Discipleship
January 29, 2021
Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 8:1-13
Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that ‘all of us possess knowledge.’ Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.
Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ‘no idol in the world really exists’, and that ‘there is no God but one.’ Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ‘Food will not bring us close to God.’ We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling-block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:18-20)
Why do we seek lesser gods? In the scripture for today, Paul writes about idol worship. In Romans 7, he writes about not being able to do what is right but does the evil he knows he should not. The thing about idols that is so compelling is we can craft them into anything we desire and call it god. On the other hand, God created us in God’s image so that our being in sync with God results in that which is good, not only for us but for all of God’s children. God built into our creation the right to choose whether to live in alignment with God or not. Jesus said that my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:30), but like two-year-old’s, we test God to establish the trust needed in any relationship. We carry that testing into maturity or lack thereof. Our primary life’s work is growing into relationship with God through good times and bad until evil is no longer attractive. When we pursue that work with all our hearts, God is always with us to share our challenges and joys.
Prayer: Creator God, thank you for making us who we are. Guide us in fulfilling all the promise you built into us at our creation. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.