Stumblingblocks

Today’s Passages – 1Corinthians 6 – 9; Proverbs 1

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 1 – 5; Memorize Colossians 3:15)

“But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.” – (1 Corinthians 8:9)

The context of 1 Corinthians 8 has to do primarily with idolatry. Paul was telling the strong Christian that it was certainly OK with God for him to eat meat that was sacrificed to idols. You see, the strong Christian understands that these idols were just inanimate objects, and though they might mean something to other people, they are nothing to him. It is sort of like my view of Christmas trees. There are some Christians that are very offended by a Christmas tree because they originated as a part of pagan worship; but for me the Christmas tree is just a part of our Christmas tradition. I do not worship the tree. I bow down to it only to retrieve the presents that are underneath it.

However, if my having a Christmas tree became a stumblingblock to somebody, it would be wrong for me to have one. I do not think that this would happen today, but if a new Christian happened to visit my house and see the tree, and then bowed down to it in worship, I would probably have to re-consider owning a tree. The same argument can be applied to many “liberties” that we have.  Drinking alcohol would be a good example. Now there are a lot of arguments in the Bible against drinking alcohol, but the bottom line is that God will not revoke my salvation for drinking. However, my drinking could very likely be a stumblingblock for somebody else. I may be able to handle an occasional drink now and then; but the person I am influencing may not be able to handle it, and may become a drunkard. So, I don’t drink. I don’t want to point anybody in the wrong direction.

We also need to be very careful that we don’t allow ourselves to be tripped up in our Christian life. There are a lot of things out there that could cause us to stumble if we are not careful. Just because somebody else is doing something, or even another Christian is doing it, does not mean that it is OK for us.