Be Careful With Your Christian Liberty [1 Corinthians 8]

7However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.8But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. 9But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.10For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?11For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died.12And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.13Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

In Christ, there is great liberty, but with that liberty comes great responsibility. You no longer live by a lot of dos or don'ts, but that doesn't mean that you don't live by a very high standard. How you live your life before others matters. However, you can't live well without a focus on Christ acknowledging that you are well graced because of what He did on the cross. As you exchange your inability to live well for God's ability then it is God's influence on your life and His reflection that will enable you to be careful with your Christian liberty.


 

May you live a life full of God's grace that overflows in encouragement to the people around you.
Beth Warlick, 11/20/2008