1 CORINTHIANS Correction With Confidence Because The Faithfulness Of God Toward His Saints! IN CHRIST, ETERNAL REDEMPTION HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED! SO OUR CONSCIENCE IS CLEANSED FROM DEAD WORKS TO SERVE THE LIVING GOD! Hebrews 9:11–15 (ESV) 14 …Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 10:14–25 (ESV) — 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” 17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (v14-18) a. Christ has eternally redeemed us! (Heb 9:11-14) b. He has done, what the Holy Spirit, through the word, declared he would! c. So there is no more to be accomplished for redemption! (v19 -21) a. We have confidence because Christ’s righteous sacrifice! b. We have access to relationship and eternity with God through Christ! c. We have a great high priest! Perfect, Propitiation, and Patient! (v22-25) Tres Lechugas a. Let us Draw near! in full assurances and cleansed in conscience and action! b. Let us Hold fast! Don’t waver in hope! Because he has promised and he is faithful! c. Let us Stir one another! To love and good deeds, encouraging one another all the more as we wait for his return A WEAK CONSCIENCE cannot participate in something that is inconsequential without feelings of guilt of or temptation to sin. 1 Corinthians 8:7–8 (ESV) — 7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. THE CONSCIENCE IS NOT SOVEREIGN! IT CAN BE WEAK, DEFILED, EMBOLDENED TOWARD SIN, WOUNDED 1 Corinthians 8:7–13 (ESV) 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. WALK IN THE SPIRIT ACCORDING TO THE WORD AND YOUR CONSCIENCE. (Heb 10:15, 2 Peter 1:21) Romans 14:23 (ESV) — 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. AS WE WALK IN LIBERTY WE MUST RECOGNIZE THAT WE AND OTHERS CAN BE DECEIVED INTO SIN. 1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV) “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 1 Corinthians 10:23–24 (ESV) “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Romans 13:14–14:1 (ESV) But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. Galatians 5:13–15 (ESV) For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 1 Peter 2:15–17 (ESV) For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor WE ARE NOT CALLED TO SEEK TO CONFORM OTHERS TO OUR CONSCIENCE BUT ALL BE CONFORMED TO CHRIST AS HIS SERVANTS! Romans 14.1-13 (ESV) 1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 5 One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” 12 So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. YOUR BROTHER IN CHRIST IS PRECIOUS BECAUSE CHRIST WHO BOUGHT HIM, AND THE SPIRIT WHO WORKS IN HIM! Romans 14:15–23 (ESV) — 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. THE STRONG ARE CALLED TO BEAR THE BURDEN OF THE WEAK. Romans 15:1–7 (ESV) — 1 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
