I find it interesting how many
different churches there are in the city where I worship. Not only are there
various denominations but separate churches that belong to the same
organization. There seem to be valid reasons why this is so – at least they
were valid each time a new church was formed.
I still find it interesting.
Even people who are part of the same
congregation may point to differences of interpretations (or opinions) in
Scriptures about styles of worship or how one’s faith should be lived out on a
daily basis. We may believe we are facing some of these issues for the first
time; yet it’s true, “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:9, NKJV).
Christians in the first century found themselves at opposite ends of debates
within their local congregations.
In the early days of Christianity, some
of those who believed in Christ as the promised Savior had backgrounds steeped
in Judaism and found it difficult to release their loyalty to the Law. By the
first century, the Law was accompanied by customs and traditions, created by
Pharisees, which were seen as a type of fence around the Law to help people
determine how to interpret and live according to the Law, even many centuries
after it was originally given to Moses.
Others experienced miraculous
conversions out of paganistic pasts, when being “religious” meant worshiping
many gods rather than showing reverence to Yahweh, the one true God.
Both groups held fast to what they knew
to be true – one trying to merge their religious practices of the past with
their new-found faith in Christ; the other striving to put away the old and
embrace the freedom they now experienced from sin.
And then there were the Diaspora Jews –
those living outside Palestine, away from the temple. There were those who
strove to practice their faith and obey the Law, yet were heavily influenced by
the Greco-Roman culture.
One particular area in which
first-century Christians did not always see eye-to-eye was in eating. The Jews
observed strict food laws, noting certain restrictions regarding the types of
food permissible and forbidden to eat (Deut. 14:1-21). Those Hellenistic Jews
saw the statements about food to be more symbolic in nature (yet generally
speaking they attempted to keep the laws wherever they lived and traveled; they
could embrace vegetarianism when they could not find kosher food).
Then there was the topic of eating meat
offered to idols that Paul discussed in his letters to the Romans (ch. 14) and
the Corinthians (1 Cor. 8). To the Westerner, the argument may seem confusing,
as the first-century practice of idolatry is far removed from us today.
However, this was a serious matter. The Romans allowed pagan temples throughout
the empire; here the people could (and did) worship various Greek and Roman
gods. Sacrifices were made, including meat offered to the idols. Once the
ritual was finished, the meat was made available in the marketplace. One could
not be sure if the meat he or she was purchasing for the day or being served
while a guest in someone’s home was used earlier for unholy purposes. (For this
reason, Jewish people often had their own markets.)
For the Gentile converted to
Christianity, he or she was taught the freedom of repenting and trusting in
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, yet Jewish Christians often stressed it was
necessary the new believer also adhere to strict Jewish laws. (Add to that the
dilemma Christians would face when a business deal or celebration with
non-Christians included a meal where meat was served that could have been
offered in a pagan ritual.) Some felt the freedom to eat whatever was available
or set before them; others (because they continued to practice the Law or
because of the recent memory of being delivered from slavery to idols) avoided
anything that related to their former way of life.
Paul taught these early church
congregations that consisted of both Jews and Gentiles who did not see
eye-to-eye on the various food laws and customs, reminding them they were all
part of the family of God, brothers and sisters in Christ (Rom. 14:10). Their
concern should be to maintain unity in the body of Christ and do nothing to
cause a weaker one to stumble. The Gentiles should not try to change the Jewish
traditions of obeying food laws (that are not in contrast to Scripture); the
Jewish people should not attempt to force Gentiles to abide by their specific
laws and customs; and all should be careful not to offend a weaker brother or
sister in Christ.
Paul’s words to the Romans encouraged
them to “make every effort to do what leads to peace and to
mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for
the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat
anything that causes someone else to stumble. It
is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause
your brother or sister to fall” (Rom. 14:19-21, NIV).
Likewise, to the Corinthians Paul explained,
“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.”
Paul
went on to say, “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. But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do
not eat, and no better if we do” (1 Cor. 8:4-8, NIV).
