Should we attach religious significance to food? Does the bible condemn eating certain kinds of food or does the bible condemn food offered during religious festivals? As Christians, we’re called to live among believers and unbelievers who may have very different cultural backgrounds, so imposing our views on others may not always be wise and glorifying to God. How do we handle differences without being a stumbling block to others? Listen to the sermon to find out.
When we participate in the Lord’s supper and have communal meals together, we’re not involved in empty rituals. We remember the ultimate sacrifice Christ has done for us on the cross, so we do it by faith. Not only that, but we also have fellowship with the members of the church because we have all been united in Christ. Similarly, when pagans celebrate their festivals with communal meals, they have fellowship with their pagan gods. This passage teaches us that if we partake in such pagan communal meals, we’re committing idolatry.
We often characterize our cultural distinctive by what we eat and drink. This is not necessarily wrong, but it goes wrong when we look down upon others because of our differences in eating and drinking. But the Apostle Paul teaches us in this passage to live in unity and be mindful of other people’s choices despite our different cultural backgrounds. Why is this unity important? Why should our Christian liberty needs to be carefully exercised? Listen to this sermon to find out.