To Eat or not to Eat

Life after Pentecost (VI)

1 Corinthians 8

We are in Corinth. We are in Greece. We are in the market, and we can smell the souvlaki (Greek- Shawurma) from “MacCorinth” sandwich shop. You go, buy it and eat it. It is delicious and cheap. The meat has just arrived from the temple sacrifices. The temple priest, who sacrificed those animals to his gods, sold their meat to many butchers in the market. He sold the meat at a low price. Why not? We know that there is nothing wrong with that meat; it is just meat. Paul confirms that.

“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” (4).

Hey guys, we know that there is only one God. Jesus Christ told us about that God. We are not worried about false gods. Our bodies are a temple of God. God dwells in us. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (6:19). Stop worrying. Meat that is butchered for idols represent nothing. In one word, we have freedom to eat or not to eat.

Once there was man of God who was captured in Babylon. He decided not to eat “meat” coming from idol sacrifice. “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way” (Daniel 1:8). Daniel could easily justify himself saying that he is in a foreign land unwillingly, so he can eat whatever was given. No, instead he decided to live according to the way God expected him to live.

So what is right and wrong? To eat or not to eat…

1. Our conduct as Christians cannot be evaluated solely based on knowledge.

“Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God (1-3).

OK, we know that meat that is offered to gods means nothing; there is no problem in that. But knowing this does not mean you have the freedom to do whatever you want. You see, although you know there is nothing wrong with eating it, yet there are many who don’t know that. Knowing something is good, but knowledge without God’s love can be dangerous and, in fact, harmful. Knowledge alone will make someone proud. “Knowledge puffs up.” We need love. Love builds.

We read in Romans 14:19, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” (NIV). In the NLT translation, we read the same verse, “So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.”

The Church is a big family. We need to edify each other, build each other up.

Paul is trying to say to the church of Corinth that there are “grey” areas in the life of the church. To eat or not to eat should not be a big issue. Instead, one should examine his/her conduct by asking, “Am I edifying my brother/sister with this act?”

We read in Romans 14:17-18, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.”

Let us not be trapped in the grey areas or lose our peace with each other because of secondary issues. Let us move one and learn to live together without being stumbling blocks to each other.

We will continue in English.