In order to make a God-honoring decision concerning a disputable matter, we must subject ourselves to four checkpoints:
Checkpoint #1: My Creator. "Can I do it?"
Checkpoint #2: My Character. "Should I do it?"
Checkpoint #3: My Conscience. Will it allow me to do it?
Checkpoint #4: My Companions. Will it lead them to Jesus?
In this post we'll look at Checkpoint #4: My Companions. Will it lead them to Jesus?
You may have checked a certain activity with God’s Word to determine right or wrong (checkpoint #1)...you have thought through the implications of how this activity might affect your character (checkpoint #2)...you may have cleared the activity with your conscience (checkpoint #3)...but the Bible says there’s still another consideration...the consideration of OTHERS! Look what Paul wrote...
1 Corinthians 10:24, “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” NIV
When you’re deciding whether or not you should do something - you also need to consider it’s affect on the Christian and non-Christian community. Will this help Christians grow closer to Jesus? Will this influence non-Christians to become followers of Jesus? Paul says if your freedom (or liberty) is a detriment to another believer’s spiritual growth, you need to give up your freedom when you’re with them. This is what he means in 1 Corinthians 9:12 when he writes, “... we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.” NIV That is, Paul gladly would rather suffer the restriction of his liberty than exercise his freedom and in so doing lead someone away from Jesus.
If we don’t take the personal convictions of others into account we risk hindering their walk with Christ, which is the opposite of what you want to do! Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 8:7 when he writes: By exercising your liberty you could “defile” another believer’s conscience. He tells them in 1 Corinthians 8:9, “...you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.” NLT (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:32)
You may have “the right” to do something, but your Christian responsibility is to forgo that right in order to build up fellow Christians and positively influence those that are not. In chapter 9 Paul mentions a number of rights he had as an apostle but he goes on to say in v.15 “But I have not used any of these rights.” Why did Paul voluntarily give up doing things that were technically 100% ok for him to do? Because he didn’t want his freedom and liberty to become a stumbling block to anyone. Paul said in chapter 8 verse 12 that when your liberty becomes a stumbling block to another believer that you have sinned against that believer AND against Christ! And Paul didn’t want to be guilty of that.
This is why Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:19, "Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ." Paul's saying: There are many things I’m free to do that I don’t do so that I can better influence people for Christ. When Paul was with the Jews he observed Jewish convictions so as to influence them for Christ. He knew that if he ignored their personal conviction regarding ceremonial hand washing, he would lose any influence with them for the cause of Christ. So when he was with the Jews, he would wash his hands like they did. And when he was with Gentiles he certainly wouldn't eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols in front of those who felt that eating such meat was wrong. Why? If he had, he would've lost his ability to influence them for Christ. This is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 9:22, where Paul writes "When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ."
Paul observed the personal convictions of those around him, in order to best influence them for Christ. And that’s what we should do to. We may have the freedom to participate in this or that. But if our liberty will cause another person to stumble in their faith - then we must voluntarily give up our freedom when we’re with that person. As Romans 14:15 says “If your brother or sister [in Christ] is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.” NIV
Here's the 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 principle: LOVE SETS LIMITS ON LIBERTY Paul would rather die than fail to act in love towards a fellow believer. Paul would rather die than become a stumbling block that would prevent someone from coming to faith in Christ. And that’s how we should feel too!
Checkpoint #1: My Creator. "Can I do it?"
Checkpoint #2: My Character. "Should I do it?"
Checkpoint #3: My Conscience. Will it allow me to do it?
Checkpoint #4: My Companions. Will it lead them to Jesus?
In this post we'll look at Checkpoint #4: My Companions. Will it lead them to Jesus?
You may have checked a certain activity with God’s Word to determine right or wrong (checkpoint #1)...you have thought through the implications of how this activity might affect your character (checkpoint #2)...you may have cleared the activity with your conscience (checkpoint #3)...but the Bible says there’s still another consideration...the consideration of OTHERS! Look what Paul wrote...
1 Corinthians 10:24, “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” NIV
When you’re deciding whether or not you should do something - you also need to consider it’s affect on the Christian and non-Christian community. Will this help Christians grow closer to Jesus? Will this influence non-Christians to become followers of Jesus? Paul says if your freedom (or liberty) is a detriment to another believer’s spiritual growth, you need to give up your freedom when you’re with them. This is what he means in 1 Corinthians 9:12 when he writes, “... we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.” NIV That is, Paul gladly would rather suffer the restriction of his liberty than exercise his freedom and in so doing lead someone away from Jesus.
If we don’t take the personal convictions of others into account we risk hindering their walk with Christ, which is the opposite of what you want to do! Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 8:7 when he writes: By exercising your liberty you could “defile” another believer’s conscience. He tells them in 1 Corinthians 8:9, “...you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.” NLT (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:32)
You may have “the right” to do something, but your Christian responsibility is to forgo that right in order to build up fellow Christians and positively influence those that are not. In chapter 9 Paul mentions a number of rights he had as an apostle but he goes on to say in v.15 “But I have not used any of these rights.” Why did Paul voluntarily give up doing things that were technically 100% ok for him to do? Because he didn’t want his freedom and liberty to become a stumbling block to anyone. Paul said in chapter 8 verse 12 that when your liberty becomes a stumbling block to another believer that you have sinned against that believer AND against Christ! And Paul didn’t want to be guilty of that.
This is why Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:19, "Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ." Paul's saying: There are many things I’m free to do that I don’t do so that I can better influence people for Christ. When Paul was with the Jews he observed Jewish convictions so as to influence them for Christ. He knew that if he ignored their personal conviction regarding ceremonial hand washing, he would lose any influence with them for the cause of Christ. So when he was with the Jews, he would wash his hands like they did. And when he was with Gentiles he certainly wouldn't eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols in front of those who felt that eating such meat was wrong. Why? If he had, he would've lost his ability to influence them for Christ. This is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 9:22, where Paul writes "When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ."
Paul observed the personal convictions of those around him, in order to best influence them for Christ. And that’s what we should do to. We may have the freedom to participate in this or that. But if our liberty will cause another person to stumble in their faith - then we must voluntarily give up our freedom when we’re with that person. As Romans 14:15 says “If your brother or sister [in Christ] is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.” NIV
Here's the 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 principle: LOVE SETS LIMITS ON LIBERTY Paul would rather die than fail to act in love towards a fellow believer. Paul would rather die than become a stumbling block that would prevent someone from coming to faith in Christ. And that’s how we should feel too!
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