Friday, July 7, 2006
1 Corinthians 8:7-13
However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. (ESV)
by Maryann Palmer
Our backgrounds have much to do with what constitutes a stumbling block. For example, if one believer was a heavy drinker before Christ freed him, he will be better off not participating in a barroom ministry. He may think it wrong for any believer to be in a bar, no matter what he’s doing. He may conclude that if the evangelist can be in a bar, so may he. Once there, he’s tempted to drink. It’s his stumbling block. Christ gave up his life for that person. Shouldn’t the evangelist at least be willing to change where and how he takes Christ’s message, for the sake of that person?
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2010, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service.

