were who did attach some significance to the idols prevalent in that day. To see Christians partaking of meat dedi cated to such idols might interfere with their coming to a knowledge of the truth. Thus the admonition of verse 9 and the great principle laid down in the last verse of the chapter. Christian lib erty takes into consideration the welfare of others. It is unselfish. Helps for the Children Happy Times with Friends 1 Cor. 8 Memory Verse: “ Let us do good unto all men” (Gal. 6:10). All of you boys and girls enjoy make believe games, don’t you. You know that you are just playing house, or police man, or doctor, or whatever the game might be. It isn’t real at all. When dinner time arrives, girls who are just playing house are glad to hear mother call them to a real meal. If someone becomes hurt, children are glad that they can leave their make believe doc tor’s office and have mother or father bandage their wounds. Sometimes when others look at the lives of those who call themselves Chris tians, they say, “ Oh, he’s not really a Christian—it’s just make believe— he’s just playing.” Why? Because sometimes people call themselves Christians just because they live in a Christian home or just because they attend church or own a Bible. True Christians are those who have received the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour from sin. Those who are really saved, are praying constantly that their lives, every word and every action, will show others the joy of knowing the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. They do 'not try to irritate others and cause others to stumble. Paul talked about those who worshiped idols. Many of them would not eat the meat that was placed in front of their idols by worshipers. Paul knew that the idol was nothing, and that meat offered to an idol was not harmed in any way. Be cause some people who were new Chris tians felt that it was wrong to eat this meat, Paul said, “ If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.” Even though Paul saw no wrong in eating the meat, he would never touch it if that would keep someone from finding the Saviour. Sometimes Christians say, “ Well, I’ll go to that place or do that thing if I want to. It won’t hurt me a bit and every one else does it!” We are saved to serve our Lord and to win others to Him. If we do not love Him and others enough to refuse to do certain things for their sakes, there is something seri ously wrong with our Christian life. If we must choose between pleasing God and others, we must always choose to please God no matter what others may say. God’s best is when we can do good unto all men as well as pleasing Him. That is the only way to cause others to want to know our Saviour too.
tice, root then fruit, revelation then responsibility. He says in the words be fore us that in view of all the “mercies” set forth in the preceding chapters of his book that the one who receives these mercies ought to give his life back to God in “living sacrifice.” God no longer wants dead sacrifices as in the Old Testament dispensation. He wants lives fully dedicated to His service. It is good to die for Christ if that is necessary. His followers ought to be willing to do that if circumstances demand it. But if possible it is better to live for Christ. In the early days of the church there were multitudes of earnest Christians who thought that there was some special merit in earning the mar tyr’s crown and so in some instances sought martyrdom rather than the priv ilege of living for Christ. Though ear nest, theirs was a mistaken zeal. God wants “living, transformed” witnesses for His service in the world. Christian Liberty and the Social Life 1 Cor. 8 There is such a thing as Christian liberty. It is a glorious experience and the Apostle exhorts believers to stand fast in it (Gal. 5:1). But Christian liberty is not self-seeking. It is limited by love. It is thoughful of the welfare of others. That is the burden of the chapter before us now. The material in this chapter is defi nitely related to the pagan life of Paul’s day. Much of the meat sold in the public markets had been previously dedicated to idols. The question arose of how far a Christian could go in the matter of eating meat that had been so dedicated. The Apostle makes it clear that, as far as the Christian is concerned, there is no such thing as another God (v. 4) and that dedicating meat to something that does not exist could not contaminate the meat. Thus looked at in this way, there could be nothing wrong in eating of such meat.
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