Idol
Chatter on True Spirituality
Rev. Mark Porizky
1/22/2006
I
Corinthians 8:1-13
And
if you concur we ought to shop locally, should we buy our groceries from the
local outlet of the large, national discount chain, or should we shop from the
local "mom and pop" grocery store? Would it matter to you if the
local proprietor lived a godly life? What if he used the profits from his
business to lead a lifestyle that contradicted your values?
Then,
of course, the real question comes at the check out: paper or plastic? For
some people, this is major issue.
Issues
just like these were overwhelming the Corinthian church.
Let’s read.
I
Corinthians 8:1-13
Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.
Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
It is not everyone, however, who
has this knowledge. Since
some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the
food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is
defiled.
“Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do
not eat, and no better off if we do.
But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a
stumbling block to the weak. For if others see
you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not,
since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food
sacrificed to idols? So by your knowledge those weak
believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you
thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is
weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause
of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them
to fall.
Friends,
I have a question for you. Does
being close to God bring out the best in people.
Consider
the life of Jesus. Sure, there were times when he was stern—when the
situation called for it—but the words that describe his life and ministry
are words such as “compassionate” “forgiving” “merciful.” The
Apostle Peter summed up Jesus’ life by saying,
God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and...he went
around doing good...because God was with him. (Acts
Over
the years, studying the life of Jesus and writings of Paul, I have come to
believe that true spirituality is not determined by how much we talk about
God, or how spiritual we feel, by how we treat other people.
In
the book of First Corinthians, Paul addresses the subject of true spirituality
in light of how we treat others. In those days there was a big debate about
whether or not it was all right for a Christian to eat certain types of meat.
The
Corinthians lived in a pagan society filled with pagan temples. People would
take meat to the temple and sacrifice it to the pagan gods; afterwards, the
meat could be purchased in the temple restaurant for a good price. As a matter
of fact, it was hard to get meat anywhere but at the pagan temples.
Now
some Christians said, “It’s a sin to eat meat that has been sacrificed to
a pagan god.” Other Christians said, “That’s superstitious. We are not
bound by that rule. We have freedom in Christ and we can eat sacrificed meat
if we want to.”
This
second opinion was Paul’s view on the matter. He said, in effect, “It’s
not a sin to eat meat sacrificed to idols, but before you do, you have to
consider how your actions and attitudes affect other believers.”
In
our society, eating meat sacrificed to idols is no longer an issue. But the
principles Paul teaches in this passage are as relevant as ever. 1st
Corinthians chapter eight is not about eating food sacrificed to idols
as much as it is about discovering the characteristics of true spirituality.
Paul
had a radical approach to spirituality. He insisted that true spirituality is
not determined by whether or not you eat certain types of meat; it’s
determined by your attitude in the process.
Simply
put, Paul teaches that true spirituality is defined not only by how good you
are, but how good you are to others.
Today
we’re going to look at three ways to apply this principle to our lives.
I believe that there are three “evidences,” three signs of a
radically true spirituality derived from all this idol chatter.
Three points...
1. True spirituality is evidenced by love
If you want to become spiritual, there are a number of things you must
master in your personal life.
Love
is the primary component of the Christian life. You’ve heard the saying,
“People don’t care how much you know, they want to know how much you
care.” The same can be said about God. God’s
primary concern for your spiritual growth is not how much you know, but how
much you love. When you stand before the throne on judgment day, God won’t
say, “Wow! You really knew all the books of the Bible, in order!” Or,
“Wow! You could argue the finest points of atonement theology with the best
of them.” Or, even “Wow! You sat in the same pew every Sunday for 57
years.”
Those
aren’t the things God is looking for. God wants us to develop a heart full
of love towards others and towards the Almighty True spirituality isn’t
measured merely by how good you are, but by how good you are to others.
A
man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly,
the light turned yellow, just in front of him.
He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could
have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.
The
tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming in frustration as
she missed her chance to get through the intersection, dropping her cell phone
and makeup. As she was still in
mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very
serious police officer.
The
officer ordered her to the side of the road and asked for her driver’s
license and registration.
After
a couple of minutes the policeman returned to her car and handed the woman
back her papers
He
said, "You can go. I'm very
sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were
blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue
streak at him. I noticed the '
What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the ' Follow Me to
Naturally...
I assumed you had stolen the car."
They will no we are Christians by our love. Secondly¼
2. True spirituality is evidenced by empathy.
What
is empathy? According to the dictionary it is: “The capacity to identify
with a person or object.” In other words, it is the ability to put yourself
in another person’s shoes—to see things from his or her point-of-view.
In
discussing the matter of eating food that has been sacrificed to idols,
remember that Paul has already stated that it is not a sin. Then he goes on to
say, (v. 9) Be careful, however,
that the exercise of your freedom [to eat food even if it has been sacrificed
to a so-called idol] does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if
anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an
idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to
idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your
knowledge.
Paul’s
words in verse 9 mean: “Don’t use your freedom to cause someone else to
stumble.” You’ve got to look at everything you do in light of how it
affects everyone else.
This
is true for smoking, or social drinking, or dancing, or any number of other
things. It’s not about how many “questionable” activities you can get
away with; it’s about being able to recognize the impact your actions have
on others.
For
instance, I am comfortable having a beer with friends, under certain
conditions. What are those
conditions? Here are some of them:
that no one present thinks drinking is a sin, that no one present is
injured by seeing a pastor have a drink, that no teenagers are present who
will misconstrue my having a drink, and that no one present has a drinking
problem that I contribute to by having a drink.
