Go for the Higher Standard
ICS Daily Devotions
1 Corinthians 10:31,33 (NKJV) Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God…. just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved
God is holy, righteous, and just, and He expects us to live in holiness and righteousness, especially since Holy Spirit-empowered lives are available to us now. We are not concerned about being accepted by the world and its standards, but only about living a life that glorifies God. We want to grow in Christlikeness, and we love God and our neighbours, especially those from the household of believers, because we are the body of Christ.
Therefore, we must ask what lawful things are not beneficial for our Christian growth and character development, and whether our actions will cause a brother or sister to stumble. This is why the Apostle Paul says that whatever we do, we should do it to glorify God! These should be the guiding principles before we embark on anything that is lawful.
1 Corinthians 10:25,30 (AMP) [Regarding meat offered to idols:] Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking any questions for the sake of your conscience….If I take my share [of food] with thankfulness, why am I accused because of something for which I give thanks?
The Apostle Paul advocates that everything can be eaten when we thank God for it. Everything that we see in creation is created by God for us. Because Jesus Christ has triumphed over all principalities and power and disarmed them, nothing can triumph over us—demonic forces or idols. Eating food offered to idols, including meat sold at a lower price because it had been offered to idols, cannot harm a Christian. Demons can’t possess our bodies through the act because the Holy Spirit living in us protects us.
However, while all things are lawful, not all things are beneficial (1 Corinthians 10:23). There are Christians with different levels of understanding and non-Christians who have heard that Christians shouldn’t eat food offered to idols. Usually, if parents know that their children are Christians, they will respect their beliefs when offering food to idols during ancestral worship. Nonetheless, some will demand that they pray to the idols and carry out ancestral worship rites. Knowing what to do on such occasions requires wisdom. If you are informed that the food on the table has been offered to idols, we shouldn’t partake of it because Scripture says, “So then, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” What we want to avoid is stumbling the weaker believers and the nonbelievers on such occasions. No one should seek only their own good but that of the other person (1 Corinthians 10:24). Therefore, instead of just being concerned with the “can” and “cannot”, let’s go for the higher standard set by Jesus Christ!
Sermon Series： Not all things are beneficial
