The Holy Influence of God s Vision JANUARY 28 NEW YEAR CHALLENGE/VISION SUNDAY FOR NFCN 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Pastor Ulmet: Three Great Principles for a Great Church in 2018: 1. There is ONE God and ONE Lord - Verse 6 - Clarity in the midst of confusing pluralism 2. We are invited into a personal relationship with this ONE GOD - Verse 3 - full salvation in the midst of surface religion 3. We must live lives of holy influence, putting OTHERS first - Verse 9 - sacrificial living in the midst of self-centered values Teachers: I have given you four (4) resources for this lesson: A) Bible Insights from the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Bible, page 2 B) Practical Insights into 1 Corinthians 8 with discussion questions, page 3 C) Alternative Lesson based on the Pastor s Vision Message, page 7 D) Traditional Bible Lesson of questions for self-discovery, page 8 Dr. Parrott This will be a call to basic holy priorities, a return to our Mission and Vision, using these key scriptural principles to call us to a simple outline that will make our lives and church more effective. What could happen in and through NFCN if...? I will renew VISION 2026 on this Sunday also and challenge our people to dream a new future for our church. I Corinthians 8:1-13 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that We all possess knowledge. But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God. 4 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. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many gods and many lords ), 6 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.
7 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. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 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? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 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. BIBLE INSIGHTS Today we come to the final lesson in our series on Holy Influence, a theme that will carry us into 2018. Our pastor will share a message of vision for a new year. He has asked me specifically to fill in the cultural and historical background of the text. To that end, I want to share an article from the NIV Cultural Backgrounds Bible (the new Bible of the Year, 2017). Sacrificed Food 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 People in antiquity sacrificed many animals to the gods, but they made it do double duty: after they cooked it in sacrifice, they ate most of it. Most people were poor; they could not afford large animals for sacrifice and probably did not buy much meat. During festivals, however, when many animals were sacrificed, meat was so abundant that it had to be shared with the community before it spoiled. If one ate in a temple-dining hall, one would be certain that the meat one was eating had first been sacrificed. If one purchased meat in the market or ate meat at the home of a friend who lacked scruples about such matters, one could not be sure what had happened to the meat beforehand. Indeed, even normal banquets opened with the pouring of a fluid libation to some god or goddess (just as Jews and Christians gave thanks for their food), so that most meals in Gentile settings were somehow consecrated to a deity. Food consecrated to other gods had long been a problem for urban Jews in the Diaspora. In cities where many Jews settled, they had their own markets. Judean sages debated what to do in many cases of uncertainty (such as untithed food), but would never have taken a chance on food that might have been offered to an idol. They believed that Jews outside Palestine unwittingly compromised with idolatry when invited to pagans banquets for their sons, even if they brought their own food. 2
Following such teachings strictly (as some did) would have greatly circumscribed Gentile believers relationships with pagan colleagues. This issue was an even greater problem for Christians converted from pagan backgrounds: could they meet over lunch with business associates or fellow members of their trade guild, or attend a reception in a temple for a relative s wedding? Like Jesus in Rev 2:14 & 20*, Paul opposed known sacrificial food on spiritual grounds (1Co 10:1 22). Nevertheless, he frames that argument with another one, based on loving fellow believers (1Co 8:1-9:27; 10:23 33). Poorer believers might rarely have meat except at the pagan festivals; they would have to give up a cherished right, but in 1Cor. 9 Paul uses his own example to illustrate the principle of surrendering rights. Some wealthier members faced even greater challenges, for they would be served meat at the banquets of their pagan peers. The church s more liberal voices apparently considered themselves strong and their more conservative fellow believers weak. This issue, however, was a fundamental one (1Co 10:20). *In Revelation 2:14, 20, Food sacrificed to idols included sexual misconduct which was the practice at festivals to idols. PRACTICAL INSIGHTS In the ancient world temples housed restaurants. There were plenty of shrines to local idols as well as the more significant idols of the day such as Apollo or Venus. In fact, the time of Paul, it was becoming more and more acceptable and expected to revere the Roman Emperor as a living god. People would come to the temple and sacrifice an animal to the idol. The animal would be cooked in the family would have a meal with meat as the centerpiece. More often than not, there was more meat than the family could eat. Other people would come to the temple and share in the food that had been offered to the idol. There might still be more sacrificed meat left over. Temple officials took it to the marketplace to be sold. In fact, most of the meat sold in the marketplace of Corinth would have been offered to a god. Some of the Jews in the ancient world, who lived in places like Corinth or didn't have a butcher of their own, became vegetarians because they refused to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. They stood faithfully in their confidence that there is only one God, the creator of the world, and he had made a special covenant with Israel. Daily they prayed, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might" (Deuteronomy 6:4). The situation presented problems for early Christians. In contrast to Jewish teaching, there were Christian teachers who gave Christians permission to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols. Not only could they eat the meat in the marketplace, but also they could go to the temple and join the festivities. To make the challenge even more difficult for Christians, Roman citizens in Corinth were 3
