
January 26, 2025|Living Out Your Freedom|1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1
John-Daniel Cutler
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As we have made our way through the first Biblical letter from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth we have seen him address subjects such as their identity in Christ, the divisions among them and their pride, as well as the topics of marriage, singleness, and sexual immorality. He has contrasted man’s wisdom with God’s, and has encouraged the church to be faithful to God.
Over the last four messages from Corinthians starting back before Christmas in chapter 8, we have been looking at a seemingly simply issue that Paul is treating quite thoroughly. It continues Paul’s pattern of addressing the Corinthians’ questions that began in chapter 7. We find these words in chapter 8 verse 1.
8 Now concerning food offered to idols:
Since we are coming to the conclusion of Paul’s treatment of this issue, I though it would be helpful to review what he has said so far by looking at the spirit of the questions behind the answers in his letter.
Are idols anything? No, idols are nothing and maturity in Christ will help us understand our freedoms, however, assuming that all believers are mature in Christ is a mistake, some have not fully grasped their freedom.
Isn’t my freedom and understanding to eat this food good? Does it not mean I am knowledgable and mature? No, eating food or not eating food will not commend us to God, so the greater question is how is this affecting my brother. exercising my freedom to eat and drink food offered to idols will not commend me to God and may even be a sin against Christ if it harms a weaker brother or sister.
If I have rights in Christ, shouldn’t I exercise them freely? Not at all, sometimes we set aside our rights in order to not hinder the gospel, Paul uses his own rights as an apostle as an example.
Does all of this even matter? Yes, we must run the Christian race with intentionality, perseverance, and determined to cross the finish line. Paul uses the Israelites as an example of being close to the people of God without actually belonging to God as a severe warning for us not to presume upon the Lord.
Then if I am free to eat meat offered to idols, am I free to participate in pagan worship, since an idol is nothing? Not at all, you belong to Christ and eat from his table, you cannot do that and participate in worship of demons.
The unanswered question that lingers this morning is a practical one for the Corinthians and for us.
How do I practically live this out, keeping my freedoms and my responsibilities in proper tension? Paul is going to close his treatment of this subject of food offered to idols, as well as set up the remainder of what he is going to address by giving the Corinthians three principles of Living out your freedom in Christ. If you have your Bible, open it to 1 Corinthians 10 at verse 23, where we will pick up where we left off last week. The first principle we find is…
LIVE FOR THE GOOD OF YOUR NEIGHBOR.
Paul is going to expressly say this and then he is going to apply their current question to the principle. Let’s read verses 23-30 together.
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.
25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
Paul begins by repeating a phrase that seems to be a well known Corinthian saying, one that he has repeated before, when dealing with the issue of sexual immorality. 1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV) 12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. There the argument seemed to be that in Christ everything is permissible, and some were taking that idea to the extremes, engaging in sexual immorality. Perhaps even using Paul’s previous instruction about freedom in things that truly did not matter and twisting them to apply to sinful things. Paul quickly points them to the idea that even what may be permissible, is not always helpful, and in some things that are permissible, it is not always wise to engage lest you become dominated by it. In chapter 6, Paul’s focus is on the individual Christian, indicated by both the addition of the words ‘for me’ as well as the tense of helpful and dominated that are in the singular tense. However, in verse 23 he drops the ‘for me’ and verse 24 helps inform the context, Paul seems to be talking about what we do individually and its corporate affect.
Paul repeats what he said in chapter 6, because I can do something, doesn’t mean that it is helpful. That is advantageous or profitable for you. As I said in our sermon on chapter 6, Christian thinking doesn’t stop with ‘can I do something lawfully?.’ It continues to ‘is this thing good for me’? Is it profitable for me?’
But now he switches his second point, from not being dominated by something to the reality that not everything we are free to do, is good for either our growth or the building of the body of Christ, which he addresses at length in chapter 3. Your copy of God’s word might say, not all things ‘edify’. The word is borrowed from the construction world and used metaphorically in scripture to talk about what strengthens us as believers. That is not all things that you can do are good for you in the sense that they are going to build you up or help you grow.
