Have you ever considered that your understanding of an issue may be correct, but that you yourself may be acting wrongly on that issue? Any time we cling to “knowledge” and our “freedoms” at the expense of others, we are not walking worthy of the gospel, and we are showing our immaturity in Christian living. Notice how Paul closes out this section:
“And when you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. 13 So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.”
1 Corinthians 8:12-13 NLT
Question 1. What are we doing if we, by our behavior, encourage other people to do something they believe is wrong (even if it is not sinful)?
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If we encourage others to do something they believe is sinful, even if it is not truly wrong, we are “sinning against Christ.”
Many today are fortified through consuming books and social media to hold fast to their freedoms and exercise them, regardless of what others may think. Then, under the influence of their special knowledge, they begin acting in a superior way, believing they know best. They do not care if others are offended by their behavior; they care more about exercising their knowledge than loving and serving others.
Such was the condition of the Pharisees (the religious leaders) in the time of Jesus. They put their knowledge ahead of people. Their wrong priorities were evident as they plotted how they might kill Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-14), as if their knowledge of, and obedience to, the Sabbath was far more important than the healing of a human being.
When the Pharisees handed Jesus over to the Gentiles to be crucified, they evidenced how cold and hard-hearted they were. They callously watched as Jesus was beaten, mocked as He was trampled to the dust, jeered as He was nailed to a cross, and rejoiced when He died. Their participation in Christ's death showed their preferential attitude toward their knowledge and heartless attitude toward people.
And we do the same thing if we hold to our knowledge about an issue, cling to our rights and freedoms, encouraging someone “weaker” to violate their conscience as we do. Paul said this was “sinning against Christ.”
Question 2. In 1 Corinthians 8:12-13, how does Paul show by example that he gladly lays down his rights for the sake of others?
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Take a step back for a minute, zoom out of this situation in Corinth and look at it from afar. Who is living and growing in the gospel? Who evidences Christian maturity? Those who know more about an issue and cling to their rights and freedoms without regard for weaker people, or Paul who gladly sacrifices his rights, who refuses to do anything to cause someone else to stumble, even if that person is weaker in their understanding of the same issue? Who looks more like Jesus?
As we close out this lesson, I invite you to pray. If you have been one who has used your superior knowledge of a subject in a hurtful way toward others, and you have now seen that you have been "sinning against Christ," here is an opportunity to acknowledge your sin and seek God for help to change. And if you are one who is living and growing in the gospel, pray for opportunities to strengthen the weak with the good news of Christ’s death for our sins and His victorious and liberating resurrection from the dead.