A Little Consideration Please
“If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice to idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake; for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof;” I Corinthians 10:27-28
I doubt that any of us have ever been invited to dine with others at a home wherein there was a possibility that we would be served food that had been offered to idols. However, this was common back in Paul’s day. In accepting an invitation to a basic get-together by an unbeliever, Paul said it was permissible to go and to eat what was on their plates, but not to ask if the food had been sacrificed to idols. After all, the food was food that God provided. If it was a religious feast held by unbelievers, the food would obviously be food that had been offered as a sacrifice, thus the believer should not even attend since it would be a feast celebrating idols. It was permissible to attend a common feast because believers were and are to be a light to a lost world. How does the gospel go forth if all those who believe in Christ stay cloistered together in their homes and churches? Jesus said to go into all the world and spread the gospel (Mark 16:15-16), but He also said to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16b). Thus, the believer is to act and speak as a follower of Christ at all times.
If, at a get-together, one was served and told that the meat had been offered to idols, the believer was to reject it, not just for his or her own conscience’s sake, but to avoid confusing others, particularly other believers, as Paul had cautioned earlier in I Corinthians 8:9 (“take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak”) and to avoid encouraging idolaters in their heathen practices. The believer was and is to maintain high standards for himself or herself at all times as a Christian. God has provided ways to avoid those foods or activities to keep from having to go against one’s conscience. (Believe me, there are plenty of folks out there who would love to see a Christian do something against his or her own beliefs. I think unbelievers desire believers to err in order to make themselves feel better about their own sins, you know, the old “I’m just as good as they are” attitude.) Those who were rejecting the idolatrous meat were to do it with courtesy in honoring Christ and maintaining their integrity. Whether one eats or not, he must abide by his own conscience, and not that of another’s conscience, and he must consider how what he does affects the conscience of others. However, another person’s conscience should not dictate the actions of the believer nor judge the liberty of the believer. Paul asked why should someone judge another because of how the other feels about a certain action? Some folks are much more sensitive than others, judging some things to be a sin to them that aren’t really a sin. However, if one considers something to be a sin, it is a sin to him or her and to participate in it violates their own conscience.
Paul then answered his own question, stating that whatever a believer does, including eating and drinking, should be done to God’s glory. Thus, the practical application of Paul’s admonition would be to always consider what one is about to do and how it would affect his or her conscience, witness, and relationship to the Lord, just as Paul urged believers to be careful to consider what they do and say regarding the edification of spiritual growth. He said that all things were lawful for him, but all things were not advantageous nor edifying (10:23). Basically, it is better to pause briefly and consider the consequences of one’s actions or speech than to act or speak unwisely and then have to do damage control. (Politicians, take note). Paul’s solution: don’t offend anyone, Jew or Gentile. In Paul’s day, the Jews were very adamant about abstaining from anything to do with idols. Their ancestors, not so much, but Jews in New Testament times were less prone to idolatry and more in tune with following God’s law. If Gentiles were new believers, watching more mature believers knowingly eat food offered to idols would confuse them, and unbelievers watching would be more encouraged in their idolatry. Believers were certainly not to do anything to offend other members of their church. Don’t be selfish. Even if something is permitted, but would spiritually harm a Christian brother or sister, then don’t do it.
Paul made it a practice, a good practice that we should all follow, to be ultra-careful about what he did and said before all people. He would have rather given up something that was permitted for him rather than continue in some practice or habit if it would lead someone astray from the truth of the gospel. Whatever he had to personally forego was worth seeing folks come to Christ. Most admonitions in scripture are based on the golden rule: always consider others. After all, we are our brother’s keeper and the representatives of Christ 24/7.