With that as our backdrop, let’s make sure that we understand what Paul is saying in the following verse. Let no one seek- the word seek carries the idea of two things; seeking in order to find and the sense that is relevant to us today, seeking by demanding. Let no one demand, what? His own good- literally ‘the things of himself’ Let no one demand that his good is first.
How culturally abrasive is this statement? We are told to ‘look out for number one’, and to ‘take care of ourselves first’. We are constantly bombarded with advertisement and mentalities that tell us that we are the main character and we should follow our hearts to get exactly what we want. For instance, when a study was conducted on the most used words in the English language, the word ‘I’ made it to 10th place behind words like ‘the’ and ‘and’. Not surprisingly the word ‘us’ barely made it into the top 100 in the very last place.
Paul turns that upside down and says, Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. The english word neighbor is good and ties into Christ’s instruction concerning our neighbor, but Paul does not use the normal word for neighbor, but simply uses the word ‘other’. As in if there are two of you, do not seek your good, but the other one. What is the other’s good? From the context, it seems that Paul has in mind what is helpful or profitable for them and what is edifying to them, or what builds them up in Christ. So how does this principle work itself out in their current situation?
Let’s look at what Paul says in verse 25-30.
If you are in the market place, buy and eat whatever is sold by the unbelievers there, without inquiring about its origins, whether or not it has been sacrificed to idols or not. Why? Because it is an unnecessary question that does more harm than good. Paul quotes Psalm 24 to remind us we can be confident that everything belongs to the Lord and therefore, we can eat whatever meat is there, because ultimately it is the Lord’s. So, in your day to day life, Paul says, if you understand that idols are nothing and everything belongs to the Lord, eat whatever you can find to buy, not asking any questions, because it does not matter. You are free to eat.
Next, if you are invited to an unbeliever’s house for dinner, eat whatever is set before you, without inquiring about its origins. Why offend your guest and potentially shut the door to sharing the good news of Christ over a non-issue. You are free to eat.
But, what if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,”. Now, nothing about the meat has changed and nothing about your freedom has changed, but Paul is going to now introduce the other. It could be the person selling the meat, it could be the person hosting the meal, or it could even be a weaker brother in Christ at the table. Now, you are not free, do not eat it.
What changed?
Another conscience has entered the situation. If you proceed to exercise your freedom to eat, you may harm your witness or your brother. If an unbeliever in the market makes sure to tell you that the meat being sold has been a part of a sacrificial offering, he obviously is concerned about a believer eating it and in his mind, at least, may mean that you are participating in pagan worship and your witness to Christ is ruined. Same for a host that may think your devotion to Christ would be called into question if you eat. For a weaker brother, Paul has already told us, that if we ignore his conscience and exercise our freedom, we may encourage him to violate his conscience and eat, and thereby we are sinning against Christ and our brother. Whatever the circumstance, to desire to exercise your freedom in this situation would be to ignore the good of the other. Now, Paul goes on to ask two questions.
For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? Now, whether Paul is substituting these questions as objections by the Corinthians to the principle, or asking then rhetorically, we have to decide for ourselves, but I think the application is the same. My liberty in Christ is not actually effected by the conscience of a weaker brother or the conscience of an unbeliever, although it may be temporarily or situationally affected.
If I have freedom in Christ to eat whatever meat that is sold in the marketplace, if I can be thankful to God for what he has provided, regardless of its origins, then I am free to do that in my own home and around those with similar understandings. Just because their conscience tells them they cannot eat or that I should not, I do not have to take that conviction on myself.
Since, meat offered to idols is such a culturally distant idea for us, what if we applied it to an issue that has long been in the Baptist church. The consumption of alcohol. Some Christians understand that while drunkeness and abuse is prohibited in scripture, enjoying a glass of wine with dinner or a cocktail is not sinful to them. They are free in Christ to enjoy. Other Christians struggle with this idea and see complete abstaining as the only Christian course.
Let’s apply Paul’s logic, if an unbeliever invites you to dinner and serves you a drink, you are free to drink it. If they say, I know you are a Christian and this punch has alcohol in it, do not drink it, for their conscience sake. Same if you are dining with a brother or sister in Christ who lets you know that they do not think a Christian should drink alcohol. Do not drink around that person. Neither of those scenarios means that you have to take on their convictions, but both mean that you should limit your freedom for their good. Do you understand what Paul is saying?
