Paul
the apostle told the church members in Corinth “the
earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof”.
In chapter ten and verse twenty-seven of
First Corinthians, Paul told the Corinthian church members “if
any of them that believe not bid you to a feast”
ask
“no question for conscience
sake”
where we read:
If any
of them that believe not bid you to
a feast, and you be disposed to go;
whatsoever
is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.
The verse begins, “If
any of them that believe not bid you to
a feast, and you be disposed to go;”.
Paul began
with the words, “If any”
which means “whether whoever” “of
them that believe not” or
“are unfaithful, faithless, incredulous and unbelieving” “bid
you” which
means “calls aloud, utters in a loud voice and invites” “to
a feast” or
“toward a meal”, “and you be
disposed”
which means “and the church members have a will, mind, resolve,
determination, purpose, intention, desire and wish” “to
go” or
“pursue and continue toward the feast”. Paul gave an example of
when a person within the church wanted to attend a meal or
“feast” to
which they were invited. .
The
verse continues, “whatsoever
is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake.”
Paul added
the word, “whatsoever” which
means “each, every, any, all, the whole, everyone and all things
that” “is set before you”
or “the food placed on the table and set beside and before you”,
“asking”
which means “examining, judging, investigating, scrutinizing,
sifting and questioning”“no
question”
or “not one single examining, judging, investigating, scrutinizing,
sifting and questioning” “for
conscience sake”
which refers to “through and by means of the soul as distinguishing
between what is morally good and bad and prompting to do the former
and shun the latter which commending one and condemning the other”.
Paul told the people within the church of Corinth if they were
invited to a “feast”,
“eat”
whatever is put before them, and for the “sake
of their consciences”
they were not to“ask”
whether these foods were offered to “idols”.
When
we consider these words from Paul, we understand his instructions to
the church members when they were invited by unbelievers to a “meal”.
They were not to “ask” from where the food came, they were
just to “eat” it. Jesus Christ came into this world to
save sinners, and since everything belongs to Him, eating the food
makes no difference spiritually at all. Lest we offend an unbeliever
who has invited us to a “meal”, let us “eat” what is put
before us and do our best to lead them to a relationship with Jesus
Christ.
Next
time Paul tells the Corinthian church members what they are to do if
someone tells them, “this is
offered in sacrifice unto idols”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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