My Mind’s Musings

This is the continuation of my exegesis on Christian liberty based on 1 Corinthians 8-10. As I previously stated, please feel free to critique and comment. There is more application and refining of thoughts left to come, but this is my initial homiletical interpretation of Paul’s teachings on Christian liberty.

You can find part one here and part two here.

In First Corinthians 10:14-11:1, Paul finishes the passage by delineating 4 principles in using Christian liberty that provide his final thoughts to the Corinthians on this subject. 

In verses 14-22, Paul clearly shows that there is a principle of separation involved in the use of our Christian Liberty.  The separation is to occur from idolatry.  No matter where the other lines are drawn, for the follower of Christ there is to be no hint of idolatry in his life.  Paul explains that as Christians when we participate in Communion, we are partaking in Christ’s sacrificial death (which is one reason I don’t hold to a strict memorial view of the Lord’s Supper, but that is for another post).  He then uses another illustration from Israel, that the ones (priests) eating the meat offerings were those who actually offered the sacrifices in worship to God.  In the same way the pagans who feast on the meat actually used that meat not to worship God, but to worship false gods, which are actually demons.  It is from that Satanic activity that Paul is warning his listeners to separate.  It seems he is also trying to get those who would say that you can eat anything, to think about what activity this meat has actually been used in.  Therefore, as a Christian who participates with Christ in communion, you cannot participate with demons in your eating.

Paul continues in verses 23 and 24 to explain the principle that I call, constructive benefit.  The issue is not one of, “can I do this?”  It is instead, will this activity benefit me (spiritually) and/or will it build up (spiritually) a fellow believer.  This speaks to the strong believer on two levels: one, will it be spiritually destructive or beneficial  for me to eat this food, but secondly, can the use of this liberty build up in a constructive way my fellow believer with the weak conscience.

The third principle is the principle of conscience, and is seen in verses 25-30.  This applies to both your own conscience and your fellow believers.  Paul says when you go to the market, do not look for reasons to be offended.  Just eat what you can get.  The same applies when an unbeliever invites you to dinner, just eat the food.  However, if another believer happens to be at that same meal and he raises the issue that the meat has been offered to idols, then you should not eat it.  Is that because it is wrong or offends your conscience?  No.  It is because by bringing up the issue, it clearly is an issue for his conscience, and therefore out of consideration for his conscience, you refrain.

The fourth and final principle that Paul spells out is the principle of God’s glory in verse 31.  Whatever you choose to do as you act within your liberty as a Christian, ultimately it must be done to bring glory to God.  That is the greatest principle to apply our actions against – will what I am about to do bring glory to God. 

Paul closes his exposition on Christian liberty with verses 32-11:1, by reinforcing his overall theses of not being a stumbling block and  making choices with our liberty that will help us win people to Christ.  He then wraps it up by saying that this is what Christ practiced and as he (Paul) follows Christ’s example, the Corinthians should follow his example in the same way.