature in their faith. Instead of exercising his freedoms and rights, which could cause the weaker brother or sister in Christ to stumble and sin, he lovingly limited his freedoms for the sake of the weaker brother or sister.

Paul then summarizes all of his statements into a timeless principle that guided his life and should shape our lives as well: I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. Paul’s point here is that as followers of Jesus, we should follow His example by reflecting Christ as we love people where they are at, while loving them enough not to leave them there. Paul, if he was here today and talked to us in the language of our culture, would describe himself as being theologically conservative and culturally liberal.

And as followers of Jesus, we should strive to be theologically conservative and culturally liberal that love people where they are at and love them enough not to leave them there. However, as Christians we act unchristian when we fail to lovingly limit our freedoms for the sake of others. Paul then concludes this section of his letter by stating that his life was driven for the sake of the gospel and the kingdom mission that he was given, so that he might share in the benefits that occur from the impact that the gospel has in the world.

So how are you balancing the freedoms that you have as a result of what you know about God with the responsibility that you have to live in relationship with one another in community? Because the reality is that as Christians we act unchristian when we fail to lovingly limit our freedom for the sake of others. When we fail to lovingly limit our freedom for the sake of others, we can cause others to stumble. And when we fail to lovingly limit our freedom for the sake of others, we fail to be all things to all people so that we might be used to save some.

So what is one way that you can lovingly limit your freedom in order to engage others in a way that loves them where they are at while lovingly reflecting Christ and the message of the gospel?

The Right to Exercise our Freedom in Christ from the Testimony of the Bible...

This week, we are looking at the tension of balancing the individual freedoms that we have as a result of our relationship with Christ and the responsibility that we have in community with other followers of Jesus. When can I exercise my freedom in Christ on issues such as drinking, dancing, music styles, tattoos, and the like which are debated amongst Christians, and when can’t I exercise those freedoms?

We see Paul move from the testimony of human day to day experience to a second witness to defend his right to exercise his freedom as a result of his relationship with Christ, which involved around the freedom to receive financial support. We see this second witness in 1 Corinthians 9:8-12:

I am not speaking these things according to human judgment, am I? Or does not the Law also say these things? For it is written in the Law of Moses, "YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING." God is not concerned about oxen, is He? Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops. If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.

Paul brings the members of the church back to the Law, which are the first five books in our Bibles that Moses received from God on Mount Sinai. Paul’s point here is that from the very beginning, the Bible teaches the principle and practice of church leaders receiving financial support. Paul quotes Deuteronomy 25:4, where God command the Jewish people to not muzzle an ox while it was working so that the ox would be unable to eat and share by receiving any product of the labor. Paul then asks a rhetorical question to expose God’s heart behind this command-“God is not concerned about oxen, is He?” Paul then answers his question by explaining that this Old Testament command was a principle that applied to all of His creation. In farming communities, a plowman and a thresher had different roles and responsibilities when it came to harvesting crops. Yet while the plowman and thresher had different roles in the harvest, both hoped and expected to receive a share of the harvest.

Paul then applies this farming scenario that those in Corinth would be very familiar with to his situation at the church by asking the church “If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?” In other words, if we invested, the message of the gospel in you, is it too much that we receive the benefit of material and financial support from you?

Paul then presses the church further by asking, if others exercise the freedom and right to receive financial support from the church, should not Paul, in light of his role as the church planting pastor be able to exercise this freedom as well? Paul then makes a sudden shift by explaining that instead of insisting on exercising his freedom to receive financial support from the church, he instead bears up against the difficulties of not receiving financial support from the church. He states that the reason behind not exercising the freedoms that were his was so that there would be nothing that could hinder, or hold back the progress of the gospel of Christ and the kingdom mission in Corinth.

Paul then provides a third witness to defend his right to exercise his freedom as a result of his relationship with Christ in 1 Corinthians 9:13-14:

Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.

Paul returns to his defense as to why he should be able to exercise his freedom to receive financial support by exposing the reality that even those who serve in the ministry of idols receive financial support. Paul introduces a well known and generally accepted fact in the form of a rhetorical question that the members of the church at Corinth are well aware of, which is that those who worked at the temples where food was being sacrificed to idols were provided food from the altar of the temple for financial support.

