Meat Sacrificed to Idols

Meat Sacrificed to Idols in 1 Corinthians 8

Turn with me, please in your Bibles to Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. 1st Corinthians chapter 8. 1st Corinthians Chapter 8. And if you are frozen in utter shock, yes I do have something other than Hebrews on my iPad and we will be looking at a completely different subject this evening.

So I know that's outside of my normal range, but hopefully we'll all be able to stay together. 1st Corinthians chapter 8. You're reading the entire chapter where we read. 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.

Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols We know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world and 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. 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 of this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.

Or someone sees you who have knowledge dining in an idols temple. Well, not his conscience if he is weak be strengthened eat things sacrificed to idols. But through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined.

The brother for whose sake Christ died and so by staying against the brethren and wounding Their conscience when it is weak you sin against Christ. Therefore food causes my brother to stumble. I will never eat meat again so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

Corinth, First Clement, and the Problem of Church Division

Amen this particular chapter introduces us to How the Apostle Paul dealt with an issue of difference amongst the brethren There at the church of Corinth and they had a lot of those issues. We sometimes pray.

Oh Lord, let us let us have the days of the early church. Then we read first Corinthians and say well Lord, maybe a little bit after the early church. Because here was a church. Not only they have problems.

Clearly manifested to us by 1st and 2nd Corinthians. But we discover in one of the earliest writings of the Christian era after the New Testament. It's frequently called first Clement by tradition. It is ascribed to Clements of Rome.

At the time that it was written there wouldn't have been a single bishop of Rome. But he might have been the secretary for the elders or something like that. But be that may it's written toward the end of the first century and guess what it's about Problems in Corinth.

It's written from Rome to Corinth. The Corinthians have kicked out their elders for no good reason and had basically caused a riot in the church. And so this church, even though they had had inspired Letters of Scripture written to them to attempt to correct their problems.

Well You've heard it said many times you ever find yourself a perfect church. Don't join it because you'll ruin it and that does seem to be the case with the church down through the ages in its individual Manifestations here in 1st Corinthians chapter 8 what you have is a it's a situation that Requires us to know a little something about the backgrounds to be able to appreciate what is being said.

We can simply jump in our cars and head over to to fries or to Safeway. It's amazing how you go from state to state and all of the the grocery stores names change. They're the same chains, but they have different names in different states.

It's really odd. But we can just we can just get into our cars and we can go over and within a mile of my house or so there's a large of fries and They have a large deli department and I'll go over there.

I love getting this particular kind of just super yummy super lean turkey. And I get it sliced real thin and it just make just wonderful wonderful sandwiches, and there's it's well-stocked. I mean, there's you can choose from anything there.

It's wonderful, and I I rarely have to ask where the meat came from. Thankfully we don't live in England right now to ask whether it's halal. You know was the name of Allah spoken over when the turkey was killed which is starting to happen in places like England these days.

But but you can you can choose anything you want. That wasn't the case. Fries has not been around that long. And so we go back to Corinth the primary source of meat in the city Would be found in the fact that you have many many temples in the city in which sacrifices were being made Sacrifices to the gods to as Paul described them to idols.

Now concerning things sacrifice to idols and. So the primary way of obtaining meat in the marketplace was that you would be bidding on. Waging on trying to get get a good deal on you know how things were done in those days.

It wasn't it didn't just have a stamp on it. You know you sort of barter with somebody which I was if I was doing it would probably mean I always pay the most of anybody, but You you would barter in the in the meat market and the meat Normally would be coming from one of the Sacrifices to one of the idols in one of the temples that was just simply the the main source of meat that would be available To you.

Well, it's caused a problem. Especially if let's say you've been converted to Christ, and you have been involved in particularly idolatrous sacrifices and and religious observance. And now you want to have nothing to do with that religious observance you want nothing to do with that religion.

And let's say you're one of the guys that used to do the sacrificing you knew exactly where that meat went. Well now you would be scandalized if you Went into that meat market, and you know where that meat is and you're going to be partaking of the same meat.

That you had been involved in the sacrifice of only a few weeks or months earlier. Before you had bowed the knee to Christ and had renounced these idols and realized that they were enemies of Christ. But then there were others in the church of Corinth and They recognized those who were scandalized by these things, but their argument was Such thing as an idol.

All that is is a is a is a statue. There is no spiritual reality to it. There are no other gods, but one God and so we don't have to worry about eating meat sacrifice to idols. Because it's all been blessed by God.

It's all from God's creation. We don't have to worry about this and so there is division. There is a problem and here Paul addresses that particular issue. He says yes, we we all have knowledge. We all have knowledge.

Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. So in other words what we have in this chapter in in an overview way is Paul Trying to deal with two different groups in the church. And this is without a doubt one of the hardest things in the world to do.

I Have said many many times. Some of you know that next April I am scheduled to do a debate in the South London Mosque. That is the largest currently the largest physical mosque in the United Kingdom.

Okay, and I imagine there's going to be 20 Christians and all sorts of people who are not Christians long beards. You know he jobs and so on and so forth. I would rather do that than to deal with the visions in the church.

I Really the the Muslims don't scare me as much as angry Baptists, okay? I mean, it's just no there's there's really no no comparison there. It is extremely difficult to deal with these tensions. Within the fellowship, and that's exactly what Paul's doing here, and what you've got on the one side are the people saying look.

That's what I used to do. I I am hurt by that that I I do not want to have any Connection with that and when I see you doing that I am scandalized by it. But the other people are saying you're a legalist.

You need to have the knowledge that we have we have knowledge that there is no such thing as an idol in this world and. So you have the two sides, and they're not coming together. What does Paul suggest as the mechanism of?

Bringing peace and harmony in a church where a division exists over over an issue that on. The one side Paul agrees with those are saying yeah, and I was nothing the world. You don't have to worry about eating meat sacrifice idols unless Someone walks up to you and says here's a cheeseburger from a policies Temple and they say it out loud then you should know.

Thank you, but if you're in the meat market and Yes, you know that there's possibility, but it doesn't say here get a policies meat. It's just simply meat then you can buy it without a problem. You can eat it without a problem.

You give thanks to God all as well. But there are and he describes them as weaker brethren where if the possibility exists. That this was involved in pagan sacrifice. I don't want anything to do with it so you've got the two sides now theologically Paul says you're right you have knowledge your knowledge is right, but Knowledge makes arrogant.

What does love do love edifies? It builds up and it builds up someone else in the congregation. And that's why he says if anyone supposes that he knows anything He is not yet known as he ought to know but if anyone loves God He is known by him so in other words if you think you've got it all figured out.

Let me tell you something you haven't even started. It is amazing to me when I when I have people come up to me sometimes and and they've just got all the answers you know, they some some young buck, you know, and he's Got all the answers and and you might come up to me after a debate or something like that he knows exactly how I should have done everything and.

There are a lot of folks like that. But what Paul is saying is if you think you know something Let me tell you something nobody in this life even get to get the start in. Really knowing what there is to know about the truth of God.

But if anyone loves God, he is known by him now don't. Don't now leap off the other side of the balance. Because there have been many many people whose result of this have just eschewed any kind of knowledge whatsoever.

All knowledge just puffs up knowledge makes you arrogant. So so just let's just not even worry about it. That's not Paul's point either. He actually happens to agree with the people who have the knowledge here.

They're right but in the congregation. Love without knowledge will always cause friction. I'm sorry knowledge without love will always cause friction. Got to keep those or the order straight there. Knowledge without love will always cause friction and division within the church and so if anyone loves God He is known by him.

Therefore he says and it knows how he how he deals with this therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed idols. We know and he's speaking for the whole Christian congregation. We do know. That there is no such thing as an idol in the world.

No, what does he mean by that? He knows they're idols. Remember Acts chapter 17. He saw the Idol to the unknown God and things like that. But there is no such thing as the corresponding reality in the sense of these are not true God.

There is no such thing as an idol in the world and there is no God, but one. There is no God, but one. Now there is a direct statement of monotheism and You need to understand. Today that's considered to be a given.

But it was not a given in that day. The Jews were detested by many of the Romans for their monotheism. Jews and Christians together were frequently called atheists. Because they did that they said there were no gods of plural, but only one God and it was considered to be extremely arrogant.

How and think about it if the norm in your culture was the worship of many gods and you come along and say? Your guys don't exist and the God I worship actually is a creator of all things and need to worship him.

Who do you think you are? They got the exact same kind of response that we get in a postmodern society. Or people say well, who do you think you are that you know what the truth is? There's nothing new under the Sun and.

So it was not out of popularity that words like this would be stated. But he says we know we know that there is no God, but one there is only one true God. This is a standard statement of the monotheism.

It was called second temple Judaism the second temple that the temple that existed in the days of the Lord Jesus out of which many of those first disciples came. There is no God, but one for even if there are so called gods.

So-called gods. Legomanoid those that are identified or called gods as there were gods many and Lords many. And so he says even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth and there are lots of them.

I mean the pantheon of Roman gods and Greek gods was huge and then you had the gods of the East and you had the gods of the Egyptians and and All sorts of stuff even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or earth is indeed.

