Love Trumps Liberty

Love Trumps Liberty
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
September 22, 2024 

As we get into chapter 8, we see that Paul addresses the practical implications of their liberty. No question he has taught them that they were now free from the law. They were saved by grace and by grace alone.

1 Corinthians 6:11, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

In Chapter 7 He started out saying all things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. Naturally he was not talking about obvious sinful things. But there are things that can be lawful, but not necessarily profitable.

Illus – Is it a sin to eat a tub of ice cream? No. But is it profitable?

How do you live this out in your daily faith walk? Especially in your relationships with others?

It links with another question that they might have asked him in the previous letter they wrote to him, and he uses this as an example of how to treat your liberty and freedom in Christ.

They were specifically asking what his view was on eating meat that was sacrificed to idols. When sacrifices were made to idols, the fat was burned and the meat was consecrated to the idol. This meat was then used to feast on or would be available for the people to eat at a market or meeting place.

Some Christians we’re eating this meat saying that they were no longer under the law and that an idol was nothing. God was God and He made all food, so they could eat it. They might even have been ridiculing those believers who didn’t eat it.

Others who were still weak in the faith, not understanding their freedom yet, would see this and perceive it as those people again joining in in worshipping idols by their actions.

Seeing that they would be looking up to more mature Christians, they would eat and their conscience would be defiled, potentially backsliding into idolatry.

Their question showed that there was still immaturity in this area. It was an ‘all about me’ attitude. Paul shows them that they are missing the point. There are other aspects to consider.

If you are loved by God and now love God, you live in liberty but under the law of love. You should have a kingdom perspective.

Love concerns itself with others. How do my actions impact others? Am I edifying or breaking down their faith?

These are important practical principles for us as well. We don’t sacrifice to idols anymore, but there are things in this world that can trip up young believers and we should not let our liberty harm others. In other words,  are my actions helping others, or hindering their growth?

I. Edify With Love

Paul starts out in verse one saying that we know that we all have knowledge, but watch out. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.

A. Knowledge puffs up

• Knowledge is great. We should pursue having more knowledge, especially about Christ.

2 Peter 3:18, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

• There is a danger though in growing in knowledge, even the knowledge of grace and what Christ has done for us.
• If we don’t apply our freedom through the lens of love, it can be destructive.
• Knowledge that puffs up can result in a foolish attitude.

Illus – it always fascinates me to see when people with wisdom debate young people on university campuses. I like watching apologists speaking to students, and it is incredible to sometimes see the arrogance students operate from with their newfound knowledge they gained at university. Many times, the ‘wisest’ ones in their own estimation are the first-year students! The problem is that as soon as they open their mouths, you can see the knowledge isn’t really very deep and there is not much wisdom.

          Contrasting to that, I have a friend who has multiple doctorates, has written many books, and has been a theology lecturer all over the world. Yet one of his most famous sayings I will never forget is that the more he studies the Bible and the more he learns about God, the more he is humbled by how little he knows.

• Knowledge in itself has the potential to make you arrogant. Wisdom is needed to see that knowledge in the right perspective.
• Our love for God as a response to the revelation of His grace makes us opposed to sin.
• For example, knowledge of freedom without love and true revelation can lead to loose living and a flippant attitude towards others.
• Some who have not had true revelation of Christ use this as license to sin.
• Paul very boldly and emphatically opposed this.
• Paul applies wisdom to show them the error of their ways.
• Verse 2- When you think you are clever, you are not as clever as you think. But he who loves God, is known by Him. Paul immediately draws them back to love. God’s love for us, which becomes the foundation of how we love, reflecting that love into loving others.
• Their knowledge had to be subjected to and filtered through love. When you have intimacy with God, it changes you to see the heart of God. It changes you to be a servant hearted person, taking others and their perspective into consideration.

B. You are free

• Paul does not deny their freedom though. Actually, he spends quite a bit of time affirming their freedom.
• He essentially says, “I know that we can eat meat sacrificed to idols, because there are no real idols in this world.’ This is interesting, because in chapter 10 he specifically addresses the fact that those who offer to idols are actually bringing sacrifices to demons.
• Although idols were carved by human hands, the people were worshipping the demonic forces behind those idols. These forces were the ones giving the power to their sages, druids, oracles, mediums, high priests or whatever spiritual leaders they had in their Pagan worship.

Ephesians 6:12, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

• What is Paul saying? He is again affirming that our God is the most High God, the creator, the I AM, and no power or entity can compare to Him. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed and no demon has power over you.
• In fact, compared to Him, they are as nothing and inconsequential. What God blesses, no one can curse.
• In chapter 10 Paul says that whenever He gives thanks for food which God made, what power does an idol have over that food? God is God.
• So, eating meat sacrificed to idols is inconsequential in this context. What is important is your love towards your brother. How does his perspective of what you are doing influence his spiritual growth and his faith life?

