Living by faith
FAITH – Faith means to trust, be certain, rest in, or put confidence in. It also means to be committed to that trust or confidence.
While Faith is definitely a part of believing God’s promises to experience a supernatural work of God, it’s also meant to be the lifestyle of every Christ follower.
Because of this, I want to share a few quick insights on the subject of faith in general. For a detailed study on the subject of faith you can refer to the document library and download the study titled “ABSOLUTE FAITH”.
Click here: Absolute Faith.doc
What is Faith? Hebrews 11:1, 6 1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
How important is Faith and When do we use it?
Romans 5:1-3 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
Faith is how we access God’s favor/promises.
2Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight.
Faith isn’t something we’re to do sometimes, it’s something we’re to do all the time. We’re to LIVE by it.
Romans 1:16-17 16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
From beginning to end all that we receive from God is by faith.
Isaiah 7:9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.' "
A lack of faith affects every area of our life. If we’re unstable in our faith we will be unstable in the other areas of our lives.
Matthew 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"
The key issue here, according to Jesus, is not the power of God, not the will of God, but the people’s trust/faith in God and His promise.
Romans 14:23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Anything that is done without confidence/certainty/faith is Sin. If I’m not confident/certain that what I’m about to say or do pleases/glorifies God then I should not do it, otherwise I’m sinning.
Matthew 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Here we see that a lack of faith is a reason that many miracles don’t take place.
Where does it come from and How do we grow in it? Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (NASB)
Hearing is present active indicative, meaning hear and keep on hearing. It’s an ever present activity.
But, WHAT we hear is just as important as hearing. Most of us fill our ears with the opinions of philosophers, preachers, teachers, doctors, movie stars, etc., but that is all commentary.
The only real question is… what does God’s Word say? It’s not just hearing, but WHAT we hear, because WHAT we hear is what we will believe over time the more we hear it. So, we need to fill our ears with the Word of God.
Is there something we can’t use it for? We cannot exercise faith over the will of another person.
How do we exercise/apply it? James 2:14-19, 24, 26 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Faith always has corresponding action. It’s more than a belief.
Hebrews 6:12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Faith requires the fuel of patience/perseverance, or the analogy of a person standing, one leg is Faith the other is patience… Patience brings strength and stability to faith.
1Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
Courage and resoluteness of spirit is a part of applying faith… you can’t be a coward or pushover. Understand we must be on Guard because our faith will be tested and challenged.
Romans 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
True faith lives morally right before God.
Galatians 3:1-5, 10-12, 19-25 1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? 5Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? 10All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." 11Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." 12The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." 19What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 21Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
This life in the Spirit is a life of faith, not rigid adherence to a written code of right and wrong, but instead living out the same morally right life from our heart, because we want to not because we have to. The author of the written code now lives in our heart. By study of the written word, by prayer and learning to follow the leading of the Spirit we enter into a new kind of life.
Now the blessings, promises, and favor of God are ours not because we deserve it according to the law, but because we trust his promise regarding the work of Jesus and its affect in our life.
Colossians 2:6-23 6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
Living by the Spirit is not going to look the same for everyone… By faith some will celebrate certain Holidays while others don’t; By faith some will eat and drink certain foods that others will abstain from (Vs 16). Some will engage in activities that for others are not appropriate.
The principles of “Do not… taste, touch, etc” are rules for a fallen world. We are no longer fallen, but restored and now are not governed by the law, but by the personal guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Word of God shows us the non-negotiables of right and wrong (lying, adultery, murder, stealing, etc.), but it also makes it clear that there are many areas that are left between the Disciple and Jesus.
Romans 14:1-23 1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' " 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
It is clear there are disputable matters in life and we are left to conscience, not law to guide us in those matters. When the Bible is not clear on a matter, or at least not clear to us maybe due to a lack of knowledge or understanding, we are to be led by the spirit/heart/conscience keeping a teachable and pursuant attitude toward Christ and his truth and maintaining a humble merciful non-judgmental attitude toward others.
If our attitude is right and we continue to diligently pursue Jesus we will, in time, find greater understanding on these matters, answer some questions, and find even more questions.
It is clear that there is great freedom in Christ, but it also teaches that with that great freedom comes great responsibility; Responsibility to care for a brother with weaker faith. The key word is distressed (Vs15), not critical. There will always be critical people that nitpick your life, but it’s the ones that are genuinely distressed that we are to be concerned about.
1Corinthians 10:23-33 (NASB) 23All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
24Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.
25Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience' sake;
26FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS.
27If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience' sake.
28But if anyone says to you, "This is meat sacrificed to idols," do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake;
29I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience?
30If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?
31Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
32Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God;
33just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.
Here we see that all the earth belongs to the Lord and we have many freedoms in Christ, but we are to be careful about operating in those freedoms thinking of those around us. [Vs. 23, 25-27]
We see two standards to guide us: 1) Do all things for the glory of God with thanksgiving [Vs. 30-31] and 2) Don’t do something to cause someone to stumble [Vs. 32-33], but don’t worry about offending someone unless they approach you and say something to you out of concern of conscience [Vs. 27-29].
The key issue is: am I confident (do I have faith) that what I’m about to think, say, or do honors, pleases, and glorifies the Lord? Causing distress or guilty conscience in a person by our activity is not walking in love and is not honoring to God. We must find the balance of freedom and responsibility, not allowing one to spoil the other.
While Faith is definitely a part of believing God’s promises to experience a supernatural work of God, it’s also meant to be the lifestyle of every Christ follower.
Because of this, I want to share a few quick insights on the subject of faith in general. For a detailed study on the subject of faith you can refer to the document library and download the study titled “ABSOLUTE FAITH”.
