As I was studying
for this sermon, I came across a list of rules that Sunday school teachers
in a certain denomination had to agree to before they could teach. 50
years ago Sunday school teachers had to sign a paper agreeing to these
prohibitions: Don’t drink anything alcoholic. Don’t smoke,
even candy cigarettes. Don’t chew tabacco. Don’t play cards,
except Old Maid. Don’t dance. Don’t wear make-up. Don’t
wear shorts. Don’t go to movies. Don’t roller skate except
on the sidewalk. Don’t read comics on Sunday. Don’t swim in
mixed company. Don’t read any Bible except the King James Version.
Obviously, that kind of legalism is not a major problem in most of today’s
evangelical churches. On the contrary, many Christians today drink alcohol
socially, go to the movies regularly, and even occasionally stay home
from church on Sunday to read the comics.
In this chapter Paul answers the question about Christian freedom. While
Paul specifically addresses the issue of eating food that has been sacrificed
to idols, I don’t want you to think that this doesn’t apply
to our lives today. Obviously, none of us have been faced with the dilemma
of whether or not to buy food that has been offered as a sacrifice to
a pagan god. When you walk into your favorite grocery store, you don’t
see an aisle of food offered to the god of the harvest, or another aisle
of food offered to the god of the weather. However, I hope that you
will discover, as we go through this chapter, that the wider issue to
which we are introduced to is of vital importance because Paul is going
to challenge us to look at how we live in what is called the gray areas
of life--v. 1.
The average Christian can easily distinguish between things that are
really good and those that are really bad. We know that it is right
to honor our fathers & mothers, and it is wrong to commit adultery.
These are black & white issues. But when it comes to the gray issues,
there’s a lot of confusion in the body of Christ.
Is it wrong to watch R-rated movies? Is it wrong to have a beer after
you have mowed the lawn? Is it wrong to go coed swimming? Should I only
read the King James Version, or is the NIV just as inspired? Should
we sing only time honored hymns that are accompanied only by an organ,
or is it okay to sing modern praise & worship songs that are accompanied
by guitars & drums?
With
issues like these, the picture quickly fades from black & white
to various shades of gray.
That’s because all of these actions have the common denominator
of not being expressly forbidden in the Bible. So what are you to do
when it comes to an issue that is not specifically addressed in the
Bible. Hopefully, by looking at this chapter, you will learn how to
walk within the limits of your Christian freedom.
Let’s begin by looking at the cultural issue of sacrificing to
the pagan gods. This was a common practice at the time Paul wrote this
letter. If we were living in Corinth at this time, we would have had
non-believing friends who would have invited us over to eat. And when
that happened, we would have been confronted with this issue.
So the question that Paul was asked was if we are invited to eat with
a non-Christian, should we accept the invitation? To understand why
that question was asked, let me give you some background information
about how meals were prepared in those days. As people were cooking
the meals, part of the meal would be burned.
Now for some of us that may sound like a normal dinner. As I have said
before, I do the majority of the cooking at home because Carol only
knows 2 temperature settings on the stove: off or high. When Carol does
the cooking, I know dinner is almost ready when the smoke detector goes
off. So to keep from having to eat a burnt offering, I do most of the
cooking.
The problem in Paul’s day wasn’t that people didn’t know
how to cook, it was the reason the food was burnt. A portion of the
food would be burnt as a token sacrificial offering to a pagan god.
The reasons the people would offer a portion of the food to the gods
were first of all to try to gain favor with the gods. In those days,
the concept of a good and loving god was unheard of. The people were
taught that the gods were vengeful gods who got even with any one who
displeased them. So to keep from getting zapped by a bolt of lightening,
the people would constantly offer up sacrifices in hopes of keeping
the gods happy.
Secondly, they offered up a portion of the food in hopes that it would
become decontaminated, not from bacteria or germs, but from demons.
The people of Corinth were very much aware that demons were everywhere.
They witnessed first-hand the destructive powers of people who were
demonic possessed. And a popular teaching of the day was that one of
the favorite ways for demons to possess someone, was to enter the person
through the food he ate.
The problem in those days wasn’t about how much carbohydrates or
fat or sugar was in the food, it was how many demons were in the food.
You weren’t worried about whether or not what you ate would cause
you to gain a couple of pounds. You were worried about whether or not
what you ate would cause you to become demon possessed. The people hoped
that by sacrificing a portion of the food to the gods, that any demon
who might have jumped on the food would buzz off.
Because of these 2 beliefs, it would have been next to impossible to
have eaten any food that had not been sacrificed to a pagan god. This,
as you can imagine, presented a real problem to the Christians at Corinth.
Either you were going to have to grow your own food, or you were going
to have to buy food that had been sacrificed to a pagan god, or you
were going to have to starve to death.