That’s
a long list, and, truthfully it’s why I very rarely have a drink, because
the only time I do have a drink is socially.
But I believe being a Christian demands such empathy.
True
spirituality is evidenced by empathy—being able to see the world from
another’s point-of-view. It’s not merely a question of how good you are,
it’s a question of how good you are to others.
Ernestine
Bradley is the wife of Bill Bradley, once great New York Knicks basketball
player and a retired senator from
Bill
Bradley’s wife, Ernestine, was born in
One
of her best friends is Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg, a Jewish scholar who lost much
of his family in the Holocaust. Over the years their friendship has deepened
as both have sought to understand the events that took place during that time.
When Senator Bradley first considered running for President, he and Ernestine
wondered how they would deal with the false accusation that Mrs. Bradley was
“a former Nazi.”
Rabbi
Hertzberg spoke up: “Anyone making links to the Nazis will do it over my
dead body. I know what a Nazi is. I owe the tragedy of my life to the Nazis.
Ernestine is not a Nazi. She’s one of us.” It’s amazing that a Jew would
consider a woman born in
Paul
tells us that if we want to be spiritual, we must learn to empathize. We must
give thought to how our actions affect those around us. We must learn to see
the world through the eyes of others. Being spiritual is not just about how
good you are, it’s about how good you are to others. Finally¼
3. True spirituality is evidenced by sacrifice.
Paul
says flatly, (v. 13) “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall
into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to
fall.” In the book of
Romans he said, It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that
will cause your brother to fall. (Romans 14:21)
Paul
is saying, “When someone else’s spiritual health is at stake, you must be
willing to sacrifice your freedom for their benefit.”
In
the culture in which Paul lived, eating food sacrificed to idols was an issue.
In our culture it isn’t. There are, however, other “freedoms” that we
should approach with caution, in order not to cause any of our weaker brothers
and sisters in Christ to stumble. What “freedoms” am I referring to? They
vary from tradition to tradition, but let’s take the example so close to
home: gambling. What should be the
Christian’s stance on gambling?
Here’s
two stances:
In
the first, I read an article is about a man named David Rush, a financial
planner from
Why?
Because the check was from his $14.3 million payoff from the Florida Lotto.
The Salvation Army has counseled people who are about to become homeless
because of gambling, and they "didn't want to appear to be talking out of
both sides of their mouth."
While the Salvation Army
returned Mr. Rush’s check, Habitat for Humanity and the Rotary gladly
accepted his money.
The
second article tells the account of a
Though
gambling is declared a sin, one of the recipients, the Rev. Gerald Abreu,
pastor of Abundant Life Church of God in
Should
a Christian play the lottery? Should you give your winnings to the church?
Should the pastor accept it? Gambling
is a gray area in which some people say it's okay and others frown upon it.
Here’s
what I say: Don’t do anything with your freedom to make those around you
stumble.
Some of you may say, “Does that mean that if anyone disapproves of
what I do, I can’t do it—no matter how insignificant it is? Does it mean I
let other people control my life? What if someone tells me that when I go
skiing on the weekends it causes them to stumble? Am I supposed to give up
skiing? Or what if they say that they think it is wrong for me to consume
caffeine? Am I supposed to give up coffee?”
There
is a distinction I want to make here. Paul is talking about sacrificing for a
weaker fellow Christian. If anything causes a weaker, younger, spiritually
immature believer to question the validity of his or her faith (as eating
sacrificed meat might have done in his day), we should be willing to sacrifice
in order to prevent that person from stumbling.
However,
there are some people who may disapprove of something you do, and it doesn’t
cause them to question the validity of THEIR faith, it causes them to question
the validity of YOUR faith—and they want to judge you because you eat, drink
or play cards. These people are busybodies, and you only have to ignore them.
Now,
friends, I know you would think a sermon on “true
Spirituality” would focus on disciplines such as prayer, Bible study,
fasting, worship, and so on. These are all absolutely and undeniably essential
to living the Christian life—so don’t make the mistake of thinking that
the Bible says, “If you’re nice to people then you’re spiritual.” No,
no, no, no, no. It goes much deeper than that.
We
all know, in living the Christian life, we strive to become good, we strive to
become holy, we strive to become like Jesus. Being like Jesus involves much
more than praying and reading your Bible and turning off your TV.
True
spirituality involves letting God’s presence in your life bring out the best
in you—and it shows in your relationships. If you want to be like Jesus,
it’s not merely a question of how good you are, but how good you are to
others.
It's a lot like the story of
a man who was walking down a dark street at night. Ahead of him was a bobbing,
weaving, faltering beam of light. He couldn't tell if the person holding the
light was somehow injured or drunk.
As
the flashlight came near the man, he could tell the man was neither injured
nor drunk. He was blind and carried the flashlight in one hand and his
familiar white cane in the other hand.
The
man asked the blind man, "Why do you carry a light if you cannot
see?"
The blind man responded,
"I carry my light, not so I can see, but so others can see me. I cannot
help being blind, but I can help not being a stumbling block for others."
The
Christian recognizes that we have a responsibility for one another, to shine our
light so as not to be a stumbling block to others.
Thus, our Christian love for one another may require some sacrifice.
That's something we have to get used to.
Love,
empathy, sacrifice. I assure you
that those subjects are not idol chatter on true spirituality.
Love, empathy and sacrifice are at the heart of true spirituality.
Will
you pray with me now?
St.
Andrew Presbyterian Church,
Web Site: SAPC-CT.HOME.ATT.NET
Office Email: SAPC-CT@ATT.NET
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