I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes. Verse 48
1 Corinthians 8:7-9
The passage at hand is about eating meat that has been sacrificed to idols. On the surface, this means absolutely nothing to us, today, because we don't sacrifice animals to anything.
However, we encounter areas daily that people have different beliefs about. A modern day comparison would be the issue of alcohol consumption. I know a brother in Christ who has proclaimed that he could never worship with someone if he saw them having an alcoholic beverage.
Now. A while back, we looked at a passage that dealt with the fact that we don't have the right to decide what is right or wrong for each other. We answer only to God in terms of these types of issues.
This is a truth. However, this passage brings it home a little more. Even though a brother or sister in Christ has no right to tell me what's right or wrong for me (remember, I'm only talking about the "gray area issues," not issues that are clear, Biblical mandates), I have a responsibility to not be careless with my opinions. Paul has this to say in our passage: But fortunately God doesn't grade us on our diet. We're neither commended when we clean our plate nor reprimanded when we just can't stomach it. But God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a fellow believer still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track.
We call this idea "causing a weaker brother to stumble."
But there's even a danger in that nomenclature. Just because someone believes differently than you doesn't necessarily make them "weaker." We might need to take a closer look. They might be stronger. Maybe we are the weaker one.
Back to the issue of alcohol. I don't believe it's wrong for Christians to drink alcohol. I do believe it is wrong for a Christian to be drunk. In the same way, though, it is probably just as wrong for a Christian to be fat!
Whoa, there, buddy. You're meddlin' now...
I can say that because I'm fat. But it's all about moderation, isn't it? About controlling ourselves. Or, rather, letting the Spirit control us.
But I digress.
Even though I believe that it is ok for a Christian to have an occasional drink (my wife and I share a bottle of wine several times a year, most notably on our anniversary), I would not dream of having that drink in front of anyone else. Not because I'm worried about what they will think, but because I wouldn't want to be guilty of causing them to "be thrown off track." If my drink causes someone else to sin by violating their own conscience, I'm guilty.
So there's the principle. We are free in Christ, but we are not free to throw that freedom around carelessly. It's like the freedom that we experience in our nation. Yes, you are free to swing your fist anywhere you want to. But your freedom to swing stops at the tip of my nose. You have freedom of speech. But you can't yell "FIRE!" in a crowded theater.
We must carry our freedom cautiously and respectfully.
Grace and peace, friends.
By the way, I don't agree with the title of this reading. I don't believe that I can personally be responsible for someone's "eternal ruin." Yes, God holds us accountable, but each person's destiny is firmly in the hands of our Creator. God forbid that our destinies should be in each others' hands!