Tag: what is permissible

I have written on this passage before, so I won’t bother to go into the detail that I did then.

But it does strike me that this passage has a strong connection to what Paul wrote in chapter 6.

(It is worth pointing out by the way, that Paul wrote this letter without any chapter or verse numbers.)

As you may recall, he quoted a pet phrase the Corinthians had, namely,

Everything is permissible for me. (1 Corinthians 6:12a)

But right after that, Paul answers by saying,

but not everything is beneficial. (1 Corinthians 6:12b)

And here, we see another example of how some Corinthians were applying their pet phrase: “Because idols are nothing, it is permissible for me to eat food eaten to idols.”

Now Paul actually agrees with this. (1 Corinthians 8:4-6, 8)

But the problem was that their eating food sacrificed to idols was not beneficial to the church because Christians whose consciences were weak were having their faith destroyed because of it. (1 Corinthians 8:10-11)

So even as Paul agrees with them that eating food offered to idols is not in itself sinful, he reminds them,

…for us there is one God, the Father. All things are from him, and we exist for him. (8:6)

I don’t think Paul said this just to make a theological point. I think he was reminding them of what he said in chapter 6.

You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

And so he warns them,

Now when you sin like this against brothers and sisters and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. (1 Corinthians 8:12)

In this case, an action that in itself was not sinful became sinful because it caused their fellow believer to fall.

So let us remember again, “What is permissible” is the wrong question.

What is the right question?

The right question is: “Who do I belong to? And what is pleasing to him?”