Scripture to Read: 1 Corinthians 8:7–8
God used Paul to teach the Christians in Corinth about false gods and idols and whether they should or should not eat meat that had been sacrificed to those so-called gods and idols. As God had Paul write, we read in 1 Corinthians 8:7, “However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.” God had Paul reveal that not all of the Christians had full knowledge that the so-called gods and idols were fake. There were some immature Christians in Corinth who still believed that the gods and idols they had worshipped before surrendering to Christ as Lord were real. So, when those immature Christians ate the meat that had been sacrificed to those false gods and idols, their weak conscience felt guilty and ashamed. God did not want the immature Christians to remain weak in their conscience, so He had Paul write this in 1 Corinthians 8:8: “But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.” God had Paul instruct all Christians that no one could establish a right relationship with God through what they ate. No one lost anything by not eating the meat and no one gained anything by eating it. God had Paul write it this way in Romans 14:17, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Challenge & Application
Is there anything in your life that hinders you from being in right fellowship with the Lord, and if so, what must you do?
How do we stay in right fellowship with God the Father each day?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!