Take your Bibles with me and turn to 1 Corinthians 8. We are going to cover the whole chapter this evening. I don't normally title my messages, but I am going to tonight, because I want you to remember the message of this chapter. So if you are writing down a title, write this down "Love Trumps Liberty."

That is really the whole message of this chapter in three words, and if that doesn't make sense. Hopefully it will after we get into the text.

Let's go ahead and read the whole chapter.

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 - KJV

1. Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
2. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
3. But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
4. As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
5. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
6. But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
7. Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
8. But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
9. But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.
10. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols;
11. And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
12. But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.
13. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

If you remember, all of chapter 7 was Paul answering questions. Apparently, the Corinthian church had sent a letter to Paul asking him questions about some things, and Paul is taking the time to answer.

This chapter carries that on, but we are moving away from questions about marriage and onto questions about meat. In order to understand this chapter, we have to understand what was going on in the ancient world.

Almost every religion, including Judaism, had sacrifices. I used to think that the sacrifice meant you brought your animal to the temple and the priest killed it and it was gone. But that isn't actually how it worked.

What actually happened was you would bring your animal to the temple, the priest would kill it and take it's entrails and legs and burn them on the altar. Then he would take 1/3 of the animal for himself and whatever was left, you could take home and eat.

So typically, you would bring your sheep or pig or whatever to the altar of some pagan god, then you would come home with 1/3 of an animal to cook and eat in some kind of get together with your family.

But what about the priests' meat? That is a lot of meat for a small amount of priests? Well, in these pagan societies, the priests would take what they wanted from their share and then they would sell it either in the market or in a temple restaurant.

And that sets up the central problem of this text: What are Christians supposed to do about this meat? Are they supposed to eat it? Are they supposed to abstain from it?

Apparently, you had some Christians who were going into the Temple and eating there. Hey, it's good food. It's cheap. Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays. So they were eating in the Temples.

Or maybe they got invited by their family members over to eat at a dinner after the family offered a pagan sacrifice. What do you do?

There were also people in the church who were very, very against eating this meat that had been offered to idols. To them, they wanted nothing to do with any idols or idolatry and this made them feel guilty.

It seems like there were people in the church who were taking this attitude: "Listen, everybody knows that there is only one God. That these false idols are nothing but a bunch of stones and wood. So what does it matter if I'm eating cheap food that was offered to a bunch of stones and wood?"

And Paul's answer is that they were partially kind of right but also partially kind of wrong, and that their attitude was wrong altogether.

Before we get into that, let me acknowledge what you are probably thinking: we don't have idols anymore. Of all of the church problems I've heard of, the things that have caused church splits in my lifetime, not once have I heard about church's splitting over Temple meat. So you are probably thinking "what does this have to do with me today?"

I believe it has everything to do with us today. Because while it is true we don't have the meat problem anymore, we do have the problem of gray areas. We have lots of issues where good Christian people who love God and love God's word disagree. Where one person feels like some action is wrong, and some other brother in thae church is just as faithful and who loves the Lord doesn't see an issue with it at all.

In 1st century Corinth it was meats offered to idols, but in 21st century Mattoon it might be what movies we watch or what clothes we wear or what restaurants we eat in or what music we play in our churches.

I don't know any Christians who have split over meats, but I know lots who have split over these things. And I think that would be avoided if we learned the lessons from 1 Corinthians 8.

Let's pray and then we'll jump into the message.

So I want to break this chapter down today into four points:

The first point I want us to understand both from this chapter and from the rest of the New Testament is...

1. We have a general liberty in questionable matters.

In a sense, the people who asked Paul this question were right. Idols are nothing. There is only one real God. So, understanding that, there was not anything technically wrong with them eating this meat.

But I think Paul took it one step further when he said in verse 8:

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 8:8 - KJV 8. But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.

Paul was saying, in a sense, this doesn't matter. God isn't going to like you more if you don't eat meat or if you do eat meat. The physical act of eating the meat means nothing to God. I think Paul was affirming their general liberty here.

This is taught elsewhere in the New Testament. For instance, Paul asks this question in Romans 14:4:

[!bible] Romans 14:4 - KJV 4. Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.

