It's difficult sometimes to know how to apply the teachings in the Bible about food offered to idols. In most cultures of the world this is not a problem. The cultures which offer food to idols make the offering and only that part which is offered is considered special in any way. Not so with the Greek and Roman religion. The whole animal would be considered special, even though they may only need some of the entrails or a little of the blood, meat, or fat to make the offering. Because there were lots and lots of offerings made there was a lot of meat left over, much more than the people making the offering could consume. What do you do? You sell the meat. But it is meat that has been consecrated to a false god.
How should a Christian deal with such a situation? Many of the Christians in Paul's time had previously taken such meat very seriously. It was special. It was consecrated to whatever god was the object of the offering. It would be purchased and eaten with a particular reverence. Now knowing that the offering was nothing, that the false god was really just an idol, and that the meat was perfectly normal meat, often available at a low price because of its abundance, the believer would certainly be free to purchase the meat and eat it, even in the temple to the false god. "I just come here to eat." But what about the person who was still bound in his conscience? What of the person who might try doing that but would find he had a special reverence for a false god? He would then find he was trying to worship two gods at once, the true God and the idol. This is a terrible sin to bind upon someone.
Notice that Paul does not address this passage to the person who will be bound in his conscience. That is the weaker brother. Paul addresses the person who would be able to exercise his freedom and thus bind someone's conscience. He tells the stronger brother to abstain from what would cause a problem to the weaker brother.
How do we apply this in our modern Western culture? There is a fairly substantial group of Christians who say there are certain types of entertainment no believer should partake of - no movies, no drama productions, no dancing, no alcohol, no tobacco. Would my exercising my freedom to go to a movie, go dancing, then have a beer and a smoke cause those believers to decide to do likewise and thus bind their conscience? That's pretty unlikely. I don't think this is a good parallel situation. I wonder what is?
Maybe one of the two or three people who look at this blog will notice and propose a current parallel. That way we will have a clue about what freedom we would be wise to abstain from, especially around weaker brothers.
Good stuff. First, I think we should acknowledge that some activities are indeed sinful. Adultery for instance. So while going to a movie isn't inherently evil, watching sexual content in a movie, whether sex acts or mere nudity, is sinful. Similarly, drinking alcohol is not sinful, but drinking to excess and drunkenness is. We do well to keep in mind that which is not a "gray matter," but black and white.
ReplyDeleteThat said, what about the gray matters? Drinking seems to be the issue that comes up most often from this passage as we seek to apply it to a modern context.
Goal #1 - seek to educate believers that alcohol in itself is not evil. "Weak" consciences can be strengthened and should be.
Goal #2 - love those with weak consciences by limiting your freedom, lest they be led to sin (destroyed). This goal of love to brother, by the way, is prioritized in this passage. It is presented as a way to love Christ. And sin against the brother is sin against Christ. Nothing to take lightly, even for those who have knowledge.
Is it possible that those immature believers (from a cultural context in which alcohol has been viewed as inherently evil) will struggle when they see a mature believe drinking socially? Will he think, "Alex Kirk's doing it, it must be okay"... then find himself with a guilty conscience afterward? For the weak believer I would say it is very possible.
They need education, but more importantly they need love. As we all do.