Corinth was a city of pleasures and some in the church took advantage of the excess which was common. The pagan rituals had much left over food and it did not cost much; yet in their Christian Church some criticized and made rules against eating this food.
Paul extended to the Corinthians the teaching that it is not what a person eats which is a sin. A sin is when you determine to do something you know is wrong in your heart. Yet Paul saw a balance in what he was telling the Corinthians and added the following text into his letter to them.
But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 1 Corinthians 8:9-10 (NKJV)
It would be a terrible thing to do something which would turn a person away from Christ; yet it happens everyday. People stay away from church believing Christians are hypocrites because of what they see them do. In Paul’s discourse he says, this can happen if a person should be perceived as participating like a heathen.
The left over temple sacrifice meat was sold in the market place and Paul said there is nothing wrong with buying it. But that does not mean that Christians should go inside the temple and be seen eating the meat during the rituals to the false gods. His concern was one might see them and in ignorance think a Christian was hypocritically sharing in the debauchery. Paul viewed another person's salvation as a great possibility to lose and it being a chance for great tragedy.
We know from the teachings of Jesus, it is not what goes into a person which defiles them. Christians can eat and drink without sinning; it is what comes out from a person's life which could be sinful.
Alcoholic beverage consumption is a great example. It is not wrong to drink alcoholic drinks, but it is wrong to be drunk. So we know the scriptures say that a Christian is not to be drunk with wine. Drinking alcohol would be considered a liberty and becoming drunk, as sin.
Now if you take that same liberty to consume with caution, however, it causes someone else to take offense, you just did a bad thing. Through we have liberty we have to be practical with liberty. Therefore, if you have your drink at a restaurant I doubt too many would draw objection. But if you have that drink in a neighborhood bar, because of the taboo that society sets on bars and people who go to bars, you may cause someone to discredit everything to do with the church, the Bible, God, and salvation.
Though it does not matter if you have a drink, it does if you cause others to stumble. The same applies to many things we do. A message at a spa can be very enjoyable, but the same massage at a spa known for prostitution may bring accusations and cause others to think differently about you, stumbling them.
And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 1 Corinthians 8:11 (NKJV)
We as Christians are representatives of holiness. We are to be the light of the world and any darkness which can shadow our testimonies should be avoided. It would be a terrible thing to turn a person away from the Lord, because we wanted to have our liberty and they misunderstood.
This person, who misunderstood, could die and end up in hell because they could not understand and rejected the gospel message. Sin blinds the vision, it stops the ears of the unsaved and we should not contribute to its poisonous effects.
But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. 1 Corinthians 8:12-13 (NKJV)
Sometimes it is best not to go to certain places or do certain things. If you do, it is best to not talk about it with others which you might stumble.
This is not living secretly; it is protecting others. For not everyone understands that we are saved by faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. So what we consider liberties should be carefully practiced. The understanding of the gospel of truth has an enemy which clouds issues and twists the truth. Don’t let it make victims of those you influence.