There are gods many and Lords many. 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 however.

Not all men have this knowledge. Now when he says that he's transitioning back into his discussion at the end about the fact there are people in the congregation and. And Because of what their experience was.

They do not yet fully understand that the worship they were involved with those that they worship those idols. They worship didn't really exist. There was no Reality behind it. It was deception. It was certainly satanic.

We're not denying the spiritual power of those things. But the idea that there are gods many and Lords many and I've just moved my Allegiance from a lesser God to a greater God. No, no, no, no, that can't be it.

Some people being accustomed to the idol until now eat food as if it were Sacrificed an idol in their conscience being weak as defiled. So there are weak people that are still growing in Christ is still coming to understand the reality of the fact.

There is only one true creator and that means everything else that exists is under his Sovereignty and control under his power. There is no Apollos out there. There is no Zeus over here. There is only one true God.

And notice how the Apostle addresses this issue. He says look. Even if it is popular to identify these these idols. Whether in heaven and earth as so-called gods. Yet for us for who. For those who know God for true believers for us.

There is but one God that does not mean well, we just limit our worship. These other gods are out there, but we just choose not to worship them. We have knowledge and the knowledge is absolute monotheism there is only 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.

Now I want just I want us to look at the language that Paul uses here to make some application this evening. Listen to that phraseology. But for us the Christian people. One God high space one God the father from whom are all things and we unto him and Highest courteous one Lord Jesus Christ through whom all things are and We through him now.

We are in the middle of a discussion. That a lot of people would go oh yeah, I went to church on on Resurrection Sunday evening and talked about meat sacrifice titles. Yeah, that was that was exciting.

But you happen to be reading one of the most important Christological Trinitarian theological sections in all the New Testament. Has ever struck you most of the time. That we encounter these rich deep texts.

They're smack-dab in the middle of really regular stuff in the church. What do I mean by that? Paul's dealing with the army of the church keeping brothers and sisters together in the bond of love in the fellowship.

Member over in Philippians will be in 2 5 to 11 the Carmen Christi the hymn to Christ is to God. What's that about? Treat one another With humility of mind. It's a sermon illustration about peace in the church.

Colossians 1 the whole thing about Christ is the creator of all things. Beware of those coming into the church or teaching these things who might deceive you all of it is focused upon The church and that's what you have here and 1st Corinthians chapter 8 verses 5 through 6 is one of the most important insights.

Into what the New Testament teaches about the relationship of the Father and the Son that we possess. And yet It's in the middle of a chapter as we've already seen that is very very Practical in its application.

The Shema Fulfilled in the Trinity

I want to make application of that before we finish this evening. Now over in Romans 11 36. We have very similar language to this but notice how it is said here speaking simply of God and From him and through him and to him are all things to him be the glory forever.

Amen. Now there you have all the same Greek prepositions simply used of God as a whole. No differentiation and yet here you have differentiation in The terminology that Paul uses because when he talks about our one God.

Notice the language that he uses one God the Father and One Lord Jesus Christ if we looked back at the Old Testament. What was the common? Possession of all of the Jewish people. What they would repeat each morning when they would arise what was what was the the confessional statement was called the Shema?

Shema means to hear. It's a command here Shema. Israel Yahweh Eloheinu Yahweh our God here Israel Yahweh Eloheinu Yahweh is our God. Yahweh Echad Yahweh is one. But in the Greek Septuagint translation of that text what you had was here Israel Kurios hot they asked him own couriers ice estim courios was the word that was used for Yahweh.

The word Lord was substituted for the word Yahweh. So the Lord is our God. The Lord is one two phrases. Now once you hear that then you look at this phrase and you realize here in first Corinthians chapter 8 Paul has done something absolutely amazing.

Well, it may not be amazing to us. But again, we need to step back from our familiarity with these things and see what it is he's doing. What he's done is he has reproduced all the words from the Shema.

But he has made them specifically Christian in light of the revelation of the doctrine of the Trinity and what is the revelation of the doctrines of Trinity the Incarnation ministry death burial resurrection of Jesus Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God.

All of the New Testament is written after the revelation and therefore is to be read in light of the revelation of what God has done in Christ and So when he speaks to the Corinthians He's not telling them notice.

This is not now before I talk to you about idols. I need to give you a theology lesson here. I need to introduce you to the God we're talking about. This is this is done in passing this is this is taken as as common knowledge.

Now we know. This is the knowledge that is ours. Now, why do I emphasize that? Because Paul deals with this issue in the congregation. Based upon the presupposition that they as the Christian people Shared a particular commitment of faith.