The way we live out our Christian life, especially in regard to our freedoms, has boundary markers. The good of our neighbor. Adding to the statement we made earlier. Christian thinking doesn’t stop with ‘can I do something lawfully?.’ It continues to ‘is this thing good for me’? Is it profitable for me?’ And continues to ‘is this thing profitable and edifying to those around me?
The second principle we find is…
LIVE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.
Paul is pointed here and get’s to the underlying principle that the Corinthians have missed. Let’s read verse 31 together.
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
So, whether you eat or drink food and wine that had been sacrificed to idols or whether you refrain from eating or drinking food and wine that had been sacrificed to idols, do it for the glory of God.
There is an account about Spurgeon and another gentleman who one day shared the pulpit at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. After Spurgeon preached on the danger of sin, the other gentleman gave the application, focusing on the sin of smoking tobacco, with cigars being the focus. Spurgeon, who was well known for his love of cigars felt he must say something. He said this.
"Well, dear friends, you know that some men can do to the glory of God what to other men would be sin. And notwithstanding what brother Pentecost has said, I intend to smoke a good cigar to the glory of God before I go to bed to-night.
If anybody can show me in the Bible the command, 'Thou shalt not smoke,' I am ready to keep it; but I haven't found it yet. I find ten commandments, and it's as much as I can do to keep them; and I've no desire to make them into eleven or twelve.
The fact is, I have been speaking to you about real sins, not about listening to mere quibbles and scruples. At the same time, I know that what a man believes to be sin becomes a sin to him, and he must give it up. 'Whatsoever is not of faith is sin' (Rom. 14:23), and that is the real point of what my brother Pentecost has been saying.
Why, a man may think it a sin to have his boots blacked. Well, then, let him give it up, and have them whitewashed. I wish to say that I'm not ashamed of anything whatever that I do, and I don't feel that smoking makes me ashamed, and therefore I mean to smoke to the glory of God."
I believe Spurgeon’s point is that he felt at liberty to enjoy a cigar and as long as his conscience was clear before God, he would, and not only that, but he would partake with thankfulness to God, echoing Paul’s two questions, does my conscience condemn me? Can I partake with thankfulness?
The Corinthians were dividing over issues like food, making this their focus, while missing that the Christian life is not about us, but about God and His glory. Paul emphasizes this in a companion passage in Romans.
Romans 14:1-9 (ESV) 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
In verse 5 through 9 Paul fleshes out his ‘whatever you do’ from our text this morning, culminating in verse 7 and 8. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
The Corinthians are asking the wrong question. It is not what am I free to do, or what is permissible for me to do, it should be is my life being lived to the Lord. Can I say that I am living for the glory of God?
I was reading some commentary from D.L. Moody and he tells of an instance where it was once said of a humble Christian man, “that is business was shoemaking”. He happened to be present, and said, “Excuse me, my business is to glorify God. I earn my bread by making shoes.”
When I say live for the glory of God, it does not mean that we all must have elder or missionary as our vocation, but rather ‘what is the aim of our life?’
How do we know if we are doing all to the glory of God?
First, we know that God is glorified when Christ is exalted. Christ glorified the Father.
Second, we know that Christ said the Spirit would glorify Him, which in turn glorifies God.
Therefore, we know that when we live to the Lord Jesus we glorify God.
Listen to what Peter says in 1st Peter chapter 4.
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Which brings us to our third and final principle…
LIVE FOR THE GROWTH OF THE KINDOM.
Paul closes out with the words we find in verses 32 to the first verse of chapter 11 that rightly belongs with our text today rather than the next topic Paul addresses. Let’s pick up in verse 32.
32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. 1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Knowing where Paul is going, let us begin where he ends. Imitate me, as I imitate Christ.
Paul has previously explained why he lives like he does, particularly in reference to his freedoms. 1 Corinthians 9:22-23(ESV) I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
Where did Paul get such radical ideas? His Lord.
Mark 10:42-45 “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Paul points that our example is Christ in his letter to the church in Rome while dealing with the same issue as here in 1 Corinthians.