Paul’s point is that just as false religious systems provide financial support to their leaders, Jesus Christ Himself clearly instructed in the gospels that those who are leaders in the church who are given solely to the public proclaim the gospel and leading the church are to be financially supported by the church. In the context of the local church, these leaders are called pastors. The timeless principle for us today is that pastors who are involved in a full-time commitment to serving in a local church should be financially supported by the church.

Unfortunately many pastors stop their sermons there. This is unfortunate because while Paul provides us with this timeless principle, this principle is not the main point that Paul is attempting to make to the church at Corinth and to us today. Now you might be wondering "Then what is Paul's main point?" We will look at his main point and a timeless truth that can occur when Christians act unchristian tomorrow.

The Right to Exercise our Freedom in Christ from the Testimony of Experience...

As Christians, we can struggle with the tension of balancing the individual freedoms that we have as a result of our relationship with Christ and the responsibility that we have in community with other followers of Jesus. How do we balance the freedoms that we have as a result of what we know about God with the responsibility that we have to show the love of God by how we live in relationship with one another in community? When can I exercise my freedom in Christ on issues such as drinking, dancing, music styles, tattoos, and the like which are debated amongst Christians, and when can’t I exercise those freedoms?

This question that surrounds the tension between individual freedom and our responsibility in community is not a new question. And as we continue this series, we see Paul address this question head on by using his own life as an illustration that serves to answer how we are to balance individual freedom with community responsibility, beginning in 1 Corinthians 9:1:

Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

Paul begins this section of his letter to the church at Corinth by reminding him of his role in God’s kingdom mission and in the church at Corinth through four rhetorical questions. Paul’s point was that his freedom and rights as an apostle are authenticated and confirmed by God’s activity in the lives of the members of the church. The church at Corinth, however, was still questioning his qualifications, authority and freedom that he had as an Apostle, in spite of what God had done through him in Corinth. So Paul transitions from establishing his credentials that should enable him to exercise a great many freedoms as a follower of Jesus, to defending his right to exercise those very freedoms based on the evidence of three specific witnesses. We see the first witness in 1 Corinthians 9:3-7:

My defense to those who examine me is this: Do we not have a right to eat and drink? Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? Or do only Barnabas and I not have a right to refrain from working? Who at any time serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Or who tends a flock and does not use the milk of the flock?

Paul responds to his critics by stating that since the church was placing Paul on trial in terms of his authority and freedoms as an Apostle, he wanted to take the opportunity to defend himself. Paul begins his defense with a string of rhetorical questions designed to reveal the freedoms that he should have the right to exercise as a result of his role as a church leader.

What was happening at the church at Corinth was that although he was a leader in the church, he was not receiving any financial or material support from the church. Paul’s point is that as a church leader he should be able to exercise the freedoms and rights to receive financial and material support from the church so that he would be fed and supported. Paul was confronting the church and their opinion that Paul and Barnabas did not have the freedom to be supported financially and materially by the church as they served in the ministry of the church.

Paul then exposes the churches faulty thinking by asking three rhetorical questions that the church would be very familiar with in their day to day experiences. The point that Paul was making with these questions, if asked today, they would sound something like this: Who serves in the military without being paid for it? Who plants a vineyard and then does not receive sustenance from that field to support themselves? Who shepherds a flock and then does not receive sustenance from that flock to support themselves?

Paul's point to the church was that even their day to day experience testified to the reality that, as an Apostle, he should be able to exercise his freedom to receive financial and material support.

Tomorrow, we will look at two other witnesses that testify to our right to exercise the freedoms we have as a result of our relationship with Christ.

Why Pursuing Knowledge over Love Leads to Stumbling...

This week, we are looking at the issue of goals. And more specifically, we are looking at the issue of goals when it comes to a relationship with God. This can be especially difficult issue when it comes to the whole concept of spiritual growth and maturity. While we can use a tape measure and a scale to measure our physical growth, how do we measure our spiritual growth? What goals should followers of Jesus pursue and measure when it comes to spiritual maturity?

