Should We or Shouldn’t We?
1 CORINTHIANS 8: 1-13
(August 13)
My husband loves a good, barbequed steak. In fact, I think he would eat one every day if he could. I, on the other hand, could care less if I ever have one. In fact, I am not that big of a meat eater at all.
I am the person who goes to Cracker Barrell and bypasses the country fried steak and chooses the vegetable plate. Crazy ... I know! My hubby thinks I have totally lost my mind!
The great thing about it is this ... we have the choice. I can have turkey or chicken if I choose. My husband can eat his steak freely, with no condemnation. Or maybe we indulge on some pork chops or ribs slathered in barbeque sauce. Whichever way we choose, the choice is ours.
The question Paul addresses today is that of whether or not it is acceptable to eat meat, especially meat that has been offered to idols. What to do ... what to do???
How did they get access to this meat in the first place? Typically, when there were large religious celebrations or other large events, thousands of animals would be sacrificed as an offering. A good part of this meat would be offered to the butcher shops to be sold to the public.
Because of this, the Christians were constantly exposed to the possibility of buying this meat that had been forbidden by Jewish law. (Numbers 25:2), and also banned by the apostles in their decree from Jerusalem (Acts 15:20). Paul listens to neither of these but bases his instructions to the Corinthians on his own knowledge and wisdom.
Yes, this meat has been offered to idols, but they are only idols, not God. There is only one God. And while we know this, unfortunately not everyone else does. Some people see idols as being real. In this way, they think that eating the food offered to an idol is worship of that idol. It all sounds so silly to me.
The truth is that we are not worshipping God by any food that we eat. We either choose to eat it or we don't. There is nothing gained or lost (except maybe weight ... wink! wink!) by eating the meat.
At the same time, Paul advises them to be careful in their actions that they don't cause someone weaker to stumble. People who are young in their faith look to those who are more mature as examples, and we want to make sure we are being a good example and leading them toward growth in their faith, not causing them to backslide.
All this talk over MEAT??? While it sounds crazy, it must have been a big issue for Paul to take the time to devote a good chunk of his letter to addressing the subject.
Should We or Shouldn't We? The answer is up to you!
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