A FRAGILE FAITH: HANDLE WITH CARE (1 OF 5)
by Scott Maze
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
This content is part of a series.
A Fragile Faith: Handle with Care (1 of 5)
Series: My Rights, His Cross
Scott Maze
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Many of you love to measure your progress. Tools are available to measure your Body Mass Index where you assess your body fat. You have tools available where you can measure your carbon footprint so to know your impact upon the climate. Athletes will measure the size of their biceps. You can even monitor your social media influence over the Internet. Yet, few Christians have a significant handle on how to measure their spiritual maturity. How do I measure myself in terms of my growth as a believer? We measure our maturity by measuring how willing we are to forgo are freedoms.
Today, we read a first century text that purports to do just that - to measure the Christian's maturity by the yardstick of forgoing his rights. Only this test is quite unusual. The test in question is the freedom to eat what is in front of you.
Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that ''all of us possess knowledge.'' This ''knowledge'' puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ''an idol has no real existence,'' and that ''there is no God but one.'' 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth-as indeed there are many ''gods'' and many ''lords''- 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a ...
Series: My Rights, His Cross
Scott Maze
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Many of you love to measure your progress. Tools are available to measure your Body Mass Index where you assess your body fat. You have tools available where you can measure your carbon footprint so to know your impact upon the climate. Athletes will measure the size of their biceps. You can even monitor your social media influence over the Internet. Yet, few Christians have a significant handle on how to measure their spiritual maturity. How do I measure myself in terms of my growth as a believer? We measure our maturity by measuring how willing we are to forgo are freedoms.
Today, we read a first century text that purports to do just that - to measure the Christian's maturity by the yardstick of forgoing his rights. Only this test is quite unusual. The test in question is the freedom to eat what is in front of you.
Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that ''all of us possess knowledge.'' This ''knowledge'' puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ''an idol has no real existence,'' and that ''there is no God but one.'' 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth-as indeed there are many ''gods'' and many ''lords''- 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a ...
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