Yesterday we looked at the reality that it is not that we should not pursue as a goal to know more about God. Knowledge and love are not an either/or issue. The question that we need to ask is why do we pursue knowledge about God? What motivates us to want to know more about God? Paul, after providing the foundational beliefs about God that should impact and inform the decisions about how to live before God, transitions to reveal for us a second thing that can occur when we pursue knowledge over love in 1 Corinthians 8:7-13:

However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

Paul explains that not all men have this knowledge. While the members of the church believed that everyone had the knowledge about God that he had given then, the reality was that not every member of the church at Corinth has comprehended and grasped that information in a way that informs their life as a follower of Jesus. For some members of the church at Corinth, they had become followers of Jesus after previously living a life that revolved around the worship of false gods and participating in the pot luck fellowships that were occurred at the temple.

And because of their past lived prior to becoming followers of Jesus, Paul states that for them to eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol at these temple pot lucks, results in their conscience, being weak, being defiled. Now our conscience is our inward faculty for distinguishing right and wrong; it is our internal moral compass. For a new follower of Jesus, their internal moral compass is weak and has not matured as a result of their new faith. And because of their weak internal moral compass, Paul explains that their participation in the pot luck fellowships that occurred as part of the temple worship would result in their internal moral compass becoming impure and corrupted into thinking that it was o.k. to worship false gods as they had previously done prior to becoming followers of Jesus.

The situation at the church at Corinth would be similar to if I were to take a new Christian who was an alcoholic to a bar for a drink. I could say to the new Christian, "You know, the Bible says that drunkenness is the issue, not just having a drink, and since we know this to be true, you can go ahead and have a drink, it is o.k." The new Christian, however, with his prior life experience, could end up with his internal moral compass, which is still in the process of being transformed and molded, being corrupted into believing that drunkenness is o.k. Or worse, while his conscience is saying that he should not drink as a result of his previous life experiences, I could say to him "if you were really spiritually mature, you would be able to have a drink".

Paul then continues by stating that knowledge does not commend us, or draw us closer to God. Paul is revealing the reality that our relationship with God is not based on what we do with the freedoms we have as a result of what we know about God. As followers of Jesus, we have freedom in many areas of our lives as a result of what we know about the nature and character of God.

Paul then reveals for us a timeless principle when he tells the members of the church at Corinth to take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. Paul is explaining that some of the members of the church needed to watch out and beware that their freedom in Christ that they had as a result of their knowledge about God could actually cause another follower of Jesus, who is a new Christians that has a weaker conscience to misstep or trip up and fall in their relationship with God. Paul here is revealing for us the timeless truth that placing knowledge over love leads to the stumbling of others.

When we place knowledge over love, we end up failing to recognize those around us who are weaker and less mature in their faith. And that failure to recognize those around us who may be less mature in their faith can lead us to live our lives in a way that results in those who are less mature in their faith to violate their consciences and sin.

Paul then reveals the reality that our desire to be driven by our knowledge about God instead of our love for God and one another, can result in the ruin and destruction of the consciences of new followers of Jesus who are less mature in their faith. Paul’s point here is that we can actually participate in the corruption and destruction of the internal moral compasses of new followers of Jesus when we pursue knowledge about God instead of pursuing love for God and others. Paul reminds the members of the church that Christ had died for the very people that they were destroying as a result of their focus on knowledge instead of love. In other words, you are helping to hurt very people that Christ came to earth to die for.

The Apostle then reveals for us two consequences that result when we live lives that are motivated by knowledge about God instead of love for God and one another. First, our desire to be driven by knowledge instead of love causes us to sin against fellow Christians by wounding their consciences. The members of the church were sinning by beating up and assaulting new followers of Jesus with their knowledge about God instead of coming alongside and loving them towards growing in their relationship with God. And we can do the same thing today when we choose to beat people upside the head with our Bibles instead of revealing and reflecting the love of Christ to them.

Second, our desire to be driven by knowledge instead of love causes fellow Christians to sin against Christ. Paul here reveals to the members of the church of Corinth, and to us today, the reality that when we sin against one another, we also sin against God. Paul then concludes this section of his letter by stating that in light of the consequences that occur when we live our lives as followers of Jesus motivated by knowledge instead of love, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble. Paul here is revealing for us the reality that a spiritual life that is driven by love instead of knowledge will result in true spiritual growth and maturity that reflects Christ in how we relate both to God and to one another.