There was a revelation that was theirs. There was a truth. They were committed to as the people of God. It wasn't that everybody got together and Decided to share their feelings. That's not a basis for the church.

If that was how church is done and there are people running around out there that think that's how the church should be done. We should all get together and talk about how we feel today. And that makes people feel just wonderful about each other and that's all wonderful and good, but that's not what the Christian Church is about if that's the way things work.

Paul could never have argued this way because. Maybe someone doesn't feel that way. Maybe some of the weaker brethren. Why I just don't feel that that's the case. No, he can appeal to a common Accepted norm a truth to which they were all committed.

There is one God. The father one Lord Jesus Christ. So he doesn't expand upon these things. Well what he's done is he has taken the Shema and he has made it fuller in light of the revelation that has taken place and So we have they ask that's in the first phrase of the Shema Kuri, ah ha they asked the Lord is our God and So there's one they asked there's one God the father.

And then he adds this phrase from whom are all things and we for him and One Lord because it says Kuri, ah ha he says and there is one Lord and one Lord Jesus the Messiah. Through whom and it's the same word the same phrase tap on to all things are and we through him.

So the all things come from the father through the son and we have been created for the father and we exist through him all those phrases a monotheistic Jew would have understood of the one true God now what you have in the light of the New Testament revelation is not a new God.

If Paul was trying to get away from the Shema, why would he use the words of the Shema? But he uses the very words that every Jewish person said every morning. It says look what God has done now in the light of Bethlehem in the light of Calvary in the light of Pentecost.

We have not changed God. We simply accept the revelation. He has made of himself Very important to see this. It's very important to understand that this high view of Christ. It's not something that developed over the centuries.

It's not something that first came into existence of the Council of Nicaea or something like that. It is part and parcel. It is of the very essence of the revelation That's taken place Between the Old and New Testament.

It is part of the very fabric of the New Testament writings itself. And I would say do you can't begin to make heads or tails of the New Testament writings until you understand? These divine truths. And so with that in mind What would I like to make application of this evening?

Well first Looking at verses 5 6. I would highly recommend this phrase this this section to you for your scripture memorization. Because just as it is a gold mine of Insight into how we understand the Father and the Son the fact that the terms to us God is normally Paul's use word for the Father courteous for the son.

These are their Trinitarian names any gold mine is just as likely to be used for deception and falsehood and Many of the religious groups with whom I work misuse and abuse this text. It is misused and abused by Mormons.

See there are many gods and many lords. They take it exactly opposite of how Paul intended it. But that's what happens when you Believe the Bible has been corrupted and you have other books of scripture and prophets and so on so forth and worship many gods.

The Jehovah's Witnesses will use it to try to divide Christ off from God the Father. The Muslims will use it to try to say see we only have one God the Father. I've even I even attended a debate I wasn't debating it's sometimes very frustrating for me when I did I attend other people's debates because I Want to be up there and I can't and it's they have to tie me up and put gag me and things like that.

But but there was the the Muslim Misquoted this verse he quoted only the first half of verse six, but to us there is but one God the Father see Christians didn't believe that Jesus was God. And I was just like, ah, I did get up and ask a question during the audience thing and sort of started debating them.

But that's another issue. These will all the all these groups will misuse and abuse These words unless we know what the context is and hence can use them rightly. Any text that carries great treasure for us of truth has a proportional Opportunity of being twisted and abused By those who twist and abuse the scriptures.

So keep that in mind. We need to know what this text is really saying to us but then there is To me this wonderful application and that is the Apostle Paul Felt that it was necessary to address What hadn't yet become a full-blown division in the church, but he could foresee the possibility That this could lead to a real division in the church and what he wants is he wants to see Unity amongst the brethren and when there's that kind of tension.

There's that kind of difficulty that unity isn't necessarily going to be there. And so he wants to address it. But he addresses it Based upon the common faith that is ours. He didn't just simply use his apostolic authority and say you people over here do this and you people over here do that.

Just just do it. Just listen to what I have to say. That's it. He explains to those who have knowledge. You need to join to your knowledge. Love. And he concludes the chapter even though he has made it clear.

Look, if you're in the meat market buy your meat and don't worry about it. But as he concludes the chapter I Do not want to destroy my brother for whom Christ died. I Do not want to cause stumbling for my brother.

And if I am put in a situation where I can't eat meat anymore, then fine. I won't eat meat. I Will give up my rights in the service of others and is that not exactly? What his sermon illustration was in Philippians chapter 2 is that not exactly what humility of mind is having certain rights?

But laying them aside in the service of others. I Will not allow my freedom to be the occasion of the destruction of another believer. That's how he concludes the chapter. So you might be right in your theology.

