Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Walking out the Christian faith in the day-to-day, moment-by-moment surrender to the Holy Spirit’s leading on our lives is full of decisions. One thing that can bring clarity to decision-making, when there’s not a clear direction from Scripture, is to filter your choice through someone who has walked with Jesus longer than you have. I’ve found in my life that having a believer who has gone before me in the faith at my fingertips when I’m wrestling with a decision is truly a treasure and it’s a concept that’s unique to the Kingdom of God. One of the blessings of walking with Christ that we experience on this earth is that we get to walk with other believers and gain encouragement by their love for Jesus. The believers in Corinth had the luxury of calling on the Apostle Paul when they needed wisdom with a decision, and we see Paul answering a question they’ve raised in this passage regarding food offered to idols.

During this time period, the Corinthians Paul is addressing were believers trying to live out their newfound faith in a Risen Savior, amidst a sinful culture, where sacrifice in pagan temples was a focal point of society for unbelievers of the day. These new Christians were coming to Paul, in the absence of the Canon of Scripture that we have today, asking him how to walk in the Sprit in an unbelieving, pagan culture. According to commentators, offering meat to idols was so common that it was a regular part of their society’s routine and the temple built for worship of a pagan god would’ve been the center of the city of Corinth, even housing a meat market. The church in Corinth was growing quickly and as new believers surrendered to Christ, some were unsure if this practice of eating this meat was an acceptable act for a Christian. I love the way Paul uses their questions to teach them. Paul reminds the Corinthians that they can be confident that these false gods of their community can’t change food in any way, nor can the act of eating food increase their favor with the One True God. The Corinthians reading this letter had to have breathed a sigh of relief with this teaching, but Paul isn’t done; he reminds them that there’s something better than knowledge and it’s love for a brother or sister in Christ. In verse 9, he admonishes them by saying, “But TAKE CARE that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak” (Emphasis added). He’s saying consider your brothers and sisters coming behind you in the faith, those who might’ve more recently surrendered to Christ, leaving a lifestyle of idolatry behind and being weaker in the faith but eager to live in the new hope they’ve found in Christ. Paul says that eating this food offered to idols is going to defile their consciences and if they see you partaking as well, you’re going to darken their consciences too, as they are tenderly beginning to work out their salvation. Paul goes as far as to say that if eating meat makes his brother or sister stumble, he’ll never eat meat again. Wow! I’d say that’s deeply caring for another’s walk with the Lord. Paul brings the readers’ focus to love for other believers. He reminds them that it’s love that builds up the body of believers.

Paul’s words are a reminder to me of the importance of having genuine care for new believers as I make decisions. You’ve probably heard it said that someone’s always watching you, observing your actions. Maybe it’s your children, your spouse, your coworker, or your friend at school. There are so many people you and I cross paths with on a regular basis and we can assume that most of them are looking for something to fill the void in their hearts. Some individuals might be new believers trying to learn what it means to look like Christ, or maybe they’ve been a believer for a while but have never taken steps to grow deeper in the faith, or maybe the person observing you isn’t a believer yet but the Lord is drawing them to Himself and they know you walk with Him, so they’re seeing what you do. Thankfully, the question of whether or not we should eat food offered to idols isn’t something with which we have to wrestle, but there are other actions that are acceptable or even celebrated among unbelievers today that aren’t beneficial or acceptable for a Christ-follower. Paul isn’t calling us to legalism here or to a list of “do’s and don’ts”; he is calling us to care about the spiritual well-being of those walking beside us and behind us and have a heart that longs to see them flourish in their relationship with Christ Jesus.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Who do you know that’s walked with Christ longer than you who you can call on for advice or for prayer? Maybe it’s someone in your House Church. Or maybe you can’t think of anyone, which is a good reason to connect with a House Church in your area so that you can enjoy the benefit of walking through life with other believers.
• Who is looking to you as an example in the faith? Who is coming behind you, watching your steps as a Christ-follower? Take time to encourage this person this week. If you can’t think of anyone, pray and ask the Lord to put someone in your path that you can lead to the Lord or that you can encourage in the faith.

Family Devo: 1 Corinthians 8 

By: Cody Smith 

When partnering with your family to know, love, and follow Jesus, we strive to create and share content filtered by the Head-Heart-Hands model.

Head: the knowledge of God and His Word | Heart: the personal connection from scripture | Hands: a missional mindset

Head:

In today's reading from 1 Corinthians 8, the apostle Paul is addressing a topic that was causing some disagreement among the believers in Corinth. The issue was about eating food that had been sacrificed to idols. In those times, people would offer food to idols as a form of worship, and then the leftover food would sometimes be sold in the marketplace. Some believers were worried that eating this food would somehow make them dirty or show support for the false gods. Paul wanted to address these concerns and give guidance to the Corinthians.

Heart:

Imagine living in a city where people worshipped many different gods, and there were statues and temples everywhere. The believers in Corinth were trying to figure out what to do when it came to eating food that had been offered to these idols. Paul wanted them to understand that idols were not real gods and that there is only one true God. He explained that eating this food doesn't make a difference to God because the idols are not real. However, he also reminded them that not everyone had the same understanding, and some believers might still feel uneasy about it. Paul encouraged them to consider others and not let their freedom become a stumbling block for those who were weaker in their faith.

Hands:

The main lesson we can learn from this passage is to consider others before ourselves. We might have certain freedoms or rights, but if exercising them causes others to stumble or be confused, it's better to set aside our own desires. We should be mindful of how our actions might impact those around us, especially when it comes to matters of faith. Our goal should be to love and build up one another, not to cause division or hurt.

Today, let's think about how we can be considerate of others in our actions and words. Maybe there's a friend or family member who has different beliefs or opinions than us. Instead of arguing or trying to prove them wrong, let's listen and seek understanding. Let's show them the love of God through our kindness, patience, and respect.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for showing us through Paul's words how to consider others and love them. Help us to have understanding and empathy towards those who may think differently from us. Guide us in our actions, so that we may build up and encourage others in their faith. In Jesus' name, Amen.