RESPECT OTHERS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

1 Corinthians 8:9-13

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Life is often situational. This means that there are matters that can’t be handled with a “cookie cutter” approach. In these situational moments, the right answer to questions such as, “What should we do?”, or “How should we respond?” is usually, “It depends”. The right reaction to something is only found when weighing all factors and then making the most appropriate decision as to how you should proceed and when we’re dealing with people, this careful contemplation of a course of action should always be done through the lens of consideration for others.

In other words, we need to make respecting others a priority.

We find an example of this point in Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth as we look at the closing verses of chapter 8. Here we find Paul expounding on his words in verses 7 and 8, verses that addressed the matter of eating food sacrificed to idols. Look at what he had to say in verses 9 through 13:

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

In verses 7 and 8, Paul makes the point that it doesn’t really matter whether Christ believers choose to eat meat sacrificed to idols or not. More mature Christians may see nothing wrong with consuming this kind of meat while les mature Christ followers may feel afraid of defiling themselves by partaking. Paul shares that neither of them is wrong because food isn’t what brings a person near to God. It is non-consequential in the big picture of things.

But what if a mature Christian believer caused an immature believer to violate his conscience and eat food sacrificed to idols believing said food is indeed defiled and in violation of God’s commands?

In essence, the more mature Christian would harm the other less mature believer by leading him to a place where he thought he was sinning. Worse yet, by doing this the more mature believer would be sinning against Jesus Himself through his actions.

So what is the more mature Christian supposed to do?

Show respect for the immature believer and their beliefs.

If the less mature believer feels it’s a sin to eat food offered to idols, then the more mature believer should refrain from eating the food as well, even if they see nothing wrong with it. In doing so, they would follow Paul’s lead for he proclaims that he would rather never eat meat again if it meant he would preserve another believer’s sanctity. He would do so out of respect for the immature believer.

In present times, I am sure there is a difference in opinions over any number of social matters and the choices associated with them. We have seen Paul speak to avoiding petty differences already in this letter because allowing disputes to arise over matters that are trivial pulls attention away from where it should really be and that is on the Lord. Rather than enter into quarrelling over differences, Paul encouraged Christian believers in Corinth to keep the Lord in full focus, to make Him the main thing they were centered on.

This should always be our goal, to honor and glorify the Lord with our actions, always seeking to partner with other Christian believers to make a kingdom difference here on earth each and other day. These partnerships are only possible if we concentrate more on the Jesus who gives us our identity and makes us all equal than we do on ourselves, behaving as we think is proper without consideration for how others might feel.

Respect others.

The Lord expects it and He will lead us to always do it if we keep our heart’s affection and mind’s attention on Him and Him alone.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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