Living For Others

 DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

LIVING FOR OTHERS

1 Cor 10:23-33

23 "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"-but not everything is constructive. 24 Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. 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? 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

NIV

It is difficult to break all this down using just one of these verses, for we could have gone into far-reaching thoughts with the idea that everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. But who is it not beneficial to? What part of that which is permissible is not constructive? From the context, the answer to those questions is the other person. We know that we should not exercise our freedom if it would cause a stumbling block for someone else. We already considered this before and we were wondering why the weaker believer is in control of the stronger believers' freedom for everything that is permissible. When Paul makes that statement about the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, it implies that everything is from the Lord. What the Corinthians had to be concerned about was food that had been sacrificed to idols. It is extremely doubtful that we have to be concerned about anything we purchase at the grocery store ever having been sacrificed to idols. Paul makes it clear that whatever we eat or drink as long as we do so with a thankful heart, it brings glory to God. In the culture of many of the holiness churches, there are no restrictions on what food is consumed even to the point of gluttony, but there is still the belief by some that drinking wine is not permissible. This restriction is not widespread, but still, from the context, those who do have that freedom should not announce their freedoms or exercise them in the presence of those whose faith restricts them from drinking wine. We use wine as an example for we think that would be the only drink that comes from the fruit of the vine which, most likely, was all that was made in those days, such as the water to wine that Jesus did for the wedding at Cana. If Jesus was against drinking wine, why did he make it from the water? It was for the benefit of others. He was not seeking his own good, or looking for praise from men, but it was for the good of many, and it could have become known which would have caused some to follow him and thus be saved. This is the task of the service that we all have been called to. To not cause those in the world or in the church to stumble so that they might be saved. It is interesting that Paul includes the church of God as those that might be saved. Does this imply there are those in the church of God that are not saved? How can that be? Yet the idea is still valid that we should not cause them to stumble so that they can be saved. This would appear to be the main reason to be careful about our lives, being an example to others, that they might be saved, which includes those in the church of God. Could this be those who are trying to live by either the law or by traditions rather than living by the truth? Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon those who have the freedom in Christ to be cognizant of those who hold to restrictions for whatever reason, so as to not cause them any harm. So living for Christ also means living for others.