Food Sacrificed to Idols

[Wednesday, 2/28] 1 Corinthians Ch 8

We hear today a discourse on whether or not it is appropriate to eat food sacrificed to idols. Here is an excerpt from www.rationalchristianity.net on this-

"Paul's teaching, which he explains in Romans 14:14-23 and 1 Corinthians 8:4-13, is that eating food sacrificed to idols is not wrong in and of itself, but is better avoided for the sake of Christians who think it is wrong and would consequently be led into sin (Rom 14:23).

While eating food that has been sacrificed to idols is not wrong, participating in idol worship is. Part of the idol worship of the time may have involved sacrificing meat to an idol and then feasting on the meat in celebration of the idol. In this case, participating in the feast would be participating in the worship of the idol, just as partaking of Communion is an act of worshipping Christ - a parallel Paul draws in 1 Corinthians 10:15-18. Therefore vv. 20-21 refer to eating sacrificed meat at an idol feast and thus practicing idolatry (as opposed to buying sacrificed meat in the market, or eating sacrificed meat at an ordinary meal in someone's home)."

This passage always strikes me as a perfect example of Christ-centered living. Paul indicates that there is nothing objectively wrong with eating meat sacrificed to idols- but that if what he eats "causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall."

If Christ is at the center of our lives, we will consider in each situation how our actions GLORIFY HIM, and how we can build up the faith of our brothers and sisters.