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Preached in Markham Baptist Church, June 29, 2008
 

Let me remind you of the journey we have taken during these last number of weeks.  We have been thinking about living lives of  no compromise.  We have been thinking about how we are called by God to live unreservedly for Him.  We have all thrilled at the stories of those who have not compromised their faith in God or their witness to God. People like Joseph, the disciples, Habakkuk, Meschach, Shadrach and Abednego have all been an inspiration. I love those stories – they are real people of God who stood for what was right and refused to be budged in their trust in God and their devotion to God.  They lived as people who did not compromise. And so we should not compromise with sin, we should not compromise in our trust in the all-powerful God, we should not compromise in our pursuit of a holy life. 

But having laid that foundation a question arises – how do we live with the gray areas of life?  How do we continue to demonstrate a genuine relationship with God in the midst of some of the difficult questions of morality and theology?  How do I know when I am compromising?  Because what may be a compromise for you may not be a compromise for me.  And what may have been a compromise for your parents and grandparents may not be a compromise for you. 

For instance, there was a day in the Christian church when the preacher preached on the whole idea of no compromise meant that there would not be any lively music sung or played in the church.  It wasn’t until the day of D.L Moody and William Sangster in late 1800s that the organ was considered to be an acceptable instrument in the church.  It wasn’t until the day of William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army that the church woke up to the fact that they can play music with some sort upbeat tempo.              

And more recently – if a preacher preached on the whole idea of no compromise in my parents’ generation – it would have focused on no card-playing, no dancing, no going to the movies, and no television.

But today the church enjoys numerous instruments in its worship. I enjoy playing euchre, dancing, and going to a movie occasionally.  So am I compromising?  How do we know? Are we sliding down a slippery slope?

Certainly one of the criticisms of the church is that it has compromised and looks more and more like the world.  Of course we have all heard statistics that divorce rates among Christians is as high as among non-Christians.  We have compromised.  It’s a serious problem. 

What’s the answer?  Maybe the answer is to go back to the rules?  Well, no one wants to go back to that because they’re not helpful.  The reason for the rule against dancing in my parents’ generation was that it led to immorality.  But for me, dancing doesn’t lead to immorality.  So the answer isn’t more rules. 

How do we know that we have compromised in the area of morality in those grey issues? 

Or I think of the area of theology.  I find it funny that no matter what I preach I don’t get it right.  Those of you who are liberal in your theology think that I’m too conservative.  Those of you who are conservative in your theology sometimes think I’m too liberal.  There are those who wish I would be more conservative – and those of you who are liberal, wish that I wasn’t so conservative.  For some conservatives, they think I have compromised  because I believe that women should be and can be equal leaders with men in the church.  I believe baptism is not required for membership in the church.  I haven’t come down on one side of the issue regarding Christ’s return – I cannot tell you with certainty how the end times will unfold.  I believe that spiritual gifts are for today. 

So have I compromised?  Many would say “yes” and I would not be invited to preach in many pulpits in North America.

What are we to do?  How are we are to live in a world that is not black and white but often gray in issues surrounding morality and theology?  First of all we need to realize that some of our so-called Christian beliefs about what is right and what is wrong are cultural. 

Stewart Briscoe who is a pastor in the United States and has a huge conference ministry tells of how he was preaching in Berlin on one occasion.  While he was there he had lunch with a Lutheran pastor.  Before lunch the pastor offered him a beer and Stewart Briscoe said, “No, thank you.” The Lutheran pastor said, “Why not?” 

Stewart said, “Well there are two reasons, the first is, I don’t like it.  And the second is that British Christians don’t drink beer.” 

So the pastor, gave him some water. They sat down to lunch and the Lutheran pastor said, “Let me give thanks.”  So he said the blessing and said, “Lord I want to thank you for two things.  I thank you for this good food … and secondly, I thank you that I’m not a British Christian!” ¹

Some of our moral practices are culturally framed. 

But still the question persists, how do I know when I am compromising my morals or theology?  Because what may be a compromise for my parents is not a compromise for me, or what may be a compromise for me may not be a compromise for you. 

Now to be sure, there are some areas that we are not to compromise.  We’ve looked at some of those.  There is much in Scripture that is crystal clear.  It is clear in regards to theology that God is the Creator of this world and universe.  He is the all-powerful God.  It is clear that we have rebelled against God and because of our sin nature we are separate from God and alienated from Him. 

It is crystal clear that God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ so that through faith in His perfect life, His sacrificial death and His resurrection from the dead we are saved from a lifetime and an eternity of living alienated from God. 

It is crystal clear that God has given us His Holy Spirit to live in us and has recreated what was meant to be in the first creation – the image of God restored us in so that we can demonstrate what God is like. 

It is crystal clear to me that God’s Word is God’s Word – it can be trusted fully. It will not lead us to error and it will not lead us astray. 

