Dealing with Food Sacrificed to Idols
July 6
Most of us have never encountered a situation like this. But in Paul’s context, it was not unusual. In modern-day Turkey and throughout that part of the world at the time, many people were polytheists who worshiped many gods. As part of their worship, they would offer sacrifices to one of their gods. Later, those sacrifices would sometimes be sold at the market and would be brought home to eat. They might invite a guest to dine in their home, and the host would serve the previously-sacrificed food to the guest.
So what if you were a believer and your neighbor invited you over for dinner? And what if the host told you, “Oh, by the way, I got a good deal on these lambchops at the temple market. What would you do?
Paul acknowledged the fact that meat was commonly sacrificed to idols. But he says that since idols aren’t really gods, believers don’t need to worry about eating that meat. He says, “Food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols? (1 Corinthians 8:8–10, BSB)
Paul was not concerned with eating food sacrificed to idols. However, he was concerned about causing another believer to stumble into sin. If someone grew up as a pagan polytheist and regularly ate food that had been sacrificed, they might see Paul in the idol’s temple, eating sacrificed meat, and assume that Paul endorsed, or at least was tolerant, of their former religion. Paul said that in order to keep that new Christian from stumbling into sin, he would abstain from eating sacrificed food.
Now, Paul is not saying he would abstain from eating sacrificed food if it were to “offend” someone. His concern only had to do with giving a weaker, younger believer an incentive to sin.
Application
Was Paul preaching situational ethics where you change your behavior based on the situation you’re in? Well, yes and no.
Paul said he was free to eat sacrificed food if he wanted to. He said there would be nothing wrong with that. However, he appealed to the greater principle of watching out for other brothers and sisters in Christ. If a host served him food without weaker, younger believers present, he would eat the meat readily. But if a weaker, younger believer was present, he would abstain.
We see a similar principle in our church when it comes to celebrating the Lord’s Supper. At the last Passover Meal Jesus celebrated with his disciples, he poured traditional (fermented) wine. Before Pasteurization was invented, all grape juice was fermented because it was impossible to prevent the fermentation process. While the Bible never prohibits drinking wine, it does, however, prohibit drunkenness. Many churches serve wine when they celebrate the Lord’s Supper. And Paul would argue that serving wine would be acceptable.
Today, in Western culture, Pasteurized grape juice is readily available. Our church serves juice instead of wine during the Lord’s Supper. In the event a recovering alcoholic is present, we wouldn’t want the alcoholic to be tempted to sin.