II. Love for Conscience Sake

• When Paul tells them to love for conscience’s sake, it is not for their own conscience’s sake. He asked the question: why should my conscience be impacted by someone else’s faith that is not yet developed?
• The issue is not your conscience, but you restrain yourself for the sake of your brother’s conscience.
• We know that whatever is not done by faith, is sin.
• If there is something that your brother struggles with and has a conscience issue with, but he then sees you doing it and follows your example in doing it although he feels it is wrong, your action is indirectly making him sin.

Illus – Let’s use the age-old example. Say that you have no problem with alcohol. You never had a history of drinking, you might drink a beer or a glass of wine once a month or on some occasion. One day you’re at an event in the presence of someone who is a new believer who has come out of alcoholism and you know he struggles with drinking. If you drink in front of him and he decides to follow your example, it might be the one glass that puts him back into bondage and has the potential to destroy his faith.

A. Love builds up

• It is all about love. Paul says if his freedom were to make a brother stumble, he would rather let go of his freedom in that area because of his love for his brother.
• We are not called to stubbornly hang on to our liberty no matter what the effect is on other people. We are called to love.

Illus – One of the greatest illustrations of this to me is what Paul and Timothy decided to do when ministering to the Jews . Timothy was a gentile who came to Christ. He understood the freedom that he had in Christ. He was not under the law and, as a gentile, didn’t even have to ever subscribe to the law as the law was given to the Jews to point them to Christ. Yet we see something interesting in Acts 16. For the sake of the gospel Timothy had himself circumcised. Not because it was necessary for him to be saved, but because he was going to work and minister to the Jews and he knew that he would have a greater impact if he would do that, as they would more easily listen to him and accept him into their community.

• This is what Paul means when he says that to the gentile I become a gentile, to the Jew I become a Jew, so that I can make every effort to reach everyone with the gospel of Christ.
• This does not mean that he sinned with the gentiles so that he can be like them. No. It means that in certain instances he would let go of his freedom and liberty that he had in Christ, restrict himself to live under their conscience restrictions so as to reach them and not alienate them.
• Other times, he would engage in things that a Jew would not normally do.

Illus – Many times we have heard of people going on missions trips and food would be set before them that they wouldn’t normally eat. But so as not to offend the host and to build a bridge of trust for the gospel, they would eat it.

Illus – Remember Peter in Acts….

• Paul is once again giving us a master class on love for our brother and our neighbors.

B. Don’t sin Against Christ

• Verse 13- Paul goes so far as to say that if you are sinning this way against your brethren and wound their conscience, you are sinning against Christ.
• This is a sobering perspective. My brother is my brother in Christ. Christ died for him, and Christ is living in him. If I make my brother stumble and wound his conscience, I am directly working against Christ and His plan and purposes in my brother’s life.
• The problem with the section is that one can be tempted to now live by the dictates of others’ perspectives and can go to the extreme that you are once again allowed to do nothing in fear of hurting someone else.
• There are many things that people can stumble over, because everyone has different perspectives on so many faith issues.
• This can make immature people very judgmental when looking at others, as they are always looking for ammunition against people and reasons to not take responsibility for their growth and actions.

Illus – An older pastor tells the story that many years ago there were some who had an objection and strong opinion on men and women going to the beach together. So, they wanted to condemn him if he was surfing because he had to paddle out from the beach. He told them that if their conviction was so strong, then they would never ever come close to the beach so they would never be able to stumble in seeing him paddle out from the beach.

• The more you mature, the less you look to people and the more you look to Jesus.
• So how do we know what we should and shouldn’t do?
• Firstly, I need to reiterate that the Bible is very clear on many things. Just going through Corinthians, we see Paul being very direct and practical on what is wrong and right.
• There are some things though that are not so clear. The ‘in the moment’ situations that in a certain scenario would not have a great impact, but in another can have a devastating effect. What to do then?
• We are not called to set up a new code of rules and laws again. We are now governed by the law of love. Love God and love others. That is the core principle and it makes it very practical.

C. Be led by the Spirit

• When we have a humble heart that really loves people, we will not have a heart to hurt them. We have the Spirit of God and He is the one who leads us.

Romans 8:14, For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 

•  If we are sensitive to His Spirit, He will even lead us in this. When the Spirit nudges you to do or not to do something, follow Him.
• Still, we must remember, we are all human. A great principle to follow also for a young Christian is to remember that ultimately, we follow Jesus. People in authority will make mistakes. Leaders will make mistakes. None of us are perfect.
• We are in the process of sanctification, but not perfect yet. We will never be perfect on this side of the grave. But we have a heart yearning and moving the direction of holiness.
• Sometimes because of this, someone can offend you without even knowing it and with the best of intentions.

Illus – I have pastor friend who said a woman once came up to him after a service and said that she was ready to forgive him after many years.

• We should all have grace with each other. I am not the answer. Calvary Chapel is not the answer. We are all brothers and sisters walking the faith walk together who knows the answer and are pointing to Him.
• If you have been hurt, if you have been disillusioned, if you have been tripped up by a wrong example, do not stay there. Instead, fix your eyes on Jesus.
• We all need to be led by the Spirit and by love in humility focusing on Jesus. He alone is the author and the finisher of our faith.