The truth is, when it comes to gray areas, you don't work for me. You don't answer to me. You answer to God. Unless something is crystal clear in the scripture, it is wrong for me to judge you about what you do and wrong for you to judge me about what I do.

There are things that are crystal clear. It is wrong for Christians to get drunk. Full stop. We can say that because the Bible says "Be not drunk with wine." It's wrong for Christians to worship idols, full stop. The Ten Commandments make that clear.

We aren't saying that everything is a gray area, just that gray areas do exist and when we come to a gray area, there is some liberty.

As Romans 14:14 says:

[!bible] Romans 14:14 - KJV 14. I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

When it comes to things that aren't clearly laid out in scripture, we understand that people have differing views and we understand there are some gray areas.

As I've studied history, I've learned that over time and cultures, different Christians have had very different views on things.

• For instance, John Wesley took very strong positions against wearing nice clothes and dressing up for church.
• Charles Spurgeon was very against having an organ or piano in your church (he compared the organ to Lucifer) or Christians going to the theatre.
• John R. Rice took very strong positions on dress and on ladies having short hair.

But if you keep reading about those guys, both John Wesley and Charles Spurgeon drunk alcohol. Charles Spurgeon smoked cigars. John R. Rice preached with all kinds of people we wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole today and was on the board for the New King James Version.

I'm not trying to hint that any of these men were bad men. On the contrary - they were wonderful preachers who God used greatly. The point I'm trying to make is that there are gray areas. There are areas we disagree on, and there will always be those things.

I believe that the Bible teaches that we need to give grace in the gray areas. So in our church, we have people who have differing opinions on dress, we have people with different opinions on music, we have people with different opinions about entertainment. And our general attitude should be to recognize that there is such a thing as liberty, to worry about ourselves and our families and to not be judging God's servants.

Now, just because there is liberty, doesn't mean that we can't hurt people with it. And that brings me to my second point...

2. There are people who do not understand that liberty and who can be hurt by that liberty.

I told you at the beginning that the people who asked this questions were kind of right but they were also kind of wrong. They said that "there is only one God" and they were right about that. But they also said "Everyone knows this." And on that point they were dead wrong.

Paul wanted these Corinthians to know - you might know that there is one God - but there is not in every man that knowledge(8)

You see, while it is technically true that there is only one God. It is also true that people worship all kinds of false gods and those gods are real to them and while there may only be one God, there are many demons and demonic forces in the world that entrap people. So idols may not be real, but they are very real to people.

And what you had in this church is you had people who had what Paul called "weak consciences." These were people who because of their background or because of their lack of knowledge, they didn't accept or understand this liberty.

Here is the thing about liberty - what might be perfectly fine for you can be a real stumbling block for others. And I think a key point that this chapter is making is that you cannot just teach people out of this. Their conscience is sensitive about things probably for very good reasons.

Maybe those reasons were past experiences. Maybe people have lived through some things and done some things that you haven't and that makes them more sensitive about some things.

Maybe those reasons are spiritual maturity. Maybe they need more time to grow and think through the spiritual implications of some things.

You know, there are things that I would have thought were wrong and would have bothered me twenty years ago, that as I've studied my Bible and learned more about grace, no longer bother me. You can't microwave that understanding though. It's not going to happen with a single sermon or a blog post - and it certainly isn't going to happen with a sarcastic demeaning comment.

Maybe people have a sensitive conscience because of cultural background. Let me give you an example: let's say an american Christian is wearing a dress with a certain indian looking pattern on it because she just thinks it looks cute.

But an Indian christian might see that dress and realize that it comes from some kind of paganism that her family used to follow - and for her, it would really bother her to wear that dress.

And Paul's point isn't just that some people have weak consciences - it is that we run the risk of really hurting these people.

Look at verses 10-11 again:

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 8:10-11 - KJV 10. For if any man see thee which hast knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple, shall not the conscience of him which is weak be emboldened to eat those things which are offered to idols; 11. And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

Paul is showing us here how liberty can lead to spiritual damage:

• A person with a sensitive conscience sees someone without it doing something.
• That person feels pressure to follow suit.
• That person is overrun with guilt because of what they have done.
• Spiritual damage can be done as that person considers giving up trying to serve Christ altogether and they are just confused.

