The JOURNEY - 1 Corinthians 8:9 - Not Alone - We often get confused about what real freedom is. Years ago people were taught that, even though you had accepted Christ, if you messed you were lost again. If an old habit or a struggle had not immediately been overcome then you had failed and had to start all over again. Then we came to an era where grace was taught. This was a real help to all those who had come to Christ but still struggled with things in their life. It was a real help to those who were good solid believers but had a setback. To know that we can come and ask God to forgive us and move on was a real revelation. But some people took grace to another level and used grace as a reason to justify living a the life they thought was okay. Thats what Paul is dealing with here. Read the whole chapter to get the picture. Paul is saying that - Were not alone! Stop for a moment and think about the life youre living. Think about the people that you live and associate with. Think about your family, friends and all of the people around you, affected by the decisions you make. We never live our lives alone. Though God has set us free from the rules of men, we are still bound by the life we live in front of others. Paul is letting us know that just because its okay for us to do some things, those things are not okay to do if they have the potential to cause another person to fall. We cant use our freedom or grace in a way that can cause someone else to stumble. We may feel that its unfair or restrictive to us and our life but we must realize that some may not be as strong or as mature as we are. In Pauls day there were people that came to Christ that used to eat food offered to idols. That food was associated with false god worship. But there were some that were eating that food and knew that, if they had asked God to bless it, then the food was okay to eat. New believers struggled because thats all theyd ever known about the food. Paul said - Just because its okay for you doesnt make it okay for you if others are affected spiritually by what youre doing. Youre not alone. John Donne said No man is an island entire of itself. Translated - what you do affects those around you. Youre not alone. Yes we have freedom and we have grace but it cant be used in a way that could cause others to fall. Be careful with grace and freedom. Just because its okay with us doesnt make it okay for us. We must remember that were not alone. Others are watching us.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 11:53:32 +0000
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