Click here: Absolute Faith.doc
What is Faith? Hebrews 11:1, 6 1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
How important is Faith and When do we use it?
Romans 5:1-3 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
Faith is how we access God’s favor/promises.
2Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith, not by sight.
Faith isn’t something we’re to do sometimes, it’s something we’re to do all the time. We’re to LIVE by it.
Romans 1:16-17 16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."
From beginning to end all that we receive from God is by faith.
Isaiah 7:9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is only Remaliah's son. If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.' "
A lack of faith affects every area of our life. If we’re unstable in our faith we will be unstable in the other areas of our lives.
Matthew 9:29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"
The key issue here, according to Jesus, is not the power of God, not the will of God, but the people’s trust/faith in God and His promise.
Romans 14:23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
Anything that is done without confidence/certainty/faith is Sin. If I’m not confident/certain that what I’m about to say or do pleases/glorifies God then I should not do it, otherwise I’m sinning.
Matthew 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Here we see that a lack of faith is a reason that many miracles don’t take place.
Where does it come from and How do we grow in it? Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. (NASB)
Hearing is present active indicative, meaning hear and keep on hearing. It’s an ever present activity.
But, WHAT we hear is just as important as hearing. Most of us fill our ears with the opinions of philosophers, preachers, teachers, doctors, movie stars, etc., but that is all commentary.
The only real question is… what does God’s Word say? It’s not just hearing, but WHAT we hear, because WHAT we hear is what we will believe over time the more we hear it. So, we need to fill our ears with the Word of God.
Is there something we can’t use it for? We cannot exercise faith over the will of another person.
How do we exercise/apply it? James 2:14-19, 24, 26 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Faith always has corresponding action. It’s more than a belief.
Hebrews 6:12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Faith requires the fuel of patience/perseverance, or the analogy of a person standing, one leg is Faith the other is patience… Patience brings strength and stability to faith.
1Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.
Courage and resoluteness of spirit is a part of applying faith… you can’t be a coward or pushover. Understand we must be on Guard because our faith will be tested and challenged.
Romans 3:31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
True faith lives morally right before God.
Galatians 3:1-5, 10-12, 19-25 1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? 5Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard? 10All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." 11Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." 12The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them." 19What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator. 21Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. 24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
This life in the Spirit is a life of faith, not rigid adherence to a written code of right and wrong, but instead living out the same morally right life from our heart, because we want to not because we have to. The author of the written code now lives in our heart. By study of the written word, by prayer and learning to follow the leading of the Spirit we enter into a new kind of life.
Now the blessings, promises, and favor of God are ours not because we deserve it according to the law, but because we trust his promise regarding the work of Jesus and its affect in our life.
Colossians 2:6-23 6So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, 7rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
8See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. 9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
13When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
16Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. 18Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. 19He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
20Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules: 21"Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"? 22These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
Living by the Spirit is not going to look the same for everyone… By faith some will celebrate certain Holidays while others don’t; By faith some will eat and drink certain foods that others will abstain from (Vs 16). Some will engage in activities that for others are not appropriate.
The principles of “Do not… taste, touch, etc” are rules for a fallen world. We are no longer fallen, but restored and now are not governed by the law, but by the personal guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The Word of God shows us the non-negotiables of right and wrong (lying, adultery, murder, stealing, etc.), but it also makes it clear that there are many areas that are left between the Disciple and Jesus.
Romans 14:1-23 1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. 2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. 4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11It is written:
" 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
'every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will confess to God.' " 12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. 14As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. 15If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died. 16Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.
It is clear there are disputable matters in life and we are left to conscience, not law to guide us in those matters. When the Bible is not clear on a matter, or at least not clear to us maybe due to a lack of knowledge or understanding, we are to be led by the spirit/heart/conscience keeping a teachable and pursuant attitude toward Christ and his truth and maintaining a humble merciful non-judgmental attitude toward others.
If our attitude is right and we continue to diligently pursue Jesus we will, in time, find greater understanding on these matters, answer some questions, and find even more questions.
It is clear that there is great freedom in Christ, but it also teaches that with that great freedom comes great responsibility; Responsibility to care for a brother with weaker faith. The key word is distressed (Vs15), not critical. There will always be critical people that nitpick your life, but it’s the ones that are genuinely distressed that we are to be concerned about.
1Corinthians 10:23-33 (NASB) 23All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.
24Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.
25Eat anything that is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience' sake;
26FOR THE EARTH IS THE LORD'S, AND ALL IT CONTAINS.
27If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions for conscience' sake.
28But if anyone says to you, "This is meat sacrificed to idols," do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake;
29I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience?
30If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?
31Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
32Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God;
33just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.
Here we see that all the earth belongs to the Lord and we have many freedoms in Christ, but we are to be careful about operating in those freedoms thinking of those around us. [Vs. 23, 25-27]
We see two standards to guide us: 1) Do all things for the glory of God with thanksgiving [Vs. 30-31] and 2) Don’t do something to cause someone to stumble [Vs. 32-33], but don’t worry about offending someone unless they approach you and say something to you out of concern of conscience [Vs. 27-29].
The key issue is: am I confident (do I have faith) that what I’m about to think, say, or do honors, pleases, and glorifies the Lord? Causing distress or guilty conscience in a person by our activity is not walking in love and is not honoring to God. We must find the balance of freedom and responsibility, not allowing one to spoil the other.
Labels: Balance, faith, freedom, God, laws, religion, responsibility, rules, traditions
posted by Pastor Mike @ 8:25 AM
0 Comments
