Idol is nothing. Christians at
Corinth knew it well. There was the Temple of Aphrodite where people worshiped
idols offering animal sacrifices. The sacrificed meat then was sold in the
market near the Temple. The best meat they could get was the sacrifices offered
to idols in the Temple. Those who have knowledge that idol is nothing have no
problem of eating the temple meat. But there are some people who don’t have
knowledge their conscience was defiled by the food. Paul says he would not eat
meat at all for the sake of the weak brothers in Christ.
“So then, about eating food
sacrificed to idols: We know that ‘An idol is nothing at all in the world’ and
that ‘There is no God but one.’ For even if there are so-called gods, whether
in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), yet
for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom
we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came
and through whom we live.” (1 Corinthians 8:4-6)
What is idol? Idol is a
man-made thing. It is made out of clay, wood, gold, silver, and bronze. These
days in a civilized society there are no more such hand-made idols. However,
people worship idols as much as or more than the people in the first century
did before. Whatever people worship other than God is idol like money,
celebrity, fame, children, degree, status, and religion. There are so many gods
in people’s mind and heart.
But there is only one God who
is the Father. The whole universe and all things came from the Father and exist
for Him. There is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and
through whom we live. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth
and created male and female in His image and in His likeness. Nothing was not
made that has been made without Him. Just look around how nature is running and
operating. The size and volume of the universe is so immense and incredible
that it is far beyond our understanding. Look at wind the mighty weight of air
which causes tempest and hurricane beyond our measure. Look at seas the
enormous body of water which holds the uncountable school of fish. Look at
heavens the unreachable canopy high above. Look at lands the solid and firm
grounds which hold more than seventy billion people and a lot of animals and
produce all kinds of plantations and vegetables.
It used to be atom which was
known as the smallest unbreakable particle of matter. But now there have been
much smaller particles discovered in the physical world. In order break atom it
needs a tremendous amount of electric power which runs through a few kilometers
long along the huge pipe. It’s called a linear particle accelerator. Why does
it need a great deal amount of electric power to break such an incredibly tiny
particle? What power does it hold tight? Scientists have no answer but just
know that it is true. The power is Jesus Christ, the Scripture says. By the
word of Christ Jesus all things are subjected to Him.
“The Son is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were
created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones
or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him
and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
(Colossians 1:15-17)
“The Son is the radiance of God’s
glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his
powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the
right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3)
“But not everyone possesses
this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat
sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since
their conscience is weak, it is defiled.” (1 Corinthians 8:7)
The people in the church at
Corinth had different levels of understanding in life and scripture just like
any other church does. Not all of them possessed knowledge that idol is
nothing. What is this knowledge? It means that the sacrifice food is not
defiled for idol is nothing. Idol cannot do anything to the food. It can’t
smell, taste, touch, and eat it. So the sacrifice food is as clean and eatable
as any other meat. But knowledge is not everything for it puffs up and inflates
the heart and mind of people. Instead, love builds up as demonstrated in the
cross of Calvary through which many a people have been found and saved in
Christ Jesus the Lord.
Some people are still so
habituated to idols that when they eat the food sacrificed to idol they think
of it as having been sacrificed to a god. What does it mean? Some have spent all
their lives eating the sacrifice meat and still think that the food has been
given to gods. They still think that there is something defiled in the food, so
their conscience is also defiled. Such a person is in the scripture called the
weak in the faith. Their conscience was shaped under the idol worship
environment long years. It doesn’t change overnight. New born Christians
experience failures and missteps over the time when they never think to stumble
that badly again. No one is transformed and changed into maturity instantly. It
takes years and years in life to be equipped with sound doctrines and truths
and to be mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ
(Ephesians 4:13).
“But food does not bring us
near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be
careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling
block to the weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:8-9)
Food diet doesn’t impress God
at all either you eat freely or constrain. But God cares how to use our rights.
If they being puffed up and inflated by knowledge use the rights to do anything
they want, then they are definitely not acting in love. It may be legally clean
to exercise their rights. However, that’s not our Lord Jesus Christ did.
Although Christ was sinless and perfect in every way God was pleased to put the
Son in the place of scorn and humiliation, in our place. Christ obeyed the
Father by presenting his body as the ransom sacrifice voluntarily to the point
of death. Christ is the only authorized Person to bring justice for everything.
But he yielded all His rights to be revered, honored, glorified, and esteemed
by all mankind and did not revenge or even threaten anyone who brought false
accusations and contempt in a long patience to heal the wounded and broken.
“When they hurled their insults
at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he
entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ‘He himself bore our sins’ in his
body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by
his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:23-24)
“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 8:10-13)
This is an example to use right
in a puffed-up way not in a loving one. Christianity is not know-it-all which
esteems human pride and boast. Rather, it is being cheated and wronged for the
cause of Christ Jesus the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:7). Jesus says that the secret
of life lies on whether we choose to lose and die with Him. “For whoever wants
to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find
it.” (Matthew 16:25) Prophet Isaiah prophesied that our Lord Jesus would be cut
off completely and that by the very wounds He bore we would be healed.
“But he was pierced for our
transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought
us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Christianity is exercising
love, not right just as our Lord Jesus Christ loved us while we all were still
sinners, the enemies of God.
“A new command I give you: Love
one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John
13:34-35)
Prayer: Thank you Father for
your true love marvelously demonstrated in the cross of Calvary by the Son
Jesus. Though we weren’t deserved at all for the love of Christ Jesus, God the
Father so loved the world that He gave Himself that whoever believes in Him shall
not perish but have eternal life. Thank for teaching us Lord the secret of life
through the Lord Jesus Christ who did not exercise right as God but gave His
life once for all as promised. In Christ’s name. Amen.
September 3, 2015
© 2015 David Lee Ministries – All Rights
Reserved.
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