What is Not Sin
There is a great deal of liberty within Christ. It was for freedom’s sake that he delivered us from the yoke of slavery to sin.
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1
As Paul wrote, that freedom is not to fall again into submission to sin, but outside of that there are many things which may be a temptation for some but is not a sin for all. While God had formerly protected Israel from falling into idolatry by forbidding many of the practices of the cultures around them (certain foods, hair styles, etc…), in Christ believers can seek the righteousness of God rather than simply avoiding common pitfalls with a list of rules.
Not Just You
In 1 Corinthians, Paul is writing a letter to believers who are unsure if it is okay to eat food which had been given to idols. In the Corinthian culture, even food in the market may be leftovers from some pagan offering. People may be invited to meals involving food that had been part of a sacrifice to false gods.
The answer, which may be surprising to some more cautious individuals, is that idols are not truly anything and so food offered to them is not actually made either more or less holy by the act itself. Food is food. If it is received with thankfulness to God it is simply nourishment for the body he has given.
There is a big “however” attached in chapter 8 though. Believers are told to be wary not to be seen by those believers who may be tempted to participate with idols as believing it is acceptable. That is, while meat offered to idols is simply meat, if you know of a brother who struggles with considering it something “more” you should avoid even giving the appearance that you participate with idols.
You don’t want an immature believer seeing your indifference as a stamp of approval instead!
What About Unbelievers?
By chapter 10, the concern of weak consciences has extended beyond fellow believers even to those who are participants in idolatry.
Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience?
1 Corinthians 10:24-29
It was fine for the Corinthians, even knowing it is likely that the food would have been offered as a sacrifice, to attend a meal to which they were invited by an idolater. This would be a matter of liberty. So long as the believer’s conscience wasn’t troubled it was fine.
That is, until the idolater makes it clear that the food was being presented as food from a sacrifice. At that point, Paul was inspired to instruct believers that they should abstain. To avoid searing the conscience of the unbeliever further, they should avoid even the appearance of acceptance of idol worship.
Not Just Pagan Feasts
This lesson is not just for those living in cultures that regularly practice pagan sacrifice, however. The spirit of this message is that we ought to be careful never to be seen, in the practice of our liberties, as giving approval to that which is wrong.
In our age of open rebellion, there are many invitations to participate in sin. Obviously, such invitations should be declined. However, beyond that there may be invitations to participate in what is not sin but may be taken as approval of what is sin.
For instance, many of us have friends and family who publicly advertise their sinful lifestyles. While we can certainly celebrate a feast such as Thanksgiving with such a relative, it would be irresponsible to attend (for instance) a gay union or transgender renaming ceremony if invited.
This is not because you will necessarily be participating in sin by doing so but because attendance itself will certainly be seen as a symbol of approval by others who are there. Unless you’re going to stand up and make a public declaration against the intent of the celebration (which would likely make your RSVP seem a bit like a false pretense), it would be unreasonable to expect fellow attenders to assume your attendance has nothing to do with your consent to what is being celebrated.
In evangelical circles, the most common excuse is that we have an opportunity to be a witness when we show we care about the person by accepting the invitation provided we have previously made it clear we disagree with the sin.
However, Paul is promoting another means of bearing witness. That is, by making it clear believers wish to distance themselves from things which could reasonably be considered acceptance of that which is unacceptable to God.
The world will certainly call such a demonstration “unloving” but in reality it is the most loving thing you can do. If God is truly working on the heart of any who hear of it, you will be presenting a strong example to their weak conscience that they need to flee from sin. Such a desire to be free from sin is what makes the gospel sweet.
