Freedom's Choice -- March 23, 2009

"But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak."
1 Corinthians 8:9NKJV


Paul warns us against taking advantage of the freedom we have in Christ when it will hurt others. For first century believers the issue of the day was meat offered to idols. Paul assured them that the theology that held the “gods” of that day to be no gods at all but demon spirits presiding over pagan rituals and that eating or not eating the meat these proceedings made no difference in their salvation was correct. Paul went beyond that to say that being right wasn’t the only thing we should consider in such cases. He tells us that loving consideration for other believers is also a key factor in our behaviors. Cold arrogant knowledge just makes us feel important and self-righteous. There are issues today that are just as troubling for believers today.

Whatever the issue is it needs to be addressed in love and concern for each other. We should almost never compromise relationship for the sake of doctrine. The only thing that can interfere with relationship is behavior. A sinful lifestyle or hurtful behavior should be addressed and could become a point of separation in a relationship. We can have very diverse convictions in our faith in Christ. There is a lot of freedom in Him. But we have to recognize that our covenant with Jesus includes all others in the body of Christ.

“Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth
with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another."
Ephesians 4:25NKJV

And 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that when one member suffers we all suffer. Even our private sins and victories affect the others. There is a lot of liberty is Christ! Let’s use it to our advantage and not as a means to weaken His glorious bride.

In Membership with Him and You,

Pastor Jason

2 comments:

  1. Good and succinct, Jason. I have been wrestling with some issues related to this post as well. My problem is... they're just too long and wordy. You have yours down to a very easy to read entry that gets the point across.

    Blessings,

    Kenny

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Kenny-

    I think that the ability to fellowship with those whose doctrine doesn't line up exactly with one's own is a sign of maturity and security as long as the core understanding that our relationship with Jesus is central to our relationship with each other.

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