1 Corinthians 8:1 Now concerning food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge ^[a]makes one conceited, but love edifies people. ² If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; ³ but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.

⁴ Therefore, concerning the eating of food sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is ^[b]nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one. ⁵ For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, ⁶ yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

⁷ However, not all people have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ⁸ Now food will not bring us ^[c]close to God; we are neither ^[d]the worse if we do not eat, nor ^[e]the better if we do eat. ⁹ But take care that this ^[f]freedom of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will his conscience, if he is weak, not be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? ¹¹ For through your knowledge the one who is weak is ruined, the brother or sister for whose sake Christ died. ¹² And so, by sinning against the brothers and sisters and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to sin.”

First let’s set the background for this issue of eating meat offered to idols. From Guzik: “The meat offered on pagan altars was usually divided into three portions. One portion was burnt in honor of the god, one portion was given to the worshipper to take home and eat, and the third portion was given to the priest. If the priest didn’t want to eat his portion, he sold it at the temple restaurant or meat market. The meat served and sold at the temple was generally cheaper. Then, as well as now, people loved a bargain (including Christians). Things offered to idols: The issue raised many questions for the Corinthian Christians: Can we eat meat purchased at the temple meat market? What if we are served meat purchased at the temple meat market when we are guests in someone’s home? Can a Christian eat at the restaurant at the pagan temple?” I don’t know if this was a Jew/Gentile issue or not. I don’t guess it has to be. But probably most of the Corinthian converts were of Gentile background. Some would have no problem eating meat that had been offered to idols since, as Paul said, there are no real gods behind those idols. Others might think it is wrong to eat that meat since it had been offered to a god and this might seem like participating in the idol worship that they had given up to become a Christian.

Paul’s points are these: 1) The correct “knowledge” on this issue is that it is ok to eat the meat offered to idols since there are no real gods behind those idols. 2) If you have this correct knowledge on the issue, don’t be arrogant with that knowledge when dealing with those who don’t have that knowledge. “Knowledge makes one conceited but love edifies people”. 3) Not all Christians have the correct knowledge on this issue. When they eat meat offered to idols, it makes them feel like they are still worshipping the gods of those idols like they used to do. Their conscience will tell them it is wrong to et that meat even if someone tells them it is ok. 4) If a Christian has a strong conviction, then it doesn’t matter if he eats or doesn’t eat the meat. It’s not a heaven/hell issue. 5) But if a Christian thinks it is wrong to eat the meat, then will violate his conscience in doing so and that is a sin even if it is not actually wrong to eat the met. The sin is that he violates his conscience. The “weak” brother in this matter is the one who violates his conscience whether he has the correct knowledge or not on the issue. 6) A brother with strong conviction and a strong conscience against eating the meat will watch you eat the meat and have no problem with it. He will not be tempted to eat the meat and violate his conscience. 7) But a brother with a weak conscience will see you eat the meat and he might be tempted to follow your example and eat the meat also even though the whole time he is violating his conscience. He is sinning if he does that. 8) You perhaps have unintentionally caused him to eat the meat and sin by violating his conscience. He might be thinking, “Jack is a mature Christian so if he eats the meat, I guess I can eat it (and yet the whole time he eats he is violating his conscience and sinning). You have caused him to sin. You might even be arrogant and flippant about it, telling him “there’s nothing wrong with eating the meat, so eat up” without asking him if eating the meat would violate his conscience or not. 10) Paul said that he would never eat meat if it caused a weak brother to sin (as just described).

We skip over to 1 Corinthians 10: ²³ All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things build people up. ²⁴ No one is to seek his own advantage, but rather that of his neighbor. ²⁵ Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions, for the sake of conscience; ²⁶ for the earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains. ²⁷ If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions, for the sake of conscience. ²⁸ But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of that one who informed you and for the sake of conscience; ²⁹ Now by “conscience” I do not mean your own, but the other person’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰ If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered about that for which I give thanks?

These instructions in chapter 10 are for the brother who knows it is ok to eat the meat and his conscience doesn’t bother him when he eats. 11) If you have the correct knowledge that there is nothing wrong with eating the meat, then don’t even bother to ask if the meat you buy in the market was offered to idols. Just buy it and eat it. 12) If an unbeliever asks you over to eat, then eat the meat he prepares for you without asking where it came from. It will probably be meat from the market that has been offered to idols, but that won’t bother you and there are no Christians around to be concerned about. 13) But if you are at the unbeliever’s house eating and another guest is obviously bothered by meat offered to idols being served then don’t eat b/c you by eating might encourage him to eat and violate his conscience.

