Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s)
As I mentioned a while back, I’ve been reading through Paul’s letter to the Christians in Corinth. (1 Corinthians.) I’m trying to do it in bigger chunks to get a broader perspective of what Paul is talking about in this letter. It’s one that has always slightly baffled me. Paul (a life-long rule keeper) speaks tirelessly of God’s grace in other letters (to the Romans, Ephesians, Galatians…) but in his letters to the Corinthians, he seems to just be laying down rule after rule to “keep… or else.”
I still haven’t found a chunk of time to read it all at once, but I read chapters 1-10 today, and noted a theme running through that section. Paul does indeed speak of the freedom of the believer (via God’s grace through our connection with Jesus) but moreover, he speaks of our freedom to not be free.
Specifically, in what we’ve deemed “chapter eight”, Paul uses the example of eating meat that was sacrificed to idols. We don’t come upon such a circumstance very often these days, but that was a major deal then. He basically says that, of course, the meat is fine to eat (neither it, nor the demons to whom it was offered have any power) but the greater issue is the heart of other believers who think that it does.
In other words, it’s not about what we do… it’s who we do it to, or do it for.
Sure, we have the freedom from religious (and perhaps in particular, superstitious) practices, as we know God is not persuaded by any of those … but if by exercising that freedom we lead another believer to sin against their own conscience (another fascinating concept… that “sin” is arbitrary, relative, or subjective?) then we have done a greater injustice than that person’s “sin.”
I think it all still boils down to, “Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God.” (Steven Curtis Chapman‘s paraphrase of Micah 6:8.) 🙂
We do have freedom. Life in Jesus is freedom. Freedom from sin, guilt, shame, and even “religious rules” and obligations. But our greatest freedom is the freedom to choose to not be free—to love—for the benefit of everyone around us.
More thoughts to come from this letter, I’m sure.