A spiritual life that is motivated by love will focus on loving and serving other followers of Jesus in a way that results in their spiritual growth and maturity. Christians who act unchristian, however, often live a spiritual life that is motivated by knowledge and that results in a self centered spiritual pride that is focused on the freedoms that they should be allowed to practice, with no regard or concern about the impact that those freedoms may have on someone who is new to Christ or less mature in their faith. This attitude also ends in the judgment of others who fail to exercise the freedoms that they themselves enjoy.

So what goals are you pursuing when it comes to your relationship with Christ? Are you pursuing a relationship with Christ that is motivated by what you know about God? Or are you pursuing a relationship with Christ that is motivated by your love for God?

The Role Knowledge Plays in a Growing Relationship with God...

This week, we are looking at the issue of goals. And more specifically, we are looking at the issue of goals when it comes to a relationship with God. This can be especially difficult issue when it comes to the whole concept of spiritual growth and maturity. While we can use a tape measure and a scale to measure our physical growth, how do we measure our spiritual growth? What goals should followers of Jesus pursue and measure when it comes to spiritual maturity?

Yesterday, we saw Paul reveal for us that Christians act unchristian when we pursue knowledge over love. We discovered that the first thing that occurs when we pursue knowledge over love is that pursuing knowledge over love leads to arrogance. Today, just as it was 2000 years ago, there are many people who believe that it is what you know that matters; the more I know, the more I grow.

The true mark of a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ, however, is a growing and maturing other-centered love for God and others. Our love for God and not our knowledge about God should be what motivates our behavior toward God and others. Christians act unchristian, however, when we are motivated by what we know about God, which ultimately results in spiritual pride instead of spiritual maturity.

Now a natural question that can arise is what role does knowledge play in a growing and maturing relationship with Christ? Is God O.K. with me remaining ignorant in terms of what I know about God as long as I love God? We see Paul answer this question for us in 1 Corinthians 8:4-6:

Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol 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 are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

Paul answers the question as to the role that knowledge should play in a growing and maturing relationship with God by addressing the by the pot luck fellowships that were occurring at the temple which church members were attending. Paul begins by revealing for us the reality that how we live out our day to day lives as followers of God is always rooted in what we believe about God in terms of theology. Our beliefs about God will always impact and inform our decisions about how we live before God.

Paul then reveals the theology that should impact how we live our lives before God: “we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world and that there is no God but one”. Paul is stating that the members of the church at Corinth comprehend and intellectually grasp the reality that an idol is a false god that does not really exist. The members of the church at Corinth have comprehended and grasped that there is really only one true God that exercises control over the affairs of the universe. Paul then explains that while there are many who believe that there are many gods and many transcendent beings, the members of the church at Corinth have come to comprehend and grasp who the true God is.

Paul then unpacks the timeless theology of the unchanging nature of the one true God by stating “there is one God the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him”. Paul here is reminding the members of the church of Corinth that everything comes from God the Father as our Creator and that we exist for His glory. God does not exist for our glory; we exist for God’s glory.

Paul continues by stating “and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we exist through Him”. Paul is reminding the members of the church that Jesus Christ is the eternal and unique son of God, who is large and in charge as the hands of creation that provides us the opportunity to exist in the relationship with God that we were created for through His life, death, and resurrection.

It is not that we should not pursue as a goal to know about God. Knowledge and love are not an either/or issue. The question that we need to ask is why do we pursue knowledge about God? What motivates us to want to know more about God?

Tomorrow, we will look at what happens when we pursue knowledge about God with the wrong motives in mind. We will also look at how pursuing knowledge over love can negatively impact those around us.

When Christians Pursue Knowledge over Love...

As a church we are in the middle of a sermon series entitled when Christians act unchristian. And as we have gone through this series, we have seen that one of the reasons that the letter that Paul wrote to a church in Corinth is so relevant and practical for us is due to the fact that the culture that we experience today is so strikingly similar to the culture of the people who lived in Corinth during Paul’s day.

And one of the ways that our culture is so similar to the culture at Corinth is that just like America, Corinth was a goal orientated culture. Just like Corinth, we live in a culture that is marked by goal setting. If you do not think that is the case, just watch TV. We are saturated by adds to sell us things that will help us achieve a goal. Buy this car so you will be popular. Buy this exercise equipment so that you will lose that weight. Sign up for this dating site so that you can find the right person for your life. And every year we make New Year’s resolutions so that we can have a whole new set of goals.

