Have you ever heard someone try to justify their behavior (especially unwise behavior) by saying, “It’s a free country”? It is as if the great freedoms experienced in the United States (where I live) grant free license to do whatever we please. (For those who live in countries with much less freedom, I’m sure that children still find other ways to justify their choices.)
The reality is that freedom always occurs in a context, though, and freedom should be complemented by love for others. If I have freedom of speech, for instance, I can share what I believe, but do not have the right to yell something that will create panic in a crowded building (and will likely harm others). If I have freedom of assembly and religion, I can bring friends together to worship God, but I don’t get to do so at my neighbors’ house without their permission.
Much has been said about this topic, so I won’t try to take away from what others have described, but as we look into some of what the Bible says about personal freedom, I’d like you to consider what freedom without responsibility looks like. In my mind, that’s anarchy.
Within 1 Corinthians 8:9-13, Paul explains how the wrong use of Christian’s freedom could harm others in the church. I think that verse 9 is a key message in this passage.
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.
1 Corinthians 8:9 NIV
Paul warns against a risk of living in the freedom of Christ without being considerate of others. We have great freedom in Christ, but we should not abuse that freedom in a way that harms other people. As a commentary said, “For Paul, the correct use of one’s freedom in Christ will be based more upon what is the loving thing to do rather than solely upon the criterion of who has the most correct information.” [Oster, p.189; italics added]
Note that Paul isn’t saying that eating meat sacrificed to idols (or eating meat at all, for that matter) is inherently wrong. In fact, earlier in this chapter, Paul has been talking about whether or not it is OK to eat food that was sacrificed to idols. He makes it clear in verses 4-6 that idols are nothing. The wrongdoing here isn’t in the food itself, nor in eating this meat, but in what impact eating it has on others.
He also doesn’t say that we don’t have freedom, nor that we shouldn’t make use of our freedom. Freedom in Christ is taken as a given here. The only “limitation” (if we can even call it that) is that our freedom should not be abused to harm others.
To bring this up to the modern era, there have been debates in the church about whether or not it’s OK for a Christian to eat at a bar or a tavern. (By the way, I suspect that most Christians would agree that those who are susceptible to drinking too much should avoid places like that, so that they don’t fall into temptation and do things that are un-Christlike. So, we’re talking about those who are able to say no to a drink, or at least who “know when to say when”.)
Some would say that, as Christians, if we’re not tempted to get drunk, there’s no harm in enjoying the food, or even the company. There’s a national group (with a local chapter in my city) called “Brewpastors”, who intentionally visit bars in order to witness to others there.
Others would look at passages like this one, and say that – even if we’re not drinking too much – we should never go to a bar because someone might see us and fall into a trap (one to which they are susceptible, even if we aren’t). There are also those who consider bars to be places where bad things happen, and who not only avoid them personally, but also judge others who don’t.
I’m actually not here to give you a specific answer to this question today. It’s probably not as simple as a “yes” or “no” that applies unilaterally to everyone. Instead, I would like to leave you with this thought to ponder: In the Christian walk, maybe our own personal decisions about complicated topics should not be about our rights or our rules, but rather about our relationships with others.
Let’s continue this thought in the next article…
From Sunday School lesson prepared for March 17, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, March 17, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – 1 Corinthians, by Richard E. Oster, Jr. © 1995 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 