Twin City church of Christ Blog
“Apr 16, 2024 - When Rights Go Wrong”
Categories: 2024 Reading DevotionalsWhen Rights Go Wrong
Reading: 1 Corinthians 8:7-13
Paul has established that since idols are not a real thing (1 Cor 8:4), eating food offered to them is not an issue. But that’s not the final word on the topic. “However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled”(1 Cor 8:7). Some Christians—probably former idol-worshipers—struggle with still thinking that this is wrong. This is no small thing; it causes them to feel “defiled”(v. 7), wounds their conscience (v. 12), and causes them to “stumble”(v. 13, 9).
Paul zooms out from the situation: “Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak”(1 Cor 8:8-9). Are my food choices worth causing my brother to sin and violate his conscience? By stumbling, Paul means more than someone not liking what we eat: “For if anyone who sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols?”(1 Cor 8:10). Someone who sees me doing something they believe is wrong will be encouraged to do the wrong thing themselves. So Paul concludes, “if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble”(1 Cor 8:13). Paul would rather forgo his right than exercise it to the detriment of his brother.
Americans are rights-focused people. “I have a right to…” is, in our time, a de facto justification for any behavior. As Christians, we have rights, including the right to eat certain things without fear of God’s judgment. But the fact that we can do something doesn’t mean that we should. How do my rights affect the real people around me—with their hard pasts, weak consciences, and personal struggles? Am I willing to give up my legitimate rights to bless others?
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One Thing to Think About: Have I thought about how my choices affect others—especially family, brothers in Christ, and close friends?
One Thing to Pray For: Awareness of the impact of my choices on others