To me that is crystal clear.  And there are more commands that are crystal clear – we shall not covet.  We shall not murder.  We shall not steal.  That is all crystal clear to me. 

But there are gray areas.  And it is as I wrestle with this issue that I am drawn to the book of 1 Corinthians and the whole discussion of food offered to idols.  For three chapters in 1 Corinthians Scripture takes us through the whole difficulty of dealing with the gray issues of life.  

Now just some background here.  Let me ask you - where is your favorite steak house?  Well, for the ancient Corinthians the best place to get a good steak dinner was in the temple of the pagan gods.  It was the “Keg” of the day.  It was a social event – you went to the temple, you met some old friends and enjoyed a good steak dinner. 

But the problem was that the meat you ate had first been offered to an idol. And since it was offered to an idol it was believed that when someone ate the meat that they were identifying with the idol.  Some Corinthian Christians were saying, “No one should go to those feasts because it identifies you with the idol.” 

But then some other Corinthian Christians said we’re free in Christ and they said, “Nonsense – we aren’t identifying with the idol, we are simply going there to be with friends and have a good steak dinner.”

So in the early church there was this gray area. What should they do?  So we turn to the text and read what the Word of God says,  “Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.”  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.”

Now when you read that you say, “What?”  But be patient.  Let’s read to verse 9:

 “Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that no idol in the world really exists, and that there is no God but one.  Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth – as in fact there are many gods and many lords – yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.  It is not everyone, however who has this knowledge.  Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.  Food will not bring us close to God.  We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.”

Now just think about this for a moment. I find that it is extremely helpful to read the New Testament letters as a dialogue to fill in the conversation.   Certainly that is the way Paul writes and we can fill in the conversation quite easily. 

Consider – Paul says, “Let’s talk about food sacrificed to idols.”  And some of the Corinthian Christians say, “O we know all about that.” 

“You do?”

“O yeah – (verse 4) our eyes have been opened and we now see that idols are not really idols at all.  There’s nothing to them.  (verse 5) Sure, there’s so called “gods” in the heaven and earth but this is all myth.” 

And Paul says.  “Good!  That’s a truth you can hold on to.”

And the Corinthians getting a bit more bold say, (verse 6) “We also know that there is only God, the Father from whom all things were created and the one who wants us to live for Him.” 

And Paul says, ‘Good!  That’s a great truth to hold on to.”

And we also know that there is only one Master, Jesus Christ and that He is the king of everything and we exist because of Him.” 

And Paul says, “Good!  That’s a great truth to hold on to.”

And the Corinthians are getting confident now and so they say, (verse 8) “And we know that God doesn’t care what we eat.  Our relationship with God does not depend on what we eat or what we shall not eat.”  (They may have been thinking about Jesus’ words in Mark 7:15 - “Nothing outside a man can make him unclean by going into him.  Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.”)

And Paul says, “Good, that’s a great truth to hold on to.”

And those Corinthian Christians say, “Well, that’s that I guess we can eat meat offered to idols.”

And Paul says,  “Hold on there. The conversation isn’t over yet.” 

And this where verses 2 and 3 make sense to us.  Paul says, “Now concerning food offered to idols. You have all sorts of great knowledge – you have the knowledge that idols are nothing.  You know that God alone is God.  Great stuff.  But Christianity isn’t about knowledge alone.  You have to be careful with knowledge it often leads people to be being puffed up.    We know all we need to know.  We’ve got all the answers.  And besides (it says in verse 2) do we truly know everything?  I mean a person who truly knows something would know that they don’t know everything.”

Christianity is not about knowledge alone.  It is about a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.  It is an experience of God’s love through faith in Christ.  And this is so much better than knowledge because love builds up (verse 1).  And when we love God we come to realize that He knows everything. 

So this helps us with the grey areas of life - There is then this principle to consider – we are free in Christ but for the sake of those around – out of love for them - there are times when you don’t exercise your freedom and you refrain in participating in certain activities and behaviours.

This is what Scripture will say in verse 9 to the end of the chapter: “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.  For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols?  So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed.  But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.  Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.” 

So you see, there is this principle of love at work.  Out of love for another person – who may not have the same understanding of what is right and what is wrong – we refrain from participating in an activity. 

You know we do this with our kids.  There are movies that we will watch and because of our maturity we can handle the content.  But we would not think of exposing our children to those same movies. 

And so with the grey areas of life – there may be some activities that we can participate in, but just because we are able to, doesn’t mean that we should.  We have to consider those around us and in love we may deny ourselves freedoms that we could otherwise indulge in. 

You see this is not about legalism.  This is about loving one another so much that we are willing to give up our rights, our freedoms, so that another may grow in their faith, be strengthened in their faith, and grow in their relationship with God.

Dr. H. A. Ironside, tells of how he was at a church picnic, much like the one we had last week, and there was a man there who was a converted Muslim.  A girl brought a basket of sandwiches up to this man and asked if he would like one. He said, "What kind do you have?"