Now I am not saying that goals are bad. We all should have goals that we set out to accomplish. The question is not whether or not we should have goals. The question is do we have the right goals in mind. So what are your goals? Are you pursuing the right goals? And more specifically, do you have goals when it comes to a relationship with God? And are those goals the right goals? And how do you measure those goals?

This can be especially difficult when it comes to the whole concept of spiritual growth and maturity. While we can use a tape measure and a scale to measure our physical growth, how do we measure our spiritual growth? Should spiritual maturity be measured by church attendance? Is that accurate? What about Bible memorization? Or serving in a ministry? Now I am not saying that church attendance, or Bible memorization, or serving in a ministry is bad. On the contrary, all of those behaviors mark spiritual growth and maturity. But is that the true measure of spiritual maturity? What goals should followers of Jesus pursue and measure when it comes to spiritual maturity?

The question of pursuing the right goal when it comes to spiritual growth and maturity is not a new question. And as we continue to look at this letter to a church in Corinth, we see Paul reveal for us another strikingly similar parallel between our culture and the culture of Corinth that can produce Christians who act unchristian. We see this parallel beginning in 1 Corinthians 8:1:

Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

Paul begins by addressing a concern that the members of the church at Corinth had brought to his attention in a letter that they had written him. When Paul uses the phrase “things sacrificed to idols”, he is referring to sacrificial meat that was offered in worship to false gods in temples at Corinth. What would happen was that part of this sacrificial meat would be burned on the altar in worship to the false god. Another part of this sacrificial meat would be eaten by people as part of a solemn meal at the temple. The rest of the meat that was not used as part of the worship service would then be sold at the local meat market.

The members of the church of Corinth were asking Paul two questions. First, the members of the church were asking if it was o.k. for them to continue to attend these pagan temples and participate in the pot luck fellowships that were occurring at the temple. The Corinthians believed that since they were spiritually mature and knew that these gods were false gods that this knowledge would enable them to eat at these potlucks with their unchristian friends without any consequences. Second, the members of the church at Corinth were asking Paul if it was o.k. to purchase and eat meat from the local markets in town that may have been previously sacrificed to idols.

Paul responds to these questions by stating that we know that we all have knowledge; in other words all of the members of the church at Corinth believed that they comprehended and intellectually grasped what it meant to be involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ. Paul then continues by revealing for us a timeless principle when it comes to our relationship with Christ; knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. The word arrogant here, as we saw a few weeks ago means to have an exaggerated self concept. Paul’s point here is that simply having a comprehension or an intellectual grasp of what it means to be in a growing and maturing relationship with Christ will only result in spiritual pride, not spiritual maturity.

True spiritual maturity comes as a result of love. The love that Paul is referring to here is an other-centered regard and affection for someone. When Paul uses the word edify here, he is referring to an improved ability to live effectively as a follower of Jesus. Paul is explaining that love and not knowledge is the motivation that should drive a growing and maturing relationship with Christ. The members of the Corinthian church, however, falsely believed that knowledge about God was what marked spiritual growth. And it is this mindset that reveals for us another timeless truth that can occur when Christians act unchristian. And that timeless truth is that Christians act unchristian when we pursue knowledge over love. In 1 Corinthians 8, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us two things that can occur when we place knowledge over love.

The first thing that occurs when we place knowledge over love is that pursuing knowledge over love leads to arrogance. Today, just as it was 2000 years ago, there are many people who believe that it is what you know that matters; the more I know, the more I grow. In verses 2-3, Paul addresses this belief that knowledge was the motivation that should drive a growing and maturing relationship with Christ by stating “if anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know, but if anyone loves god, he is known by Him”.

If Paul was communicating this phrase in the language that we use today, it would sound something like this; if you consider that your knowledge about God makes you spiritually mature, you are simply revealing that you really do not know what it means to follow Jesus. Just because you know about God doesn’t mean that you know God, but the person who loves God reveals the reality that they truly know God and have a growing and maturing relationship with Him.

