1 Corinthians 10:23-33--Do All to the Glory of God

1 Corinthians 10:23-33
English Standard Version

Do All to the Glory of God
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience-- 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

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We're now coming back to the discussion of Christian liberties again.  Paul will once again start with what appeared to be the argument of the Corinthians that "all things are lawful" to them, but Paul will add to it, "not all things are beneficial" and "not all things are edifying"  Paul returns to the Greatest Commandments to say that if we love our neighbors as ourselves, than we should be just as interested in their good as our own good (and I think Paul would argue that we should be more interested in their good than our own good).  We are not to be controlled by selfishness like the ungodly, and that is really what is at the center of this "all things are lawful" argument.  These so-called Christians (maybe some really were) were living according to the flesh and Spirit had little or no control over them.  If we looked at them before Christ and after Christ we would see little difference other than before Christ they were at least afraid of some judgment that kept them from doing certain things, but now that they believe they have "fire insurance," they sin freely and openly and do so without any fear of the LORD because they don't fear condemnation or judgment.  How wicked and twisted and perverted of a false gospel message is that?  Unfortunately, this is also the kind of gospel that is preached by many today by their lives if not also preached by their lips and even from some of the pulpits of some "churches" where the leaders are more concerned with followers and dollars in the offering plate for themselves than for making true disciples of Christ and faithfully preaching and living out the Word of God.

Paul tried to wrap up the meat sacrificed to idols situation by finally telling them that if they go to visit someone who is unsaved and they serve them something to eat--eat it without asking questions and without guilt of conscience, even if it's pork barbeque and you were a Jewish convert who still wants to follow Kosher law, or even if it was strangled (against the Jewish law) or even if you think it was sacrificed to idols--just eat the food with a clear conscience.  The same goes for whatever is sold in the meat market.  There's no need to ask questions.

The problem arises when someone advertises that "This meat has been sacrificed to idols" either in the market or before they serve it to you for dinner because now it has become a test and for the sake of the one who is weak in faith or without faith who sees you eating it may now draw the wrong conclusion and assume that you associate yourself with the worship of the false gods, which we are never supposed to do.  Again, let's bring this forward into the 21st century.  We should be able to get medical treatments without needing to ask questions about if embryonic stem cells were used in the research and development, we should be able to buy products from any company without wondering what causes they support and which political candidates they have made donations to or which country they are headquartered in, we shouldn't need to ask if the food set before us is non-GMO, and we should still be willing to sit down at the table and eat with unbelievers--though not those who call themselves believers but are apostate or preaching a false gospel.  We cannot associate with them, as this epistle and others tell us about excommunication; all instructions here in this chapter seem to be about how Christians will interact with those who are of the world.  Paul is going to come back and clarify some more in 2 Corinthians because the church missed what he said and stopped associating with unbelievers altogether and they also refused to restore fellowship with the one who had repented after being excommunicated.

Paul says that even though you could eat anything you wanted with a clear conscience, you should be as worried or more worried about his conscience than your own, and be willing to give up your liberties for the sake of the conscience of another, especially a weaker brother, and we should do this without being offensive to the other--we should not call him out in front of others or criticize him for being spiritually immature and tell him that he needs to violate his conscience for our benefit.  Again, this kind of message is one of selfishness that should not be associated with Christians who should be looking out for the interest of others above their own interest--even if that means that they have to give up liberties like their freedom by going to jail or even giving up their own lives for the sake of the gospel and the eternal destiny of others.  The author of the book of Hebrews tells us this in Hebrews 12:1-2


Hebrews 12:1-3
English Standard VersionJesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Christ wasn't thinking about His rights or privileges as the Son of God when He went tot he cross to pay the penalty that you and I deserved.  He did know that there was a greater reward before Him on the other side, but He willingly chose to say "Not My will, but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42)

So we too should be gospel centered and not try to be offensive to anyone--people will take offense to the gospel, and we can't help that.  Paul is  not saying to water-down the message to be more seeker-friendly, but he is saying to not be selfish and conceited in a way that would cause any unnecessary division or conflict, because we should always be about pointing people to Christ and reflecting His nature and character.  We are never to make it about ourselves or to be controlled by our flesh which should have been put to death on the cross with Christ when we repented and were "born again."  Watch out if you are sacrificing the message of the gospel for your own self-interests.  No, we are called to do just the opposite and sacrifice personal pleasure and convenience as we go into all the world and make disciples of all peoples (tribes, tongues, nations, and ethnicities), so that God might be about restoring a people until Himself to the praise of His glory.  Therefore, we do everything for His glory as we live in obedience to Him in all that we do.