The Limits of Christian Freedom
SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 10:23-33 
Read the passage
BIO: My name is Murray Garbrick. I was born on a dairy farm in York County, Pennsylvania, graduated from Penn State in mechanical engineering, and retired from Lockheed Martin Corporation. Sarah Lou and I were married at FPCO in 1967 and have two daughters, Mary Louise and Rebecca. I enjoy gardening, do-it-yourself work of all kinds, reading, and creating family history videos. I am currently an active elder serving on the Congregational Life Committee.
KEY VERSE: 1 Corinthians 10:33 "just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved."
CENTRAL TRUTH: It may be proper for a Christian to do certain things, but he must not do them if they are going to be stumbling blocks for others.
DEVOTIONAL: The Limits of Christian Freedom
Paul began the discussion concerning things sacrificed to idols in Chapter 8. In this passage he brings the discussion to a close and gives some practical advice which is applicable to us today. A Christian is truly free, but that freedom has real boundaries. First, we must understand that our freedom must be used to help others not to shock or to hurt them. If, for example, we have a friend who became an alcoholic and who is now successfully living without alcohol, when we go to lunch with him we do not order a glass of wine for we do not want to put any temptations in his path of continuing to live free from his previous addiction. In Romans 14:21 Paul writes, "It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles." Second, we must remember that our Christian freedom is given to us not for our own sake but for the sake of others. A person has a duty to himself but a greater duty to others. We have to show a good example to the non-Christian. By exercising restraint in the use of our freedom we may encourage a person who does not know Christ to inquire and to come to the faith. We have a duty to our fellow Christians. People take cues for behavior from us. Often a person new to the faith looks to us for a lead. We must so lead as to strengthen the weak and unsure and protect them from sin. This concept of our freedom linked to service to others is also evident in Galatians 5:13 and 1 Peter 2:16. William Barclay, the Scottish preacher, closes his commentary on this passage with these words, "We can do all things to the glory of God only when we remember the duty we must discharge to our fellow men; and we will do that only when we remember that our Christian freedom is given to us not for our sake but for the sake of others."
QUESTION 1: Think of your friends and acquaintances who are "young" in the faith. How might you lead one or more of them in strengthening their faith?
QUESTION 2: Can you recall an incident in the last month where you used your Christian freedom in a way that was hurtful to other people? Did you learn a lesson?
QUESTION 3: Is there a modern day issue similar to the first century "where meat was sacrificed to idols" issue?
Share