"Oh," she said, "I'm afraid all we have left are ham or pork."

He said, "Don't you have any beef?"

She replied, "No, they are all gone."

"Well," he said, "then I won't have any."

Knowing that he was now a Christian, she said to him, "Well, sir, I am really surprised. Don't you know that, as a Christian, you are free from all these food restrictions, and that you can eat pork or ham or whatever, if you like?"

He said, "Yes, I know that. I know I am free to eat pork, but I am also free not to eat it. I'm still involved with my family back in the Near East, and I know that when I go home once a year, and I come up to my father's door, the first question he will ask me is, 'Have those infidels taught you to eat the filthy hog meat yet?' If I have to say to him, 'Yes, father,' I will be banished from that home and have no further witness in it. But if I can say, as I have always been able to say, 'No, father, no pork has ever passed my lips,' then I will be welcomed into the home and to my family and I am free to tell them of the joy I have found in Jesus Christ. Therefore I am free to eat, or I am free not to eat, as the case may be."²

Do you see?  There are no rules, no stipulations – it is out of love for his family he refused to participate in an activity that would close the door to his family.

This example isn’t perfect but when I was in my second year of seminary I had the chance to live with some Benedictine priests for six weeks.  One day I was walking with some of the priests along a downtown street.  We passed a stereo shop and the music was blasting out of this stereo shop out onto the street and I did a little jig. And the priests behind me saw this.  That night at dinner we were all sitting around eating and one of the priests said, “I saw that little dance that you did – I thought that Baptists don’t dance?”  I said, “We don’t – at least not very well!” 

And he said, “Well what about drinking beer.  Do you drink?”

And I said, “No I don’t drink.  But if others want to drink, that’s okay with me.”   

Then he said, “O. Would you mind then if I brought our beer up from the basement?” 

For three weeks they had kept their beer in the basement out of respect for me, out of concern for me.   That’s something of what Scripture is saying here – when it comes to the grey areas of life we are called to our lives in loving concern for those around us. 

Does this mean we live to please others?  Now this is difficult because there is the truth that we do not live to please others.  We do not live for the applause of others.  And it is true that we cannot control how others think of us. 

I had dinner with a British couple the other month and I said something about how I’m a people pleaser.  And the woman said, “That’s the trouble with you Canadians you are always looking to please others. I don’t care what others think of me.    I lead a woman’s Bible study every Wednesday and I’ve told those women that I don’t care what they think of me.” 

I found that a bit shocking – but it was also very freeing.  It is a biblical truth that we have an audience of one.  We live to glorify God alone. 

But here in 1 Corinthians 8 we clearly told that we should be mindful of others – we often talk about how Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  And that is important.  We all need to have a one-on-one experience of God and His grace. But we need to realize too that Christianity is a communal faith and if our actions would cause another to stumble in their faith then we are called to refrain from that action.

So what are we to do?  How are we to live so that we are not controlled by what others think? 

I think we need to be clear that Scripture here is not talking about gaining people’s approval.  It is not talking about having people applaud us. The motivation here is not to have people pat us on the back and tell us how good we are. 

No, we are looking for the approval of one.  And one alone.  The motivation here is our love for others.  Out of love for others we refuse to do this, or act this way, or participate in this way.  It is a call to die to self and thus demonstrating a love for others.

You see, the issue here is not eating meat or not eating meat, the issue is our love for one another. Scripture is saying, “Take a step back.  You don’t live this Christian life in a hovel. people are watching you, so consider what you are doing. Is it effecting another so that their faith is weakened to such a point that they stumble?”  

I tried to think of some examples. What would be equal to not eating meat offered to idols in our day? Drinking perhaps?   I will not drink in front of others lest it lead them to sin.  I think my parents practiced this very principle. 

This text doesn’t only have to do with what we don’t do, maybe there are practices that we could participate in that would be an encouragement to others.

Baptism for instance.  You are free not to be baptized.  You will not be excluded from the Kingdom of God if you are not baptized.  But do you ever think that you could die to self and not exercise that freedom because your baptism could be a great encouragement to those around you who look up to you as a mature Christian?  Maybe you have said, I don’t need to be baptized.  That’s true – but maybe your being baptized would be a great example and help to those who are not as mature as you are. 

My friends this whole idea of no compromise is very difficult when it comes to the grey issues, because we do not want to be judgmental and legalistic like the Pharisees.  But on the other hand we do not want to accept ever action and every behaviour and ignore the Word of God. 

Scripture recognizes this tension and when life is filled with grey areas we are called to self giving love, to have concern for those around, not be controlled by what others think – we want only to please God -  and so to please God is to love others and act in ways that build others up in the faith.

Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - June  2008

ENDNOTES:

1. As told by Charles Price in his sermon entitled, “Legalism and Liberty” c. 2003.

2. Ray Steman, “What’s Behind Your Influence?” catalogue # 3589.  October 22, 1979.