Now to one last section. 1 Corinthians 10:¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak as to wise people; you then, judge what I say. ¹⁶ Is the cup of blessing which we bless not a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is the bread which we break not a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Since there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf. ¹⁸ Look at the people of Israel; are those who eat the sacrifices not partners in the altar? ¹⁹ What do I mean then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, but I say that things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become partners with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. ²² Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?²³ All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things build people up. ²⁴ No one is to seek his own advantage, but rather that of his neighbor.”

This section adds another consideration in the discussion of eating meats or not. You might be one who can eat meats with clear conscience. You might could eat at a pagan feast where the meat is offered to idols. You might be strong enough to eat that meat without being tempted to worship the idol, and certainly the idol is nothing. But you are sharing in their worship just as you share with other believers when you take the cup and the bread in the Lord’s Supper. All things are permitted but not all things are of benefit. It is not wise to eat at the pagan feasts. It will hurt your influence and it cause a weak brother to sin if he sees you eating there. You have the Christian “liberty” or freedom to eat the meat but it might not be best for you to use that freedom.

So where would all this weak brother stuff apply today. The church I grew up in has a lot of such issues. Let’s just look at one: eating in the church building (and having a kitchen in the building). It might sound strange that someone would think that it is wrong to eat in the church building or have a kitchen in the building. After all, the church began in house churches where you would certainly eat meals and have a kitchen. The objection is that there are no “approved examples” of eating in the building. Also 1 Corinthians 11:³⁴ if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment.” That passage is not forbidding eating in the building. The early church had a love feast when they met which was a meal, during which they also took the Lord’s Supper. So the verse can’t mean “don’t eat in the building”. The problem was that they were not waiting on each other to take the Lord’s Supper or eat the love feast meal. They were having cliques and divisions. Paul’s point is that, if you are just at the assembly to eat a meal b/c you are hungry, then eat at home. The love feast and Lord’s Supper should be a time when you all eat together in love. As far as needing an “approved example” to eat in the building, why do you need an approved example. Who says that you can only do something if you have an approved example? Who says that, if you do have an approved example of the early church doing something in a particular way, that that is the only authorized way you can do that?

Having said all that, what if you still have a brother who believes it is wrong to eat in the building. He would violate his conscience if he ate in the building. So your elders decide to have a kitchen and have church meals in the building. First of all, this is not a heaven/hell issue, so you can “agree to disagree”. Romans 14:1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. ² One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. ³ Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. ⁴ Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” The one who eats and the one who doesn’t eat should not judge one another. Certainly don’t withdraw fellowship from one another. If the church is having a meal in the building, then the one who feels it is wrong should simply not eat the meal. He should not expect the others to not eat just b/c he is not going to eat. He should not say to them, “if you eat then you will offend me and therefore you should not eat”. We had a lot of people using that logic in my church, but you shouldn’t restrict someone else’s liberty to do something just b/c you don’t do it. But what if a brother feels that it is wrong to eat in the building and yet he has a weak conscience. He sees others eating and thinks, “well I guess its ok to eat since they are eating”. And then he eats but the whole time he eats his conscience is bothering him. He has sinned then. Not b/c the eating is a sin but b/c he is violating his conscience. Romans 14:²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” Your eating might have caused him to sin. So the key is communication and love. You need to make sure that anyone eating doesn’t have a problem with eating in the building. Let everyone know that they should follow their conscience on the matter.

That might sound like a frivolous example but it is a real example. Another might women be wearing the little doily in the assembly based on 1 Corinthians 11 wearing a veil when women pray in. mixed assembly. I won’t get into the right or wrong of the issue itself. But for sure it is not a heaven/hell issue. If a women feels she should wear the doily, then she should do so and not violate her conscience. Those who feel they don’t need to wear it should not judge those who disagree, and vice versa. The ones who don’t wear it should be careful to see if there is anyone who thinks they should wear it but don’t wear it b/c they see others not wearing it, and thus violate her conscience by not wearing it. I know that sounds frivolous, but it is a real issue in some churches.

Another more important issue might be drinking alcohol. If you believe it is ok to drink alcohol, then you need to be careful that you don’t influence someone to drink if they believe it is wrong. That would cause them to violate their conscience and sin. They might see you drinking and think “I guess it is ok” and then drink but the whole time violating his conscience. You may have, even unintentionally, caused him to sin by your drinking. So the key is to know how the other person feels about drinking, whether it is wrong. or not. Tell them to not drink if it bothers their conscience. It is not a heaven/hell issue so you can agree to disagree. I might add this. Even if you have the liberty to drink in moderation, you might decide not to drink alcohol at all since it might hurt your influence. Drinking is such a major issue nowadays. If you go to a social event where there is a lot of drinking, there will probably be a lot of drinking and some getting tipsy or even drunk. You are kinda like Paul’s example of attending the pagan feasts. It might be better if you didn’t drink at all if you attend (you might not have a choice on attending or not) or not attend at all.

I know this is long and drawn out, but a proper understanding of the weak brother issue is important.