Oct 31, 2007
This morning I had a day off from work, and was able to spend a little extra time reading my Bible and reflecting on what I found there. I am continually struck by how much truth there is to discover in God's Word. This, to me, is what it means to say that the Word of God is "living and active". One of my passages this morning was 1 Corinthians 8. If you have a Bible handy, read it before you continue.
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1 Corinthians 8 is about eating food sacrificed to idols, but it is about more than that. It is about being like Jesus, so others might know God. Verse 1 includes the idea, "Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies." Now, knowledge is good, but love is better. Knowledge tells me that I am not constrained by the law. I know idols are fake, so I don't have to worry about eating food sacrificed to them. In the same way, I know there is nothing inherently evil about drinking wine, lifting my hands to worship in a conservative congregation, or standing up for myself. (There are evil things I should not do: adultery, murder, hate, greed…but I'm not talking about them.) However, if my knowledge causes my brother to stumble because he doesn't understand, then my liberty has become an offense. Verse 12 says in such a case, "you sin against Christ."
It is better to love, and here is where today's deeper understanding came. Love is a real display of knowing and being known by Jesus. It is evidence of my desire to be like Him. The law didn't restrict Jesus; He created the law! Yet, He kept the law completely and perfectly for the benefit of others because of love. He wasn't legalistic about human traditions, but He was also careful not to offend the heart of the law, but to live it out. In Matthew 17, Jesus even paid a tax he was exempt from in order to win the lost.
In the same way, I sometimes need to give up my rights so others will not be pushed away from knowing God by my actions. If I'm in a foreign country and I am told the food I'm eating was sacrificed to an idol, I don't insist upon my right to eat whatever I want to, I "do not eat it" (1 Corinthians 10:28). If I'm dining with believers who think alcohol is bad, I don't try and prove a point by ordering a glass of wine. Rather, I show them love by my restraint, just as Jesus restrained himself to take on the form of a servant for me. With the same thought in mind, I'm not going to raise my hands in a high-church worship service or focus on myself when Olivia and I disagree about something. Love is living with the other person in mind. It's not always easy, but it's worth it to show the love of Jesus because "if anyone loves God, he is known by Him." (8:3)
Philippians 2:3-4 says "Do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." This is exactly what Jesus did for me. He could have remained with the 'knowledge' that I was corrupt and rebellious and He would have been perfectly justified to do so. Yet, he chose love (grace and mercy) over knowledge. He chose me over Himself! He preferred love for me to the knowledge of my transgressions. He took the burden upon Himself, so I might be free. So too, because of my love for Jesus, I am to take on my brother's burden and restrain my liberty, so that he might witness the love of God.
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1 Corinthians 8 is about eating food sacrificed to idols, but it is about more than that. It is about being like Jesus, so others might know God. Verse 1 includes the idea, "Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies." Now, knowledge is good, but love is better. Knowledge tells me that I am not constrained by the law. I know idols are fake, so I don't have to worry about eating food sacrificed to them. In the same way, I know there is nothing inherently evil about drinking wine, lifting my hands to worship in a conservative congregation, or standing up for myself. (There are evil things I should not do: adultery, murder, hate, greed…but I'm not talking about them.) However, if my knowledge causes my brother to stumble because he doesn't understand, then my liberty has become an offense. Verse 12 says in such a case, "you sin against Christ."
It is better to love, and here is where today's deeper understanding came. Love is a real display of knowing and being known by Jesus. It is evidence of my desire to be like Him. The law didn't restrict Jesus; He created the law! Yet, He kept the law completely and perfectly for the benefit of others because of love. He wasn't legalistic about human traditions, but He was also careful not to offend the heart of the law, but to live it out. In Matthew 17, Jesus even paid a tax he was exempt from in order to win the lost.
In the same way, I sometimes need to give up my rights so others will not be pushed away from knowing God by my actions. If I'm in a foreign country and I am told the food I'm eating was sacrificed to an idol, I don't insist upon my right to eat whatever I want to, I "do not eat it" (1 Corinthians 10:28). If I'm dining with believers who think alcohol is bad, I don't try and prove a point by ordering a glass of wine. Rather, I show them love by my restraint, just as Jesus restrained himself to take on the form of a servant for me. With the same thought in mind, I'm not going to raise my hands in a high-church worship service or focus on myself when Olivia and I disagree about something. Love is living with the other person in mind. It's not always easy, but it's worth it to show the love of Jesus because "if anyone loves God, he is known by Him." (8:3)
Philippians 2:3-4 says "Do nothing from selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." This is exactly what Jesus did for me. He could have remained with the 'knowledge' that I was corrupt and rebellious and He would have been perfectly justified to do so. Yet, he chose love (grace and mercy) over knowledge. He chose me over Himself! He preferred love for me to the knowledge of my transgressions. He took the burden upon Himself, so I might be free. So too, because of my love for Jesus, I am to take on my brother's burden and restrain my liberty, so that he might witness the love of God.
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