What Paul does next may appear to be going down a rabbit trail, but
in actuality, he is presenting the biblical principle of how to discern
what is permissible for Christians to do when it comes to the gray areas
of life--vv. 1(b). The Corinthians were consumed with, impressed by,
and committed to the pursuit of knowledge. I don’t want you to
think that Paul is belittling the place of knowledge. Paul reminds us
that “God our Savior desires all men to be saved and come to the
knowledge of the truth.” (1
Timothy 2:3-4) Peter encourages us to “Grow in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2
Peter 3:18)
But the point Paul is trying to make here is that knowledge without
love quickly degenerates to legalism. Legalism is an approach to Christian
living which turns absolutely everything into rules. And Paul, as a
one-time good Pharisee, knew all about living under a set of rules.
A Pharisee didn’t have any difficulty with gray areas, there weren’t
any. Everything was spelled out for you in the 613 laws given by Moses,
or through the countless oral traditions of laws handed down from former
teachers and wise men of Israel. The only thing you had to watch out
for was that you didn’t get a hernia from carrying around your
rule book.
Legalists know nothing of how to apply the principles of the Bible in
a way that isn’t wooden and constrictive to the real issues of
life. Instead, they develop elaborate lists of do’s and don’ts
to try to come up with ways to live life that are pleasing to God. And
they tend to judge other people’s spirituality by their willingness
to comply to their lists of regulations.
T
he problem with legalism is that it never produces true freedom. Instead,
it produces a false spirituality that is used to cover up one’s
struggles with sin. The harshest words Jesus spoke were to the Pharisees.
He called them “Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs
which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead
men’s bones and all uncleanness.” (Matthew
23:27)
God wants us to order our lives, not by the Law, but by his Spirit.
While we are to obey the rules God set forth for us in his Word, we
are to do by the power of the Spirit, not the power of the flesh trying
to keep the letter of the law. For legalism will diminish the power
of the Holy Spirit to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ. For
legalism will diminish the power of the Holy Spirit to transform us
into the image of Jesus Christ.
No set of rules can change our heart. The 10 Commandments couldn’t
do it. And that’s the best list of rules that God every came up
with. The only thing that can change our actions & attitudes is
the Holy Spirit who indwells us the moment we make Jesus the Lord of
our lives.
It appears from the context of the verse that the problem that was going
on in the church was that once again division had occurred over what
kind of food was permissible to be eaten. And the main source of contention
was over how much you knew about what the Bible said about the foods
you could or could not eat. Some were saying that the Law of Moses clearly
stated what kind of foods were permissible to eat.
And others were telling about what they had heard concerning Peter’s
dream that removes the Old Testament dietary restrictions. The problem
wasn’t so much that the people were wrong for holding to what they
thought was right. The problem was that the people who knew about Peter’s
dream were going around bragging that God had revealed something to
them that he hadn’t revealed to the rest of the members. And those
who still believed in the old traditions were going around saying that
those other people were being deceived. Paul rebukes both groups for
thinking that what they knew made them more superior.
Paul points out is that although you can know everything there is to
know about the Bible, you can still be a baby Christian. While being
able to quote verses or read the original languages might make you look
like a spiritual giant, if you don’t show love towards your fellow
believers, you are really a spiritual pigmy. To disprove the false notion
of the superiority of knowledge, Paul shows us the limitation of knowledge--v.
2.
No matter how smart you may be, or even how smart you think you may
be, your knowledge is nothing compared to the knowledge of God. Paul
will address this issue further in ch. 13 where he says, “For now
we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face, now I know in part,
but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known.”
(1
Corinthian 13:12) Please understand that Paul doesn’t want
us to be ignorant concerning spiritual things. But what Paul wants us
to see is that love is the greatest trait we can display.
Think back on the teachers you had in school. The ones who impacted
your life the most, probably weren’t the ones who were the smartest,
or even the greatest communicators of truth. But it was the ones who
took the extra time to help you understand difficult concepts because
they cared about you. When you knew that they had your best interest
at heart, you tended to listen more to what they had to say. And you
tended to do better in their classes out of your respect for them.
This is my approach to being a pastor. I know that I will never be in
the league of teachers like Chuck Smith, Charles Swindoll, or Charles
Stanley. But one thing I will promise you is that I will love you like
you have never been loved before. Even though I may never be a great
communicator of biblical truths, I am trying to be a great communicator
of biblical, pastoral love.
Paul is saying here is that there is nothing wrong with not being the
smartest person in the world.
In fact, In fact, Jesus didn’t equate education with qualification
for ministry. In his rebuke to Peter, Jesus simply challenged Peter
by telling him 3 times: If you love me.