expected to go to Imperial festivals and enjoy a large meal that included meat sacrificed to the living god, the Emperor. If they did not attend, people would notice and there would be trouble. QUESTION: Are there social disadvantages* for Christians in the United States of America? What about in other world areas? *Social disadvantages, political disempowerment, physical dangers, etc. Paul is dealing with the specific issue of meat sacrificed to idols, an issue we do not deal with today. However, in the broader sense, he is sketching out the principles of Christian living in a pagan world. We live in an increasingly pagan world today. For Paul, the bedrock foundation is the reality of who God actually is. In this chapter, he makes one of his most profound statements on the identity of God. 1-Knowledge That Puffs Up; Love That Builds Up (vs. 1-2) We have seen previously (1 Corinthians 6:12 13) that the Christian teachers in Corinth coined slogans to summarize key ideas. It appears that we have another such slogan at the beginning of chapter 8, "We know that we all possess knowledge (1 Cor. 8:1). The implication of this saying as touted by the Corinthian teachers is that all true Christians have deep, secret knowledge of the real truth. Therefore, nothing so trivial as eating food offered to an idol will make any difference in their Christian life. QUESTION: Have you seen or experienced that notion that real Christians are immune from the temptation to back to the old life? What is the result of this understanding? Paul responds to the Corinthians teacher s slogan with answers that are almost as dense and difficult to understand as the sayings themselves. Knowledge puffs up (1 Cor. 8:1-3, see also 13:4). The Greek word, physióō (from physa, "air-bellows"), means properly, inflate by blowing; figuratively, it means swelled up, like an egotistical person spewing out arrogant ("puffed-up") thoughts. QUESTION: Why does knowledge (in any area) tempt us to be arrogant? What happens to our Christian influence if we are puffed up with knowledge of any kind? Dispensing with the knowledge argument, Paul moves to the heart of Christianity in a single phrase, "love builds up (1 Cor. 1:1). From the Greek word oikodoméō which is a combination of oíkos, "a house" and domeō, "to build." It means, properly, to build a house or other edifice. Figuratively, to edify means to "build someone up," helping them to stand, to be strong, and to be "sturdy". Our essence is not your knowledge of this or that or even of God. What matters are God's knowledge of you and your love for Him. In a modern scientific world, we 4
tend to believe you are what you know. In the world of the New Testament and in the mind of Jesus, you are what love. QUESTION: When does knowledge lead to more love? When does love lead to more knowledge (think about knowledge in relationships, i.e. spouse, child, friend, etc.)? 2-Knowledge That Puffs Up (vs. 3-6) Another saying of these Corinthian teachers deals with specific knowledge about idols, We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world (1 Cor. 8:4). This is the accepted understanding in our modern culture. The Corinthian teachers are saying that idols don't have real existence; they are just made-up nonsense. Therefore, going into the temples of idols and eating their food doesn't matter. Paul then brings to bear a Jewish saying that the Corinthian teachers were also using, "there is but one God (1 Cor. 8:5, see Deut. 6:4). Perhaps Corinthian teachers meant this in the sense in which Jews understood the statement (Jeremiah 51:18, Habakkuk 2:18). But it is more likely that they meant what many in the ancient world mean, that all the gods and goddesses are really nothing more than manifestations of the one and only god. This is an un-jewish and non-christian idea. The God of Israel stood above and against pagan gods. Christians and Jews understand that idols are twisted projections of humanity, in other words, dehumanizing delusions. John Calvin said that the human heart is an idol factory. QUESTION: Consider Habakkuk 2:18, What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it, or an image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork when he fashions speechless idols. What do people today turn to as idols? (Consider political party, sports team, the Mall, technology, success, etc.) It may be the case that an idol s real existence is in the shared imagination of adherents. It is also the case that there are many traditional gods and lords in the heavens as well as on earth, as was seen in the imperial cult in Paul s day. Today, such idols and gods are well hidden in our modern world but have influence in the lives of people. Consider the people who worship a sports team, a political party, or technology. NOTE: lest you think I have lost my mind this little illustration, let me give you some research that has been done on brand loyalty, even brand devotion. There are folks who worship the mall and worship the brands that are there. You know there is one such super brand is Apple and Facebook. researchers made an intriguing discovery when they analyzed the brain activity of product fanatics, like members of the Apple cult, they found that "the Apple products are triggering the same bits of their brain as religious imagery triggers a person of faith." This is your brain on Apple. It looks like 5
