September 6, Sunday Devotion

1 Corinthians 8:7-13

⁷ But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. ⁸ But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

⁹ Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? ¹¹ So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

Quick Notes

This passage is about how we view sin. We live in a culture where sin is individual and privatized -- between me and Jesus. But the reality is that sin affects all those around us. In fact, when we break relationships by choosing to enact our freedom... we are sinning. There is also a reverse to this. If we are mature believers but get on to others because they enact their freedom more than others, we are also causing the weak among us to stumble. It is not just between me and Jesus, but we, together, and Jesus.

Quick Questions
When you sin, do you think it affects those around you? Why or why not?

Quick Prayer

Almighty God, let me follow the example of Jesus. Amen.