The true mark of a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ is a growing and maturing other-centered love for God and others. Our love for God and not our knowledge about God should be what motivates our behavior toward God and others. Christians act unchristian, however, when we are motivated by what we know about God, which ultimately results in spiritual pride instead of spiritual maturity.

Now a natural question that can arise is what role does knowledge play in a growing and maturing relationship with Christ? Is God O.K. with me remaining ignorant in terms of what I know about God as long as I love God? Tomorrow, we will see Paul answer this question for us.

So how do you think we should measure spiritual growth? What does spiritual maturity look like? And what role do you think knowledge plays? What is most important and what should motivate you in your relationship with God?

Disrespecting Singleness through Poor Marriages...

This week, we are looking at the issue of singleness. And in a section of a letter that Paul wrote to a church we see four ways that Christians can act unchristian by disrespecting singleness. We have discovered that we disrespect singleness when we fail to focus on the right attachments. We have also seen that we disrespect singleness when we fail to make the most of the season and when we fail to follow our consciences.

Today, we look at a fourth way that Christians act unchristian by disrespecting singleness. And that fourth way is that we disrespect singleness when those who are married fail to set an example. We see this way revealed for us in 1 Corinthians 7:39-40:

A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is; and I think that I also have the Spirit of God.

Paul concludes his discussion and the issue of marriage and singleness by reinforcing the reality that we are bound to our marriage covenant as long as our spouses live. And while Paul specifically is addressing women who had become widows, the part of a timeless principle that is revealed for us is that those who have been married can only be remarried if they are freed from the covenant that they have made with their spouse. In this case, the widow is freed because her husband has died. The only other condition that exists where a person is freed from their covenant promise to their spouses to remarry is when reconciliation is impossible due to their previous spouse entering into another marriage covenant.

Paul then concludes this section of his letter by explaining that his point of view is that the widow would be happier if she remained a widow. Again, Paul is bringing the church and us here today, back to the reality that our focus is to be on following and serving the Lord in our current relational circumstances instead of focusing our energy on altering or changing those circumstances.

Paul’s point throughout his discussion on marriage and singleness is that as followers of Jesus, we are to serve and follow Jesus in the relational context that God has placed us. Becoming a follower of Jesus does not free us from the relational commitments that we have made; becoming a follower of Jesus frees us to love, serve, follow, and reflect Christ in the relational commitments we have made. Christians act unchristian, however and misrepresent marriage or singleness when we fail to serve God in the relational circumstances where He has us.

So what example does your marriage set for those who are single? And how are living in light of your current relational circumstances? Are you focused on faithfully following Jesus? Or are you focused on what you have or do not have in terms of relationships? And what do others see about God in how you are living your life today?

Disrespecting Singleness by Failing to Follow our Conscience...

This week, we are looking at the issue of singleness. And in a section of a letter that Paul wrote to a church we see four ways that Christians can act unchristian by disrespecting singleness. We have discovered that we disrespect singleness when we fail to focus on the right attachments. We have also seen that we disrespect singleness when we fail to make the most of the season.

Today, we look at a third way that Christians act unchristian by disrespecting singleness in that we can disrespect singleness when we fail to follow our conscience. We see this way revealed for us in 1 Corinthians 7:36-38:

But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry. But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well. So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do better.

Verse 36, in the language that this was originally written in, literally reads “if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin”. The NASB adds the word daughter. And while Paul could be talking about fathers who are wondering if they should allow their daughters to get married, in light of the context in which this verse appears in Paul’s thought, he is most likely addressing whether or not single men should go through and marry the single women that they were engaged to.

Paul answers this question by explaining that if a single man firmly believes that it is OK to get married and is not being coerced or forced into marriage then he is doing well. In other words, if you want to get married, get married, that’s great, God bless you both.

Paul then continues by explaining that those singles who decide to go ahead and get married do well, and those who break off their engagement and do not get married will do better. But why would Paul state that the decision to remain single and break off the engagement would be better?

As we saw Paul reveal for us on Monday, his point of view was that in light of the troubles and suffering that we may experience on earth before we get to eternity with Jesus in Heaven, it would be good for men to remain in the relational state that they are currently in, which in this case would be to remain single. However, Paul reinforces the Biblical reality that marriage is divinely designed by God and is good as well.

So how do you respond when your conscience starts to act up when it comes to your relationships? And what informs your conscience?