In First Corinthians Paul addresses issues in the church that he is informed of by literally ‘them of Chloe.’ “Whether the children, the kinspeople, or the servants of Chloe we do not know.” He also answers six questions he received in a letter from the Church. They are found in 1 Cor. 7:1, 25; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1 and 16:12.
In chapter eight Paul addresses a third question posed to him by the Church. They wanted to know about meat sacrificed to idols. Can they eat it or not? Some no doubt believed Christians should never eat meat offered to idols. Others believed differently. Recall that the First Church Council meeting, reported in Acts 15, dealt with what was required of a Gentile to become part of the church fellowship. Their final decision was put in a letter and delivered by Paul and others to the church at Antioch. It read, ‘“28 For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—not to place further burdens on you beyond these requirements: 29 that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things. Farewell.’” We are told that Paul took this message back to the church at Antioch and also those churches he had established on his first missionary journey, see Acts 16:4-5.
Pagan temple worship would have involved animal sacrifice. The worshipper would sacrifice the best of his animals and only a portion of the meat would be sacrificed while the rest would be eaten in the temple or at home by the worshipper. Leftover temple meat would end up in the meat markets for purchase. Cultural events often included meals in the pagan temples. The pagan temples also had meals for the poor who might not get any meat to eat except at these functions. Attendance at public festivals involved sacrifices to the Pagan gods. Trade guilds would have events at the temples including sacrifices to the gods and would have included a meal. Individuals could also invite friends or family to meals at a temple. Could a Christian attend such events at a pagan temple? Could a Christian attend meals in a home where the meat would likely have been offered to an idol? Paul answers these question in chapter 8 and in 10:14-33. As you read and meditate on these sections take note of what advice Paul is giving and what principles you find that can apply to situations we face today.
You probably won’t be faced with eating or not eating meat offered to an idol unless you are visiting outside of the United States. So, what are some situations that could come up where the principles we learn from Paul’s advice could guide us? What about working or eating out on Sunday? What if we are visiting a relative or friend and go with them to church and they are observing the Lord’s Supper but it’s not a Southern Baptist Church, do we participate if we are invited to? What about participating in a baseball pool? What about participating in a raffle for a worthy cause? What about purchasing a lottery ticket if the proceeds go towards education? What about going to the movies or going to a dance? What about women’s dress codes? What if you are visiting a country where women wearing makeup is thought to be sinful and you are a female, what do you do? Or what if you are a male visiting a country where men greet each other with a kiss, what do you do? What about the use of tobacco products or alcohol? What about going to the horse track or dog track? What about going to a casino for dinner? What about a vacation to Las Vegas? What about playing sports on Sunday? The Puritans had a conflict with King James over playing sports on Sunday. King James allowed some sports but not others on Sunday while the Puritans argued against any sports on Sunday. Some churches have bingo games where players buy their cards and play for money or prizes. Would any principles we learn from Paul’s discussion of meat offered to idols apply to any of these circumstances?
In chapter eight Paul addresses a third question posed to him by the Church. They wanted to know about meat sacrificed to idols. Can they eat it or not? Some no doubt believed Christians should never eat meat offered to idols. Others believed differently. Recall that the First Church Council meeting, reported in Acts 15, dealt with what was required of a Gentile to become part of the church fellowship. Their final decision was put in a letter and delivered by Paul and others to the church at Antioch. It read, ‘“28 For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision—and ours—not to place further burdens on you beyond these requirements: 29 that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things. Farewell.’” We are told that Paul took this message back to the church at Antioch and also those churches he had established on his first missionary journey, see Acts 16:4-5.
Pagan temple worship would have involved animal sacrifice. The worshipper would sacrifice the best of his animals and only a portion of the meat would be sacrificed while the rest would be eaten in the temple or at home by the worshipper. Leftover temple meat would end up in the meat markets for purchase. Cultural events often included meals in the pagan temples. The pagan temples also had meals for the poor who might not get any meat to eat except at these functions. Attendance at public festivals involved sacrifices to the Pagan gods. Trade guilds would have events at the temples including sacrifices to the gods and would have included a meal. Individuals could also invite friends or family to meals at a temple. Could a Christian attend such events at a pagan temple? Could a Christian attend meals in a home where the meat would likely have been offered to an idol? Paul answers these question in chapter 8 and in 10:14-33. As you read and meditate on these sections take note of what advice Paul is giving and what principles you find that can apply to situations we face today.
You probably won’t be faced with eating or not eating meat offered to an idol unless you are visiting outside of the United States. So, what are some situations that could come up where the principles we learn from Paul’s advice could guide us? What about working or eating out on Sunday? What if we are visiting a relative or friend and go with them to church and they are observing the Lord’s Supper but it’s not a Southern Baptist Church, do we participate if we are invited to? What about participating in a baseball pool? What about participating in a raffle for a worthy cause? What about purchasing a lottery ticket if the proceeds go towards education? What about going to the movies or going to a dance? What about women’s dress codes? What if you are visiting a country where women wearing makeup is thought to be sinful and you are a female, what do you do? Or what if you are a male visiting a country where men greet each other with a kiss, what do you do? What about the use of tobacco products or alcohol? What about going to the horse track or dog track? What about going to a casino for dinner? What about a vacation to Las Vegas? What about playing sports on Sunday? The Puritans had a conflict with King James over playing sports on Sunday. King James allowed some sports but not others on Sunday while the Puritans argued against any sports on Sunday. Some churches have bingo games where players buy their cards and play for money or prizes. Would any principles we learn from Paul’s discussion of meat offered to idols apply to any of these circumstances?
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