Christians & Idols

 

    Christians should not have the same spiritual issues as people that do not believe in Jesus's salvation.  However, there are many distractions in life.  It is easy to lose focus or momentum in growth if you are not careful.  

    Knowledge can puff a person up, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they actually know anything.  You can know facts, but not have a clue how something actually works.  You know history, but you don't know the people.  Same goes for Christianity.  You can know God and think you are saved, but unless you actually know Jesus then you just know facts.  He is different from any other history in the fact that you can actually get to know him and not just about him.

    Knowledge may make people arrogant, but love build people up humbly.  It opens your eyes to pay attention to other people than yourself.  It allows you to be more diligent with people.  Religion is not faith.  You can follow all the rules and still live in sin. It takes the heart understanding Jesus to understand sin.

    Food can be very controversial when it comes to religion.  Eating pagan food is not directly a sin.  Jesus made it clear that he made all things that were unclean clean.  We can eat anything and not be sinning.  It is only when the food hurts our health or we put the desire of food over our relationship with Jesus does it become sin.  Food on it's own will not push you away from God or bring you closer.  All things are through Him which includes food.  

    Be careful how you exercise your freedom that you get through Jesus.  Just because you understand certain aspects or have control over your body does not mean that the people around you are as strong.  It could cause them to stumble.  If you foolishly cause them to stumble, then you are also responsible for their sin.  

    Don't starve yourself to make a point or to look good.  Don't give into gluttony just because you can eat.  In all things do it to honor God.  You honor God with food by eating to stay healthy, fellowship, worship God.  It is okay to enjoy food, but listen to your conscience to make sure that you don't go too far.  Be sensitive to those that you eat with, so that you do not cause harm to them.

    Lead the people that are not as strong as you to understand God's laws through Jesus' life and sacrifice.  Help them see how they can overcome their weaknesses and sin no more.  Don't just leave someone out there to struggle on their own.  Sometimes people do have to figure things out on their own because Jesus is working with them one on one, but you can still pray for them.

    The point is as a Christian you are responsible for removing all things from your life that could lead you astray from God.  You also need to remove things from your life that would make the people closest to you sin too.  All idols must go.  Idols are more than sculptures or artifacts. Idols are everything that you put between you and God.

1 Corinthians 8