Is It Sinful? Ask These 3 Questions First (1 Corinthians: week 20)

As Christians, we often ask that question when deciding what we should watch, where we should go, what we should participate in, or how we should use the freedom we have in Christ. But 1 Corinthians 10 shows us that the better question may be much bigger than simply asking whether something is technically right or wrong. In 1 Corinthians 10:14-33, the Apostle Paul addresses Christians who were taking their freedom in Christ too far. The Corinthian believers understood that idols were not real gods and that food sacrificed to idols was, in itself, spiritually neutral. But some were using that freedom to participate in idol feasts—putting themselves in environments where they were participating in pagan worship. Paul's warning is simple: **be careful what you participate in.** He tells the Corinthians to flee from idolatry and reminds them that participation matters. When believers gather around the Lord's Table, they participate in fellowship with Christ and with one another. In the same way, Paul warns that participating in pagan worship involves fellowship with something that is opposed to God. The same principle challenges us today. We may not be tempted to bow down before a carved statue, but idolatry can take many forms. Anything we place above God can become an idol. Our entertainment, relationships, possessions, ambitions, hobbies, cultural movements, and even our own freedoms can become areas where we need to stop and ask what we are really participating in. Paul also addresses the Christian's freedom. The Corinthians were saying, "I have the right to do anything." Paul's response? **Not everything is beneficial. Not everything is constructive.** Christian freedom is not permission to live however we want. Freedom in Christ gives us the opportunity to willingly set aside our rights for the good of others. That leads to one of the most important principles in this passage: our choices are not just about us. A Christian should consider whether his or her choices could cause someone else to stumble. Paul even uses his own life as an example. He voluntarily gives up certain freedoms because he knows that other people are watching and because he wants his life to point people toward Jesus. So how should we make decisions as Christians?