Vintage21 Church

kylemckay · Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 2:35 am Post subject: Preferences, 1 Cor. 8

Tyler (and others), I had a question from your talk on 1 Corinthians 8 that I never got around to asking, but I figure this is a good place to ask.

In the passage Paul describes his solution to the situation in Corinth dealing with food that has been offered to idols. Paul says,

"we know that 'an idol has no real existence' and that 'there is no God but one'... However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled."

One short question I have here is, is Paul saying that because they believe the food to have been offered to real idols, that for them, it really has been offered to idols? (As in, the reality of the mind/belief is what matters, not the actual reality)

Paul continues,

"But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died."

My question deals with what Tyler talked about in the sermon on "preferences". I listened to the sermon again and still didn't feel that I quite understood what was meant as being preferences.

I was glad Tyler used alcohol as an example because it is something I have been trying to figure out how to deal with. I enjoy beer/wine and enjoy the freedom to drink in moderation around friends. Tyler used alcohol as an example of a preference, and talked about how we can't enforce our preferences on others as Christians, giving an example of a Christian who is not an alcoholic, doesn't struggle with abusing it, but also prefers people not to drink and how it is ok as a fellow believer to drink beer in front of that person because it is their preference.

Were you (Tyler) saying that the non-drinking Christian person is ok with others drinking but just doesn't like to drink personally, or were you saying that he/she views drinking as a sin?

Is the situation with idol meat a preference? I wouldn't think so, but just making sure.

I have one more related question. I get the jist of what Paul is saying here, but it seems to me that it might also be good to, instead of simply not eating the idol food, that one could explain to others why the idol food is ok, and then eat freely, kind of a "share the freedom" deal. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Go Heels. (tomorrow night)