“What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” 1 Cor. 10:19-24
Devotional Thought For The Day
I have been strained over the past few years considering the proper Christian response to the many social changes that have occurred, the values shift that has to a large degree infected the majority of our population, and now the behavioral expectations that are being pressed upon us, especially in the public sector and in the carrying out of business activities. Wrong and immoral behavior is now considered a matter of private choice, not only permissible but a basic human “right,” and to some degree encouraged. While many do not feel compelled toward these immoral behaviors, they are convinced that these behaviors ought to be within the realm of human freedom and protected from bias, prejudice, and discrimination. Of course, if the immoralities of other people are legal and protected, this means that my own immoral behaviors should also be permitted and protected – and this is the principle motivation for the moral apathy of many. More of this is coming down the road – and then we will see to what degree this simplistic view has demented the minds of our fellow citizens, and what other grotesque immoralities will become “normalized.”
Jesus lived under Roman rule and Roman law. He also lived under the laws and authority of the Jewish religious leaders, the authoritarian teachers of Judaism. The Gospel records reveal that He respected authority, that of Rome, and also that of the Jewish authorities – except where the religious principles contradicted Holy Scripture. In these latter conflicts there was no compromise, and Jesus was fully willing to accept the consequences of non-conformity. Even when the law was improperly imposed against Him – at His trial before the Sanhedrin and also at His trial before Pilate – He was willing to submit to the consequences imposed upon Him. He offered little defense except to state the obvious. You know what blessings have come to us because of His willingness to suffer injustice. The church He began and is building would live under the same circumstances for nearly 300 years – as an illegal religious movement under Roman law, one that defied Roman laws in regard to refusing to offer sacrifice to pagan idols and the emperor, refusing to participate in the idolatrous fellowship and worship of their “sacramental” meals. They were able to continue building the church under these adverse circumstances, sometimes left alone to spread the teachings of Holy Scripture about the love of the only True and Living God and His free gift of redemption and salvation in Christ Jesus, sometimes maliciously and violently persecuted. How did they weigh the issues of what could be acquiesced to and what could not?
They did so by careful attention to God’s Word, the prophetic and apostolic Word of Holy Scripture, the Bible. The apostle Paul provides some of the principles in these verses. First, that what the pagans do does not necessarily have anything to do with what is real. The pagans thought their sacrifices were to “gods”; in reality they were offered to demons. Some Christians thought that any connection to the things involved in such sacrifices was immoral, a participation in, or fellowship with, demons. Paul asserts that “all things are lawful” – and that our concern ought not to be only for ourselves but for our fellow man. What is not lawful is actually participating in the immoral and idolatrous behaviors of the pagans, especially in such a way as to affirm what they were thinking and believing. But in all other matters – buying and eating food that had once been sacrificed to idols [demons] – there is freedom, unless the exercise of such freedom ensnares one’s improperly informed conscience or that of others. [1 Cor. 10:25-33] If the buying of such pagan meat was permissible, then it was also permissible to be a vendor of such product. And this is important for our Christian business principles today, insofar as we too live under “Roman” rule and law – laws that do not necessarily reflect Christian faith and principles, and in some cases actually violate them.
Business is controlled and governed by the “compelling” interests of the government. This is reasonable, and part of the blessing that God intends through earthly government. So can I conduct business under such circumstances? One compelling aspect of government interest is access to goods and services for all citizens. If I am providing those goods and services, can and should I be compelled to provide them for all citizens, even those engaged in beliefs and behaviors that are legal but contrary to my personal values and beliefs? Is it “un-Christian” to do so, a denial of faith and immoral, or is it permissible? What would the apostle Paul say? If I have to join in the worship and behaviors that are immoral then I cannot participate in any manner, not for the sake of business, making a living, not even for the sake of family and friends, personal safety or survival. But to sell meat to a pagan – even if I know that he is going to offer it to an idol [which is nothing in itself, and a behavior that is something other than what he thinks it is] – is perfectly permissible. Put the shoe on the other foot – what if no one would sell to you simply because you were a Christian [or a Catholic, or Lutheran, or Baptist, or Methodist], if the law permitted denial of all goods and services to Christians. This too would contradict the compelling interest of government, and would likely doom us. At the least, we would not appreciate such laws or consider them fair, just, or moral.
So, while we can live with government which compels a Christian business to provide goods and services to all citizens, we must not participate in the immoralities, unbelief, or misbelief of pagans [or those who claim to be Christian but violate God’s Word]. The fact that the government requires this “access” and commerce for all citizens is proof that our doing business with pagans or the immoral does NOT in fact mean that we are affirming the immoralities or paganism of the people we are serving. We are simply complying to law and order. We may find such business unpleasant, even disgusting, but it is permissible. There are rights that we still retain – even if forced to do business with people who plan to use our goods or services for immoral purposes. We can still speak plainly – against pagan and immoral practices; we have freedom of speech and expression, if we avoid “hate speech” [at least at present]. And when providing services for others, there is no law that demands a perfect outcome. In fact, it may not be possible for me to perform certain services adequately enough to please some people, in some circumstances – and this should be disclosed ahead of time in fairness and to avoid even greater conflict later on. And I am always free to engage in a different kind of business, one that is less likely to involve difficult and uncomfortable commerce.
It has always been difficult for Christians living under Roman rule [or some other kind of pagan rule], and this has been the circumstance for the vast majority of Christians over the past two millennia. It may get even more difficult for us – so we are going to have to think carefully and be well-informed in regard to the Scriptural principles. We don’t need more trouble than we already have, but we need to be fully aware of what God’s Word does and does not allow us to do. It will require that we continue reflecting, and straining to have the right understanding – both for the sake of our own spiritual welfare, and especially for the good of our neighbors.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, temptations to compromise, to immorality, to false belief, and to failure to provide a good witness and genuine love for others, have always abounded. Help us, as conditions and circumstances change all around us, to live as best we can without unduly offending others, violating laws, or compromising our faith and loyalty to You. Protect Your people, Your dear church, and grant us wisdom. Amen.