Romans 15:1–7 “1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”
and again in his letter to the Ephesians
Ephesians 5:2 “2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
...and again in his letter to the Philippians
Philippians 2:4–5 “4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,”
Paul patterned his life, the way that he live out his freedom after the self-sacrificial love of His Lord, who came to seek and save the lost.
Jesus calls us to live a life of service, and not just any service, but a service that is done for the purpose of seeing men and women saved. This is why he came, and now as recipients of the gospel and citizens of the heavenly kingdom, our mission is to proclaim what he accomplished to everyone we can.
Paul got that, so that he says to the Corinthians, give no offense- not giving any reason for anyone to stumble. The word also carries the idea of being blameless, with Paul essentially saying, when it comes to causing someone to stumble over the gospel, either initially or as a new believer, as much as you can, do not be the reason for their stumbling.
He goes on, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do- This is not a live and let live attitude, this is not advocating being a people pleaser who doesn’t speak the truth, this is in the things that are not essential, in the things that are indifferent, being willing to conform in whatever way we need to in order to not cause them to stumble.
not seeking my advantage- exactly what he has commanded them to do in verse 24, explaining that this is not just what he teaches, this is what he lives but that of many, that they may be saved- He reminds them of why he lives this way and why they should live this way.
Now, he finishes, be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
The kingdom of God will grow in as much as his Christ lives through His people, calling men and women to himself.
Someone might say, why then did Paul just not say, imitate Christ. Two points.
One, he basically did. He essentially said imitate me in as much as I imitate Christ. If Paul is imitating Christ, then if you imitate Paul, you are imitating Christ.
Two, this is the core of discipleship. Taking a new believer or a young believer or a immature believer and saying imitate me as I imitate Christ. It is pointing with both your teaching and your lifestyle to what it means to live to the Lord. This is how we grow the kingdom, this is how we advance the mission, this is how we impact the world with the gospel.
We get ourselves out of the way, we put others interest over ours, and we preach Christ to both unbelievers and believers alike, inviting them to follow our life as we follow Christ. If securing salvation for believers was the purpose of Christ’s life, if the establishment of the kingdom of God, and the adoption of many sons was what he spent his life for, then as those who claim to belong to Him and to follow Him, how could ours be any less that telling people that salvation has been secured so that the kingdom of God would grow?
Paul never tells us that we are not free in Christ, in fact, many times over he reminds us that we are. But what he does tells us is that our freedom is not a license to gratify our flesh and to seek our own good. He wanted the Corinthian church to understand that they had a higher calling than that in Christ. Similarly today, I pray that you see that your freedom in Christ is not a license to get your way, or to seek your own good, but an opportunity to use your freedom in such a way that other men and women experience the saving power of the gospel.
How do we live out our freedom in light of our responsibilities? How do I keep my freedom in Christ and my responsibility towards one another in proper tension. We must ensure that we are living for the good of our neighbor, for the glory of God, and for the growth of the kingdom.
While all three of these principles are important, if you have not been living this way, don’t be overwhelmed thinking that you are failing, you might not see it, but this is exactly what Paul was calling the Corinthians to do. In this issue of food offered to idols, he says, here is what I want you to do, imitate me. I’ve explained why I am living this way and why it is Godly, now, just do what I do. Take one step, live out this truth, and then another, and then another.
Whichever principle you feel God impressing on you this morning, start there. I truly believe that we mature in the Christian life as we do the slow work of bringing one area after another under the authority and influence of Christ.
How are you treating the others in your life? At home are you most often focused on things going your way or getting what you want or on serving the others around you for their good? How much time are you making to live for the good of those around you? At work, are you focused on climbing the corporate ladder or on ministering to those around you for their good? At church are you living for the good of others, do you view church as a place to have your felt needs met or a place to meet the needs of others?
What is your life aimed at? Is it success, riches, comfort, or is it the glory of God? Is there anything that you are spending a significant amount of time on that isn’t for the glory of God? What changes could you make this week?
How concerned are you with the advancement of God’s kingdom through seeing men and women saved and discipled?
May God help us reflect on and apply His truth through His spirit this morning.
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