I was reading my
Blog posts earlier this morning to refresh myself on things I posted, and to
gauge my progress in my Widow’s Walk … when I realized I had not posted a ‘Thursday
Bible Study’ post in about a month’s time!
WOW.
Where has time gone
this month?
To recap the last posting: 1 Corinthians/Chapter 7 was about marital obligations and Paul’s
view on abstinence- for those who can abstain.
Abstinence works
for me in my present … so that is where I am in my new life.
That
said; today’s Scripture
study touches on a mature Believer’s responsibility to the weaker brothers and
sisters in The Faith. Those of us who are more mature in the graces of Yeshua, are
not to flaunt our freedoms. We are to always to respect the weaker among us,
and to be patient and empathetic in their slow progress – to encourage their steady
growth.
It can be very
frustrating at times to consider others around us; but let us be faithful ambassadors
of Yeshua, and bow to those who are weaker in the faith, whenever that
necessity arises.
**********
1st CORINTHIANS ~Chapter 8
Now, as to things sacrificed to idols, it is
true that we all know something about it. But knowledge simply puffs one up,
while love builds us all up. And when a man thinks that he knows a lot, he still
has a lot to learn. But if he loves Elohei, he will have knowledge of Elohei.
In the matter of eating foods offered to idols,
we know than an idol-god has no real existence in the world. Elohei exists, but
there is no other god. Elohei is One.
It is true that men have supposed that there
are so-called {gods} both in Heaven and on Earth: we hear of many such ‘gods’,
and many such ‘lords’. But for us, there is only 1 God – Avinu Shebashamayim
(our Heavenly Father), the source of all things and the goal of our life; and 1
Lord, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, through Whom all things is made and through Whom we
live.
This knowledge of Elohei is not shared by
everyone. Some, having been accustomed to idol worship, still regard this meat
as food sacrificed to a ‘god’, and as they eat, this defiles their conscience,
which is already weak. But food is not what commends us to Elohei. We have no
advantage with Him by eating; and we do not fall short by abstaining. Only
this: you must be careful that your own freedom in this matter does not somehow
become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
Suppose someone weaker in the Faith should
see you at a table in an idol’s temple; you understand, but might not they be
encouraged, if their conscience is feeble, to eat food sacrificed to idols? By
your example, then, you may bring spiritual destruction upon this weaker person
– someone for whom Mashiach died to save. And when you sin like this against
your brother or sister, and further weaken thier conscience, then you sin
against Mashiach Himself.
For this reason your practice should be: if
meat is the cause of my brother’s downfall, then I will never eat meat again,
for fear that I might cause him to fall.
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