What Should We Do?

DEVOTION

1 CORINTHIANS

WHAT SHOULD WE DO

1 Cor 10:25-30

25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."   27 If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake— 29 the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

NIV

So we are still talking about food here, and being alright with whatever we eat, except if it offends someone else. Was this strictly all about what was going on in Corinth? Surely as we have thought before we do not have foods today that has been sacrificed to idols, so how do we apply this truth to us? Maybe of someone has given up a certain food or drink as a way of sacrifice to God, or because of a conviction that they should abstain from it,  we should not engage in eating or drinking that certain thing in the presence of that individual.  But still that food or drink was not sacrificed to an idol, it is simply that one person’s personal relationship with God, unless it is not with God, but rather with some denominational set of rules and regulations about what is acceptable, and what is not, for a member of their church. But then still if we partake in their presence are we causing them to stumble? Would they think poorly of us? Would they be tempted to indulge with us, thus in their mind, falling, or sinning, whether it actually is or not? It is the pure truth that God created all that is in the earth, and as he told Noah, as surely as He gave him all the green things to eat, He now gives him all the meat to eat. Yes, he restricted the Israelites from certain types of foods. Even today some Jewish people will not eat food unless it is Kosher, having had some Rabbi give it a blessing. But still all the earth and everything in it is the Lord’s. We really need not be restricted from any food or drink as long as we give thanks to God for it. Yes, some plants, man has used as drugs, and the law of the land has prohibited us from indulging in that sort of activity. We should not take leave from the law of the land, for God has directed us to abide by the law of the land. But whatever we can buy in the market is fair game, as long as we partake with thanksgiving in our heart we should not be denounced by others because of it. Yet we still should be aware of not injuring anyone’s faith. We do need to weight every action in our freedom in Christ, so as not to cause our brother or sister in Christ to sin. Again, do we simply allow those who are restricted by some denominational set of laws to remain ignorant of the truth (is that being unkind?) or do we simply let them be, and restrict ourselves in their presence? It is a question we may never settle. What should we do?