worship to me. (Reported in James Smith s You Are What You Love, https://www.amazon.com/you-are-what-love- Spiritual/dp/158743380X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516217565&sr=8-1&keywords=you+are+what+you+love) While we make a case that idols exist only in shared imagination, it is also the case that the prince of this world (the evil one) uses shared imagination to seed evil thoughts and behaviors. The biblical One God stands against the evil prince of this world. You cannot assume that simply because you worship the God of the Bible that all other imaginary gods and lords are somehow reflections of the true God. This is simply not the case. The true God is both the world's creator ( through whom all things came ) and the world's redeeming ( through whom we live ). QUESTION: Take time to consider verse 6: 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. What does it mean on a personal level to say that we worship God and Christ through whom all things came and through whom we live? This was an astounding statement in Paul's day as it continues to be in our day. From this grand perspective on who God is, Paul is not content to offer simple rules, a set of do's and don'ts, guide people of the true God in a world full of other gods. He is interested in what it means to love and serve him. 3-Love That Builds Up (vs. 7-13) Let me suggest an illustration about staying attuned to God: the spiritual center of a human being is like a compass that must be directed at true North, the holy love of God. The pagan world seeks to draw the compass off North, if only by a few degrees. In our world, this can come about by consciously or unconsciously allowing the ways of the world to draw us away from God. In Paul's world, one prime example of this dynamic was meat sacrificed to idols. It was not the meat that was evil. It was the influence of eating the meat or seeing other Christians eat the meat. The experience or sight of others eating idol meet might tempt a "weaker brother" to turn back to the idols he had once worshiped. I have seen this passage applied as if the "weaker brother" was someone from a narrow background, full of rules and restrictions that have nothing to do with the gospel itself and everything to do with their social subculture. They, in turn, insist that all Christians should join them in their tight little world. Such rule-bound Christians are in no danger of having their conscience damaged. They are quite sure that they are right. Paul is dealing with a very different issue, an issue that is common in our modern world. Before their conversion, some of the Christians in Corinth had been regular worshipers at the shrines of idols. They had been taught and came to believe that 6
feasting at the god's table was eating the god himself, taking his life as your own. Drinking at the god's table granted permission from the God to cast off moral restraint and turn to young boys and girls waiting around the corner to do whatever you want (with a little extra payment to the god). Once you share in that dark but powerful world on a regular basis, it was difficult to separate yourself from the whole thing. Memory and imagination are powerful. In Christ, the idol worshiper had escaped and was free, but the temptation to turn back lingered. We can see how difficult it would be to split that evil world into bits and pieces saying, "this part is okay but that part is evil." Thus, you have the description of the "weak brother." QUESTION: What lingering reminders and temptations to an old life of sin might be difficult for some to overcome? What entertainments, locations, substances, distractions, etc. might bring back vivid and difficult memories and imaginings? Paul's response to this situation is that our love for our brother overrides our freedoms in Christ. Paul has a strong enough conscience that he has no difficulty eating meat. But he also knows that Christians who have been immersed in an evil battle struggle with memory and imagination when they see Christians participating in similar activities, even when the activity itself is not sinful. Our first obligation is to our weak brothers and sisters, protecting them, encouraging them, and empowering them. If this means giving up certain rights and freedoms we have in Christ, so be it. Paul goes so far as to accept the old Jewish rule of vegetarianism in pagan cities, Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall (1 Cor. 8:13). QUESTION: What am I willing to give up for the sake of protecting and empowering my brother and sister in Christ? (Teachers: this may be a rhetorical question you can use to conclude the class. The question gathers up our Pastor s Vision Message for 2018.) ALTERNATIVE LESSON: The pastor will be sharing the vision for our church for the New Year on this Sunday. You may want to follow his outline for your discussion. If you wish to base your lesson on the vision cast by our Pastor, I make two suggestions: First, listen to the sermon at 9:00 and take careful notes. Open the class by sharing what you heard in the message and asking for their input. Second, design your discussion around two questions: What are we doing now to advance this part of the vision? What can we do to improve the way we advance this part of the vision? 7
Three Great Principles for a Great Church in 2018: 1. There is ONE God and ONE Lord - Verse 6 - Clarity in the midst of confusing pluralism. QUESTION: How are we / can we help people find clarity in a confused world? 2. We are invited into a personal relationship with this ONE GOD - Verse 3 - full salvation in the midst of surface religion. QUESTION: How are we / can we help people find a personal relationship with the True God? 3. We must live lives of holy influence, putting OTHERS first - Verse 9 - sacrificial living in the midst of self-centered values. QUESTION: How are we / can we live lives of holy influence that puts others first? TRADITIONAL BIBLE STUDY How do you deal with conflict? Do you dig in your heels, try to compromise, or give in to the other person? We can approach a difficult situation with knowledge or love (vs. 1-3). What is the result of each path? We know the image of the idol is nothing (vs. 4), but an idol points to a spiritual reality that takes priority over God. With this understanding, what idols are common in our world? What does Paul tell us about the uniqueness of the Hebrew/Christian God (vs. 5-6) as opposed to the contemporary idea that "all religions worship the same God"? Paul is describing (vs. 7-8) how old patterns of behavior can weaken our resolve to follow Christ. This was true of meat sacrificed to idols (reminding the weak brother of his past loyalty to the idol). In our culture, what old patterns of behavior might tempt a weak brother to depart of faithfulness to Christ? What does Paul say about the actual behavior of eating meat (vs. 8)? If it is not eating the meat that is sin, what is it that is spiritually dangerous for the weaker brother (vs. 9-13)? What places, behaviors, entertainments, distractions, etc. might be difficult for some Christians because it conjures up old memories and imaginings? How can our actions be a stumbling block for a weak brother (9-12)? What is Paul willing to do to support and encourage the weak brother (vs. 13)? What are we willing to do? 8