Now,
the twenty-first century Christian living in the United States of America, far
from the world of statues and monuments dedicated to some foreign deity, may
ask, “What does this teaching have to do with me? I’ve never eaten – or been
tempted by – anything offered in worship to an idol.”
Remember
where we began this conversation – considering numerous churches within a city
with various convictions regarding how to live out one’s faith. There are so
many issues that are not directly addressed in Scripture but where people have different
interpretations as to how they should be dealt with in one’s life as a
Christian.
Issues
such as, whether or not…
it’s permissible to drink alcohol or
smoke cigarettes, pipes, or cigars…
women should wear make-up and jewelry,
attend church with their heads covered (or uncovered) or hold positions of
leadership in a church…
men should cut their hair or trim their
beards, or even have mustaches and beards (some believe all Christian men
should be clean shaven)…
a group of friends can gather for a
friendly game of cards…
people can go to a theater to see a move or live stage production...
Christians should do anything on the
Sabbath (I recently met someone who decided to stop attending church because it
meant driving a car on the Sabbath, which was seen as forbidden) – and whether
Sabbath should be observed on Sunday or Saturday…
And this list could (and does) go on and on and
on…
It’s important to note this discussion
is not about those activities and behaviors that are specifically described as
sinful in Scripture. (See Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 5:9-11; 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph.
5:3-7; Col. 3:5; Rev. 21:8.)
There are two thoughts to consider in
light of these topics and questions.
First, some people think the Bible is
not relevant, that it doesn’t speak to issues we face today. Some details of
life in the first century and the twenty-first century may look different, but
there are so many similarities involving human nature, people’s rights and
freedoms, and how the decisions we make can affect others. Just as some dealt
with the acceptability of eating meat offered to idols in the first century, we
may find ourselves in equally challenging situations, disagreeing with members
of our church family.
For example, a brother or sister may
see nothing wrong with walking through a bar to be seated at a table for dinner
in another part of a restaurant; yet for one who has been delivered from a life
of alcoholism, he or she may choose not even to enter an establishment that
sells liquor because of the unpleasant memories and the commitment to live a
life free of such temptation.
Neither Christian should judge the
other. And the “stronger” should want to help the “weaker” by giving up his or her
“rights” and simply find another place to eat.
The second thought is how we should
respond on either side of the question – whether we are doing something that is
considered questionable to another believer, or whether another Christian
practices something that is offensive to us.
The initial question to ask is – what
does Scripture say about it? If it is not specifically addressed in God’s Word,
it is likely there is other teaching applicable to the situation.
Again, we look to Paul, who told the Romans,
“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over
disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to
eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who
does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who
does, for God has accepted them” and “why do you judge your brother or sister?
Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s
judgment seat” (Rom. 14:1-3, 10, NIV).
Paul went on to say to the Corinthians,
“Be careful…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 Cor. 8:9-13, NIV).
(While adamant about following the Law
to the letter, teachers of Judaism were also careful not to cause anyone – even
a Gentile – to turn from God or live unfaithfully. They considered that could
be equivalent to murder, as the weak believer might miss out on eternity
prepared for the righteous.)
Another thought might be to look at our
own lives, to “First remove the plank for your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matt. 7:5, NKJV).
I must ask myself: are there attitudes
or daily practices in my life that are specifically addressed in God’s Word,
such as “discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip,
arrogance and disorder” (2 Cor. 12:20, NIV), or is the fruit of the Spirit
evident in my life producing “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23, NIV)? Am I
trying to “encourage one another in love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24, NASB)?
A friend reminded me just today of
another good guide for living, something the Lord Jesus Himself told His
disciples: “Treat people the same way you want them to treat you” (Luke 6:31,
NASB).
When asked about the greatest
commandment, Jesus said, “The most important one…is this…Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all
your strength” (Mark 12:29-30, NASB). He went on to say, “The second is this:
‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (vs. 31).
Do you ever wonder what would happen if
the world lived that way? Do you ever wonder what would happen if the church
truly embraced these commandments?
What kind of witness would we have in
the world? If our goal was not for selfish ambition, but if we were found
looking out for the interest of another, our brothers and sisters in Christ?
