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could include evil. The more defined expression, ta panta, excludes this, and either
refers to creation in its perfected form, or is limited to whatever the context is dealing
with, and then means all (these) things.
Now, wrote the Apostle, all men have not this knowledge (7), and some who are in
this category are weak in the faith and they must be considered by those who are stronger
and more advanced. This is real love--love and consideration for others in practice. The
weak ones, when eating food which had been consecrated and sacrificed to an idol, would
have a distressed and defiled conscience. Others who are stronger and with more
knowledge could eat such food without any objection, realizing that such a thing as food
in itself will not bring us under condemnation with God. They would be neither better
nor worse before God as regards what they ate (verses 7 and 8). However, there was one
thing that the stronger ones must consider, which should influence their actions, and that
is the effect of their conduct on the weaker brother. Take care, said the Apostle, lest this
authority (liberty A.V.) of yours becomes a stumbling-block to those who are weak (9).
The word exousia, authority, obviously means the authority to eat any kind of food. Paul
now gives a concrete illustration:
"For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, sitting at table in an idol-shrine, will
not his conscience be fortified to eat things sacrificed to idols? For the weak man
perishes by your knowledge, your brother, for whose sake Christ died. And so, by
sinning against your brothers, and wounding their conscience, weak as it is, you sin
against Christ" (8: 10-12, 100: K. Barrett).
Nothing is clearer from this than the fact that our conduct affects other people. We
may stress our liberty and stress it wrongly, for liberty must always be regulated by love.
If the Lord loved the weaker brethren enough to die for them, then the strong ought to
love them well enough to be willing to forego some of their rights. They should be ready
to do this, not because the weak demand it, but rather, that this is the way of self-effacing
love as the Lord has loved. The word `perish' is strong and may refer to the `sin unto
death'. If the weak brother continually offended his conscience, he would be persistently
sinning, for "whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14: 23, and the whole of this
chapter should be read as it deals with a similar context). Paul brings his argument to a
climax by saying:
"And thus, sinning against the brethren, and wounding their conscience when it is
weak, ye sin against Christ. Wherefore, if meat maketh my brother to stumble, I will eat
no flesh for evermore, that I make not my brother to stumble" (8: 12, 13 R.V.).
Let us face the fact that by pushing our liberty too far, we can sin not only against
fellow-believers, but against the Lord. We are not bothered today with the problem of
food sacrificed to idols, but the principle of all this is still true. The mature Christian's
attitude to Sunday and various pleasures for instance, needs to be constantly examined in
the light of this, and we should always remember the practical example of the Apostle,
who was even willing to curtail his rights rather than cause someone weaker in the faith
to stumble.