Scripture:
I Corinthians 8.1-13; 10.23-11.1; Romans 14.1-15.7
Translation: 1 Cor. 8.1And
about things related to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge
puffs up, but love builds up. 2If someone thinks he knows something,
he doesn’t yet know to the degree that it is necessary to know. 3And
if someone loves God, this person is known by Him. 4So, about the
food of the things related to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the
world and that there is no god, except One. 5And you see, even if
there are so-called gods—whether in heaven or on earth—in the same way that
there are many gods and many lords, 6but for us ‘There is One God,
the Father, from Whom all things exist and we exist for Him! And there is One
Lord, Jesus the Messiah, through Whom all things exist and we exist through
Him!” 7But this knowledge is not in everyone. And some people are
still now in the habit of the idol as they are eating the things related to
idols. And their conscience, because it’s weak, is defiled. 8But
food won’t present us to God: it isn’t that if we don’t eat we are lacking, nor
is it that if we do eat we are abounding. 9And make sure that this
right of yours doesn’t become a stumbling block for weak people. 10For
if someone sees you who have this knowledge eating dinner in an idol’s temple, won’t
the conscience of the person who is weak be built up into eating the
idol-related things? 11You see, the weak person is destroyed by your
knowledge—the brother for whom Christ died! 12And by sinning against
the brothers in this way and attacking their weak conscience, you’re sinning
against Christ! 13For this exact reason, if food is tripping my
brother up, I for sue won’t eat meat forever, so that I won’t trip up my
brother!
1 Cor. 10.23All things are allowed, but
not all things are beneficial! All things are allowed, but not all things build
up! 24No one should see his own interest, rather [he should seek]
the interest of the other person. 25Eat everything sold in the
market, scrutinizing nothing because of conscience, 26becauese “The
earth is the Lord’s, and what fills it!” 27If any of the unbelievers
invites you and you want to go, eat whatever is put in front of you,
scrutinizing nothing because of conscience. 28But if someone says to
you: “This is idol-related,” don’t eat because of that person who informed you
and because of conscience. 29And I’m saying conscience—not your own,
but the other person’s. Because for what purpose is my freedom judged by someone
else’s conscience? 30If I enjoy by grace, why am I being slandered
about what I’m thankful for? 31So, whether you’re eating or drinking
or doing something, do all things for the glory of God! 32Become
blameless/inoffensive both to Jews and to Greeks and to God’s church, 33just
like I’m pleasing to all people in all things, not seeking my own benefit, but
that of the many, so that they would get saved. 11.1Become imitators
of me just like I too am of Christ!
Interpretation
1.
Structure
a.
1 Corinthians
i.
8.1-13 Don’t’ destroy Christians with
your maturity
ii.
9.1-11 follow Paul’s example of humility
iii.
10.1-22 Don’t use maturity as a cover for
idolatry
iv.
10.23-11.1 Embrace Freedom tempered by humility
b.
Romans
i.
14.1-12 Stop judging each other
ii.
14.13-23 Judge whether you are being true to
your convictions
iii.
15.1-6 Be patient with weaker believers
iv.
15.7-13 Embrace one another, regardless of
cultural background to the glory of God
2.
Themes
a.
1 Cor. 8.1-11.1
i.
Humility
ii.
Love
iii.
Judging
iv.
Following examples
v.
Others and their needs have
priority of your wants
vi.
Freedom
vii.
Idolatry, idols,
idol-related food
viii.
Eating
ix.
Drinking
x.
The glory of God
xi.
The salvation of the lost
xii.
Stumbling bocks
xiii.
knowledge
b.
Rom. 14.1-15.13
i.
Judging
ii.
Humility
iii.
Love
iv.
Differences of opinion
v.
Living for God
vi.
Embracing one another
vii.
Faith
viii.
Convictions
ix.
Prophecies of gentile
inclusion fulfilled
x.
Hope
3.
Doctrines
a.
Don’t abuse your freedom,
especially by judging others who don’t yet have it like you do, or by leading
people to compromise the integrity of their convictions
b.
Jesus will judge
c.
Jesus died for us
d.
There is no special day or
time, there is no bad food or drink
Applications
1.
Outline
a.
Reorient away from the
“It’s right/wrong” issue towards the “How do I do what’s best for others” issue
b.
Reorient away from the “Is
so-and-so right/wrong on this” question towards the “Am I living for the glory
of God, doing what I believe to be true and right” question
c.
Reorient away from the “I
deserve my rights” mindset towards the “I’ll gladly give up my rights for the
sake of others” mindset
d.
Reorient away from the
“they should be like me” attitude towards the “I want to be like Jesus”
attitude
e.
Test Cases
i.
Worshipping on Sunday
ii.
Drinking alcohol
iii.
Vegetarianism
iv.
Watching movies
v.
Wearing dresses, facial
hair
2.
Discussion Questions
a.
What are some issues that
you think might be maturity issues? What side do you hold?
b.
When do you think is the
right time to discuss which position is right or wrong
c.
Do you think it would be
easy to give up your rights for the sake of someone else? Which ones would be
hard, and which ones would be easy?
d.
Who are some examples of
mature believers that you think are worth following when it comes to how to
handle immature people? Are you actively trying to emulate them?
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