But your theology must be applied in love. So he makes that kind of application. But the same time he explains to the weaker brother. Think about your profession of faith. Think about what you believe about God.

There is no God outside of the one true God. These these deities that you worship as he says the Galatians you want to serve those which were not God's. You worship those which by very nature are no God.

There is no God but one and so think about your profession of faith. This is one area where we keep pounding away at this and I know at this point and This illustration doesn't work quite as well for us, but preaching to the choir.

We don't have one of those. But you know what? It means preaching to the folks that already agree with you. There must be a regular activity on our parts where we are taking all the things that we believe the entirety of our life and we are Examining them in the light of God's Word.

We are to bring what we believe about God together what we believe about eating and sacrifice to idols in our former life. They can't it can't be one thing over here and one thing over here because clearly for the weaker brethren.

They haven't seen how these two fit together yet. And sometimes that takes time. Understand that aren't you glad God's given us all time. He doesn't expect us to be perfect doesn't expect us to have perfect knowledge the instant we walk in.

But what he is doing is he's calling the weaker brethren bring these things together see how they fit together. Don't become apathetic don't become stuck in those things. See the beautiful consistency of all that the Christian life is to be.

And. What's the foundation? It's not my experience. It's not my feelings. It's not my past. What's the foundation our? Common confession of who God is one thing's obvious. Whatever it was Paul spent all that time.

Whenever he had when he was in Ephesus, you know, he spends three years there and and you know that you know He talks about the sermons He was giving lasted for hours and hours and hours so much so people fell asleep and couple died.

But he raised them up. But anyways, what were they talking about? I Don't think it was necessarily a strong emphasis upon the identity of the seventh head of the ten beast monster in Revelation. I Think most of that time was spent.

Who is your God? Who is this Christ? What has he accomplished? It was the focus upon the main things because he can say to them look 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 all things we exist through him and he doesn't have to defend that doesn't say Oh, you know, I forgot to tell you about this.

I'm sorry. No, it's a given and So what that means is our emphasis upon the main things the plain things the central things. Who God is who Christ is what the accomplishment of the gospel is the inspiration and reliability of the Word of God?

These are the things that we need to be focused upon and we have apostolic example of it and So to me looking at a text like this and to see that the very foundation that Paul uses. To try to bring unity in the church is our common faith.

Not experiences not calling people to well, you know, let's sit around. Let's have a let's have a little chat about this and how do you feel about this or how do you feel about that? The Apostle doesn't do that.

He does talk about love, but love doesn't mean That we don't any longer have a sure word from God so what do we find in this text a treasure trove in verses 5 to 6 of Insight that takes us deeply back into the Old Testament.

We see the consistency of God's revelation. We see the the fact that we're not worshiping some new God. But instead the one God of the Shema who revealed himself to Abraham Isaac to Moses Is still the one God we worship today.

There has been no change in that sense, but there has been a much greater revelation. No in the light of this we can look back and we can see those rich passages in the Old Testament. We have that. But how did we get that?

Well because the people in Corinth were just like us today. There were problems. Some were weaker brethren some were stronger brethren but even being stronger brethren in knowledge didn't necessarily mean that they were stronger brethren in love and yet God in his patience and in his providence dealt with them just as he deals with us.

He had patience with them. Just as he has had patience with us and I'm awful glad to know that and So this text to me. Yeah, sometimes it's a battleground. I'm having to deal with it right now in regards to the subject of Mormonism, but we may can never allow these Central texts to be taken out of their context that we do not hear them as they were originally heard.

And I hope that as you hear this, I hope you've been enriched in your understanding. Wow. Paul uses a schmon here. We're confirmed again in the fact that we believe about the one true God is exactly what the scriptures revealed to us all along.

All of that is true. But I also hope that you Appreciate the fact that the reason we have that statement is because God is concerned about our living out Jesus's commandment to love one another and that in having true knowledge if we want to be known by God, we will not be known by him by How much we know.

Will be known by him if we love him for who he is. That's why we have to have knowledge. That's what we have to have truth. He wants to be worshipped for whom he is. We need to know who he is but mere Orthodoxy without love.

Well as Paul described it elsewhere It's a clanging bell. We need to have and need to pray for that balance that only the Holy Spirit of God can provide us. Love for God love for his truth. Love for one another.

Let's pray together. Indeed our gracious heavenly father. We thank you for your word and for its message to us and we would pray that father you would help us to love one another rightly and Lord that You would help us to understand what it means that if we love then we are known by you help us to Know you truly.

To grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, but always to remember That what you desire from us is that greatest commandment Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength.

May we love your truth. But may we love you supremely is our prayer in Christ's name.