And this is the philosophy of ministry that Calvary Chapel has adopted.
One of the things
that make Calvary Chapel distinct from so many other denominations or
affiliations is that
they don’t put a lot of stock in seminary degrees. The only requirements
to being a pastor
of a Calvary Chapel are to have a love for God, a love for his Word,
and a love for his
people. The philosphy of ministry for Calvary Chapel is to have the
best loved, and best
loved sheep in your city.
When I used to go to pastor’s conferences, the first thing I’d
be asked was, “What seminary
did you go to?” But when I go to a Calvary Chapel pastor’s
conference, the first thing I’m
asked is what book of the Bible am I currently teaching? Or how did
I handle a passage of
Scripture that is hard to rightly divide. At this year’s conference,
Pastor Chuck reminded us
that what the Spirit used to reach so many people through the Calvary
Chapel movement
was not the contempory music or the casual dress. It was simply teaching
the truths of
God’s Word.
And this is what we are going to do in this fellowship. While I have
a masters of divinity
degree, I don’t look to higher biblical education as a prerequiste
for ministry. I don’t expect
Brent to get a degree in sacred music. I don’t expect Mike Rapp
to get an associate degree
to be my assistant. I don’t expect Mike Pryzybylowicz to get a
degree in youth ministry to
be our youth minister. All I expect from them is to love God, love his
Word, and love his
people.
Personally speaking, I am one of the smartest people in the world, not
because I went to
seminary, but because I’m not ashamed to admit that I don’t
know very much. Only dumb
people think they know everything. I came across a statement that is
so true: "True
knowledge occurs when we pass from the unconscious state of ignorance,
to
the conscious state of ignorance."
The problem that was going on in the church of Corinth was that the
ones who believed they had spiritually arrived were using their knowledge
to destroy the unity of the church. Paul then gives us the remedy to
the sin of the pride of knowledge--v. 3. You might expect Paul to say,
“the one who loves God is the one who really knows everything there
is to know about God.” But he doesn’t. Instead he lets us
know that it’s not important that we know all the right stuff about
God, but it’s more important that we have an ongoing, intimate
love relationship with God. In fact, the most profound truth in all
the world is the fact that a holy God wants to have an intimate relationship
with unholy people.
Paul is not playing with words, but he is showing the importance of
salvation. A person is not saved by merely acknowledging that God exists.
This merely makes a person a deist. Trust me, Satan knows God exists.
And he is not saved. But to be saved, means that God knows you personally.
Which means he has an intimate relationship with you.
Let me state again that the fact that holy a God wants to have an intimate
relationship with unholy people is the most profound truth in all the
world because when it comes to influential people, I doubt if any of
them know any of us by name. But, the Creator of this universe, not
only knows us by our name, but we are constantly on his mind. With all
the problems going on in the world, what does God sit around and think
about all day long? Is it how to bring world peace? No! Is it how to
discover a cure for cancer? No!
What God thinks about all day long is you and me. David says, “How
precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of
them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the
sand.” (Psalm
139:17-18) The greatest piece of knowledge in all the world is the
fact that Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
And when it comes to exercising our Christian freedom, Paul says don’t
just be guided by the amount of knowledge you have of the Bible. But
rather be guided by your unconditional love for others that the Holy
Spirit has placed within you when you became known by God. This is not
easy when you know more than somebody else does about a spiritual truth.
It is hard not to use our knowledge of the Bible to influence or intimidate
others. I have seen far too many Christians beat people over the head
with biblical truths in an attempt to make a point. Paul would say that
when people use knowledge to get their way, then they are not walking
in love. Love, not a list of rules & regulations, determines the
things we will say yes & no to doing.
So as you consider getting involved in questionable activities that
aren’t addressed in the Bible, don’t base your answer solely
upon your biblical knowledge. But also base it upon whether or not what
you are doing will cause someone else to get closer to God. Base you
answer upon whether or not someone else be strengthened in their faith.
The challenge is to apply the principles of the Bible to our daily experience
of life so that our lives will bring glory to God, and build each other
up. Therefore, it is vital that we learn the nature of true Christian
freedom.
In conclusion, let me state that my mind is not consumed with trying
to discover world peace, as important as that is. Nor is it consumed
with trying to discover the cure for cancer, as important as that is.
Rather, my mind is consumed with trying to discover why God picked me
out of the sea of humanity to be one of his children. Because having
a relationship with God, through his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is
the most important issue in all the world!
So let me ask you if God knows you personally? Does he have an intimate
relationship with you? Does he know you as one of his children? The
only way he can is if you have made Jesus the Lord of your life. John
tells us, concerning our relationship with Jesus Christ, that “As
many as received Him, to them He gave them the right to be called the
children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John
1:12)
Let’s
pray
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