1 Corinthians 8:4-13

4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is 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 but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

-1 Corinthians 8:4-13

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Your faith doesn’t exist in a vacuum.  Your faith doesn’t just belong to you, it’s part of a community.  When you struggle in your faith, the whole Christian community struggles.  When you grow in your faith, the whole Christian community grows.

In this passage, the Apostle Paul was dealing with people who looked down on those who struggled with eating food that was used in other religious ceremonies.  So let’s say there was a Buddhist ceremony that used some oranges to “sacrifice” to their Buddhist idols.  Are Christians allowed to eat those oranges?

The Apostle Paul is saying it is perfectly okay to eat that orange, but for some Christians, it might bother them that they are eating fruit that was once used by another religion.  Paul is saying that if it bothers someone, even though it is okay to eat it, you should abstain for their sake.  This is Christian love.

I shared this example before, but that’s why some of the AYL adult leaders abstain from alcohol.  Though the Bible speaks against being drunk, it doesn’t prohibit imbibing alcohol.  This is freedom that we get to enjoy.  BUT, we know that alcohol is abused by a lot of people, including a lot of teenagers.  For their sake, we give up our right to drink so that those who struggle with it can see that you can still live life to the full without any alcohol in your life.

What right do you have to give up so that you can help your brothers and sisters in Christ?  You faith isn’t your own.  Your faith is not private.  Your lifestyle decisions have an impact on those around you.

1 Corinthians 8:1-2

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God. -1 Corinthians 8:1-2

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This passage is for those of you who grew up in the church and think you already know everything there is to know about Christianity.  This section of the Apostle Paul’s letter is about spiritual pride—thinking you’re right with God because you know more about the Bible or that you’ve been in church for most of your life.

The Apostle Paul here warns about the dangers of thinking you’re a Christian know-it-all.  It’s easy to use your knowledge to tear down someone or to condemn them so that you can feel spiritually superior.  That’s what Paul means when he said that “knowledge puffs up.”  Instead, we ought to use our spiritual knowledge in a loving manner.

When I was a young Christian in college, there were a lot of worldly things that I didn’t know was wrong because I was never a part of Christian culture growing up.  My older brothers and sisters in Christ could have said, “How could you do this or that?”  They could have condemned me, but they didn’t.  Instead, they patiently and lovingly taught me what the Bible says about the sinful lifestyle that I was living.  They walked with me even as I struggled with sinful habits.  And that made all the difference in the world.

Truth can be used as a weapon to beat someone with it, or truth can be used as medicine to heal someone with it.  How are you using truth?

1 Corinthians 7:25-40

25 Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. 26 Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. 27 Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. 28 But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

32 I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. 33 But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— 34 and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

36 If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong[b] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. 37 But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. 38 So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better.

39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. 40 In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

-1 Corinthians 7:25-40

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This entire passage speaks to the benefits of singleness from a  ministry perspective.  To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with marriage.  Even the Apostle Paul here says that if a Christian marries, he or she does right.  However, from a ministry practicality perspective, the Apostle Paul is making the point that there are benefits that come with singleness.  One can be single-focused on serving the Lord without having to worry about all the things that come with marriage.

As I mentioned in a devotional a few days ago—the Apostle Paul was single.  And Jesus was single, too.

Many of you won’t be single for the rest of your life, but you are single now.  Use your singleness to serve the Lord.  Enjoy what it’s like to serve God without any other attachments.  This season may not last long so enjoy it while you can!

Are you using your singleness to serve the Lord?

1 Corinthians 7:17-24

17 Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. 18 Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. 19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. 20 Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

21 Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. 22 For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. 24 Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

-1 Corinthians 7:17-24

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The Apostle Paul was talking about sex and marriage and all of a sudden there is this random passage about circumcision and slavery.  What’s going on here?

The Apostle Paul is reminding us that whether we are married or single, whether we are Jewish (circumcised) or Gentile (not circumcised), whether we are king or a slave, our first and only priority is our allegiance to Christ.

