Last week, we addressed the subject of Christian liberty. Praise God, we are free – free from the power of sin, free from the curse of the law, free from guilt. We are free in Christ from the lures of this world, the flesh, and the devil.

But, and we ended on this note, how free are we? How do we use or misuse this freedom?

We know that we are free to worship and serve God. No bondage in or of this world can hinder that freedom. Even in prison we have freedom in our spirits, and the spirit is where it really counts. They can destroy your flesh, but they can’t bind your spirit.

(Like the little boy who said, "You can make me sit down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside.")

But we know that some believers take their freedom too far. You cannot assume that you are free to commit sin. You are not free from morality. You are not free from ethical values. You are not free from what is right. You are never free from God – we will all answer to Him.

This we all know and understand.

But there is another matter. How far can we take our freedom in things that are not necessarily sinful? That question is addressed in this chapter. Here is the scenario:

Corinth, like all Greek cities, was full of temples to heathen idols. In these temples, sacrifices were made to heathen gods. The sacrifice was divided up – part was burned on the altar, part was given to the priest, and part was the property of him who offered it. This part was either eaten by him at home, as food which had been in some sense consecrated or blessed by having been offered to an idol; or it was partaken of at a feast in honour of the idol; or it was in some instances it was sold in the market in the same way as other meat

The Corinthians, who enjoyed the meat and wanted to retain their freedom to eat it, had apparently written to Paul and sought his blessing on eating it, because there were some who felt that it was wrong. So there were two groups on Corinth – the liberals, who had no problem eating meat offered to idols, and the conservatives, who believed it was sinful.

Well, was it sinful or not? This is the question posed to the Apostle. This chapter is Paul’s answer.

An idol is nothing. We know that there is one God and only one God. An idol is nothing more that a piece of wood or metal or stone that has been fashioned by man as an object to worship.

There is no power in the idol. And so, meats sacrificed or offered to such idols contains no power for good or evil. The meat is not changed in any way, good or bad, by being offered to an idol.

And so, to eat this meat was no big deal in reality. It could not harm or help the person eating it. So, in theory anyway, the Christian could eat it with no fear and with no thought as to where it had been or what had been done to it. The believer was free in this matter.

But this freedom was being abused to the harm of some believers.

The "free" Corinthians were arguing thus – We are enlightened, we "know" that an idol is nothing and this meat cannot harm us. We have this "knowledge" of the truth, and the truth has set us free. We will not give in to "bondage" because of a few people who don’t "understand" as we do.

They had good reason to argue this way. Paul had already written in his letter to the Galatians –

He had clearly said, "Don’t go back into bondage. Don’t go back to the rules. Don’t fall into to the letter of the law again." He had also said that "nothing is unclean of itself".

The Corinthians had every right to take him at his word.

But had he not also said:

We are not obligated to the letter of the law, but we are obligated to the spirit of the law. And the spirit of the law says to "love one another".

Paul refutes their arguments in defense of their practice. The general foundation on which they proceeded was their knowledge of Christian liberty. But knowledge without love is a dangerous thing.

Knowledge sometimes puffs up, and makes us proud. It can swell a man with vain self-confidence and reliance in his own powers, fill him with vain ideas of his own importance. This will lead him into error and to sin. Most of the difficulties in Christendom arise from people who overestimate their own importance. They suppose they have superior wisdom and thus have the tendency toward factions and disputes.

Paul explains: We are acquainted with the true nature of idols, and of idol worship; we "all" esteem an idol to be nothing, and cannot be in danger of being led into idolatry, or into any improper views in regard to this subject by participating of the food and feasts connected with idol worship.

But, it is not safe to rely on mere "knowledge" in such a case, since the effect of mere knowledge is often arrogant pride. They ought to act rather from "charity," or love. Though the majority of them might have this knowledge, yet that "all" did not possess it, and "they" might be injured. Knowledge in this case is not a safe guide; its effect "may" be to lead some astray.

Unless our knowledge is tempered with charity, it not only doesn’t benefit us, but also can do much harm.

There is no proof of ignorance more common than conceit of

knowledge.

Without holy affections all human knowledge is worthless.

The Corinthians needed to realize that, though they had "knowledge" – though they had been "enlightened" to the truth in this matter - and though they had freedom to do what their consciences allowed, yet there were some who did not understand as they did, and they would be affected negatively. Believers who were "less enlightened" might be led astray.

Those who have knowledge ought to act so as not to injure those who have not. The weak were defiled by eating such things through the example of strong. So it was incumbent upon those who had greater knowledge to abstain from these meats so as to not be a stumblingblock to the weak.

Those who lead others astray by their example, even though what they do may be legal, sin both against their brethren, and against the Lord himself.

A few years ago, Oral Roberts called Jim Baker and said, "Jim, is it true that you were paid a million dollars last year?" Baker said, "Oral, I earned that money." Oral said, "Jim, that’s not the point."

The point is, the exorbitant salary and the flamboyant lifestyle is a bad witness, especially in the light of little old ladies sacrificing out of their poverty to support the ministry.

The same was true of Jimmy Swaggart when he was caught the second time. He stated, "What I do in my private is nobody else’s business." Wrong answer! If you proclaim Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, what you do is everybody’s business, because your life is a testimony to His grace.

Charity, or love, is a safer guide than knowledge. Love to God and to others is a better guide in determining what to do than mere knowledge. It will prompt us to seek the welfare of others, and to avoid what would injure them. It will make us tender, affectionate, and kind; and will better tell us "what" to do, and "how" to do it in the best way, than all the abstract knowledge that is conceivable. The man who is influenced by love, ever pure and ever glowing, is not in much danger of going astray, or of doing injury to the cause of God.