And so Paul wanted them to know that their liberty could lead to real harm. They could really hurt their brothers and sisters in Christ. They could lead them to be confused and defeated. They could even "perish."

And so how do we handle these situations? I think we can see two principles in this chapter that will help us figure out these gray areas, these will be our last two points:

So write down number 3...

3. Love trumps learning.

Look at verses 1-3 again.

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 - KJV

1. Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
2. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
3. But if any man love God, the same is known of him.

I wanted to explain what this chapter was about before I explain what I believe Paul was trying to teach us here in these verses.

Listen, it's ok to know things. God isn't anti-knowledge. Paul said "knowledge puffeth up" here, but Paul also said "I would not have you to be ignorant brethren." The prophet Hosea said "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."

Knowledge isn't bad. But knowledge for it's own sake can lead us to be puffed up. Knowledge that isn't applied with love can lead to pride.

All of us know people like this. People who know so much that they are unbearably proud.

That is kind of how these Corinthians Christians were acting. It seems like there attitude was "why can't these rubes just learn this truth already and leave us alone about the meats."

But true Christian knowledge is applied with love. Knowledge without love puffs us up. Knowledge with love builds us up.

If you aren't taking your knowledge and using it to build up others in Christ - then what is the point? Knowledge isn't an end in and of itself.

And so if you ever get to the point where you are puffed up about what you know, and you are looking down on others, you need to remember that love trumps learning. You need to re-learn what it means to love people like Jesus did.

Do you think Jesus just died for people like you? For people who know what you know?

Paul answers the question in this chapter. He says in verse 3 If any man love God, the same is known of him. and in verse 11 he refers to these weaker Christians as those for whom Christ died.

God loves those Christians you look down on, and if your knowledge makes you not love them, than you don't know everything yet.

So the first principle we need to remember is "love trumps learning."

The second principle we need to apply is...

4. Love trumps liberty.

Paul says it pretty clearly in verses 12 and 13:

First, he calls this what it is, it is sin:

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 8:12 - KJV 12. But when ye sin so against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye sin against Christ.

It might not be sin for a person to eat meat offered to idols. But it is sin for you to trip up your brother and sister in Christ. Not only is it a sin - but it is a sin against Christ.

Second, Paul tells us what he is going to do:

[!bible] 1 Corinthians 8:13 - KJV 13. Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

He isn't going to eat meats if there is any chance he could trip up a weaker brother in Christ. In fact, Paul says he would rather eat no meat at all for the rest of time than trip up a brother or sister in Christ.

Listen, love trump learning. It is way more important to care about people than to be right. And love trumps liberty - it is way more important to care about people than to cling to "my rights."

Now, lets get down to brass tacks. Let's get to where we live.

I want to first say that I have been guilty of the very kind of arrogance and carelessness in my own life that Paul chastises here. I've sinned against Christ and against my brothers and sisters, by being careless about things that might trip them up.

Let me give you a personal illustration: My father in law is here. I love Larry. He's a good man. He's a godly example. He's in the jails every week witnessing to people. God saved him out of a life of sin and he's been faithful to the Lord now for 44 years. He's run rescue missions and worked with all kinds of addicts.

But because of Larry's background - he doesn't go into restaurants that serve alcohol.

Now, I didn't have that background. My parents were divorced and one side isn't in church and are social drinkers. The other side is in church and faithful, but never even considered not going to restaurants without alcohol - mostly because where we lived they didn't exist.

So do you know what my temptation is - it's to scoff. It's to look down on. That's my temptation.

• But what should we do, we should be careful.
• We should recognize that people's conscience aren't just shaped by knowledge but by different experiences and we can really hurt them when we are careless.
• And we ought to love them enough to be careful about those things when there is any chance we may offend those people.

Now that is just one area, alcohol, but this could apply to any area where godly people have differing views:

• music
• entertainment
• clothing
• anything else

Church we have liberty - and liberty is awesome. But liberty isn't anywhere near as important as loving people. Love trumps Liberty.

So stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made you free - yes, but also make sure you aren't standing in the way of your brother and sister - the ones who Christ knows and loves and died for.

Let's stand for prayer.