Our external position cannot change our internal disposition toward Christ.  You are all high school or college students right now, but that will not always be the case.  Some of you will have prestigious careers as doctors or lawyers.  Some of you will hold higher positions in your churches or ministries.  More likely than not, your social status will change and even grow in time.

BUT, you must never forget that you are as dependent upon the Lord as a CEO of a company as you are as a freshmen in high school.  You must never forget.

This is what this passage is about.  Regardless of your position, Jesus has to be your one and only love.

Is Jesus at the center of your life today?

1 Corinthians 7:12-16

12 To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.

15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. 16 How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

-1 Corinthians 7:12-16

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The Bible is clear that if you love God then you should date someone or marry someone who loves God, too.  But what if you came to the faith later in life when you are already married?  There were believers in the city of Corinth who accepted Christ later in life so while they were converted their spouses were still unbelievers.

The Apostle Paul’s advice was for the Christian to stay in the marriage as long as their spouses are willingly.  Many Bible scholars have stated that the words “sanctified, unclean, and holy” used in verse 14 are not talking about salvation but of blessing.  A person who is following God will enjoy the blessings of his or her obedience.  But those blessings extend to the family as well.

A spouse who has Jesus as the center of his or her life will experience supernatural peace despite external circumstances.  So when the whole family goes through a difficult time, the believing spouse can be an emotional and spiritual anchor.  That’s a blessing that blesses everyone!  This is what Paul was talking about in verse 14.

I know most of you reading this aren’t married so why should you care about this passage.  This passage reminds all of us that as believers, we are blessed and all those who come in contact with us are blessed by association.

Are you a blessing to those around you?  Do you see how following God has blessed you and those around you?

1 Corinthians 7:10-11

10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife. -1 Corinthians 7:10-11

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What does the Bible say about divorce?  The Apostle Paul is very clear here.  The vow of marriage is sacrosanct.  It is not to be broken.  What makes the marriage vow different from any other promises you make?  The marriage vow is not just a promise between two people, it’s a promise between two people and God.  More than to your spouse, you’re making a promise to God to stay committed to another individual.  The focus of this passage is not a married couple’s relationship to one another, but their relationship to God.

This is not to say that there are no grounds for divorce.  Jesus himself said that unfaithfulness is one of the grounds for divorce.   Check out Matthew 5:32.  And of course, if one of the spouses is dangerous and causing physical harm to another, extracting the victimized spouse from a destructive relationship takes absolute priority.  This is not a passage that supports abuse.

But what this passage does support is underscoring the importance of our commitment to God.  In my marriage, loving Maria is not just a loving act toward Maria, but above all, it is a loving act toward God.  There are absolutely days when Maria and I don’t FEEL very loving toward one another.  That’s when our marriage vows to God kicks in.  We love one another by continuing to love one another even on days when we don’t feel loving.   That’s true love.

1 Corinthians 7:1-7

Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. -1 Corinthians 7:1-7

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There’s a common misconception that Christianity is prudish about sex.  Nothing can be farther from the truth.  Christianity isn’t anti-sex, it’s pro-sex.  In fact, God created sex so it has to be good!  And it is!

Notice how in this passage it talks about the husband and wife submitting their bodies to one another.  They are surrendering themselves to one another in mutual trust and openness.  The act of sex is merely a reflection of the bond and the intimacy already enjoyed relationally between the two.  That trust and openness and true intimacy can only occur in a committed relationship where both have promised to stay with one another in sickness or in death.  Only within this context can sex be truly enjoyed the way God meant it to be.

There are a lot of ideas out there about sex and most of it devalues it.  The world tells us, “It’s just sex so you can sleep with whoever you want.”  And they think by doing so they are enjoying sex.  Far from it.  Without the trust and the life-long commitment, it’s but a fleeting shadow of what sex really should be like.  It’s like comparing the Tenafly duck pond to Saranac Lake.  We’re far too easily satisfied with the duck pond, when God offers us Saranac.

How do you view sex?