The objective of this lesson: to emphasize the importance of Christian-to-Christian respect in matters of conscience.
We must begin this lesson with Paul's certain affirmation: "If you have either a weak conscience or a strong conscience, you are a Christian if you are in Christ" (Romans 14:4, 10, 13).
Being true to your conscience as a Christian does NOT destroy your Christianity. Each Christian has the right and is supposed to be true to his/her conscience. No Christian has the right or responsibility to impose the dictates of his/her conscience on another Christian.
In the church that began shortly after Jesus' resurrection, there were four positions of conscience [with numerous variations] held by Christians. Two were held by Jewish Christians. (1) Because of a strong prohibition against idolatry in Israel regardless of the expression or form of idolatry, some Jewish Christians were "conscientiously certain" that even accidental contact with food that came from idolatrous sacrifices spiritually contaminated a person. At least in Rome, these Christians gave up eating meat altogether in their fear that they might eat something sacrificed to an idol. Their consciences demanded they be vegetarians! [See Romans 14:1, 2.] (2) Some Jewish Christians understood if God was thanked as the true Creator source of all food, one could eat anything and not honor an idol. [See 1 Timothy 4:4,5.]
Be certain that your students understand the reactions of both kinds of Jewish Christians. The Judaizing teachers would be examples of Christians # 1. Paul, Silas, Timothy, Aquila and Priscilla would be examples of Christians # 2. Peter and Barnabas would be examples of Christians who moved from position to position for reasons other than personal conscience (Galatians 2:11-13).
Two positions were held by gentile Christians converted from idolatry. (3) Some who were converted to Christ from idolatry held this view: eating food used to honor an idol automatically worshipped the idol. [See 1 Corinthians 8:10.] However, (4) other gentiles converted from idolatry to Christ understood idols did not represent gods. There is only one God, the Father of Jesus Christ. Therefore food, regardless of how it was used in its past, had no spiritual significance. [See 1 Corinthians 8:4-6.]
Be certain that your students understand the reactions of both kinds of gentile Christians. Read I Corinthians 8 to see both of these kinds of gentile Christians and to gain insight into why they felt as they did.
To gain insight into this enormous confrontation in the first century church, we must understand all sacrificial worship involved eating part of the sacrifice--it involved a meal. Most Christians do not associate a genuine meal with worship. Yet, the first century world [and much before the first century!] understood that sacrificial worship always involved eating a meal. To see that practice in Israel's sacrificial worship, read 1 Samuel 1:1-8 and 2:12-17. Remember, many of Israel's holy days were focused on sacrifices and meals involving the sacrifice. Passover, the holiest memorial in Israel, was built around a meal.
Sacrificial worship commonly involved a meal. It would seem strange and most unusual to those in the first century world to hear that eating part of the sacrifice (whether to Jehovah God or to an idol) was not an act of worship.
Idolatry followed this same practice in sacrificial worship. Read 1 Corinthians 10:23-33. It was critical for the Christian NOT to cause the idol worshipper to think the Christian acknowledged and honored his idolatrous god. If the meal was not declared to be in honor of an idol [regardless of where and for what purpose the animal was killed], eat without questions. If the host used the meal to honor an idolatrous god, do not eat lest you convince your host you worship more than one god [a common practice]. It was not the Christian's knowledge but the idol worshipper's perception of the Christian's act that determined if the Christian ate or not.
Two things were commonplace in first century idol worship. (1) It was common and acceptable to worship more than one god at the same time. Monotheism was the exception, not the rule. (2) To eat meat from an animal sacrificed to an idol was commonly considered to be an act of worshipping the idol. The Christian was responsible for making it obvious that he/she did not worship multiple gods or honor idols. In this matter, the Christian's decision would be determined by the idol worshipper's conscience. The Christian was to make no incident regarding the meal unless the host dedicated the meal to an idol. Then the Christian was not to eat the meal for the sake of the host's conscience.
We Christians follow the same practice for the same reason every time we take communion. We are Christians because of God's sacrifice. Jesus in death (just as animals in death) was God's sacrifice. Each time we eat as we take communion, we eat part of the sacrifice. In sacrificial worship, people ate to remember. As Christians, we eat to remember. Do you recall Jesus' words when he instituted our communion? "This is my body." "This is my blood."
Christian communion is a remembrance of God's sacrifice in offering Jesus' life (blood) and body for our sins. Christians take communion as an act of sacrificial worship. They remember Jesus' body and blood. That reminder acknowledges (1) their continual dependence on God's forgiveness and (2) their relationship with those who place their lives in Christ.
The purpose of every Christian is to respect every other Christian--regardless of the peculiar acts of that Christian as he/she honors his/her God by honoring his/her conscience. A Christian does not welcome a person into Christ for the purpose of (1) judging his/her lack of understanding or (2) holding in contempt his/her understanding. Read Romans 14:1. No Christian says to another Christian, "If you knew and understood what I know, you would/would not do that!"
One of the objectives of Christian existence is the encouragement of others who are Christians. That encouragement is accomplished through teaching, sharing, and the kindness of respectful love, not through the demands of control.
The incredible understanding is found in Paul's classification of the "weak" and the "strong." A conscience that functions on the basis of fear [terror] is weak. The conscience that functions on the basis of understanding is strong.
Help your students understand that the fear of terror is weakness, but the understanding of God's love for people is strength. Just as God does not want His children to seek to exploit Him, neither does God want His children to be terrified of their Father.
We often get quite emotional in regard to the transitions that continue to occur in the American culture and the American church. Our transition challenges are small when compared to the transitions of first century Christianity. What a person belonging to God could and could not eat changed radically. His/her basic awareness in worship changed radically. The concept of the meaning of honoring God changed radically.
Christians often place the emphasis on the wrong considerations when they consider transitions. Help Christians understand that our current transitions are small when compared to the transitions occasioned by conversion from the traditions of Judaism or idolatry.
Some understood the reasons for that ancient transition. Some did not. Some continued to function by their old concepts. Some knew the freedom produced by a new understanding. However, God could make the one who understood and the one who did not understand to stand, not fall. Their challenge [and ours!] was to encourage each other in Christ through respect for all in Christ and appreciation of God's accomplishments in Jesus' death and resurrection.
The strength of spiritual endurance is not found in perfect correctness (which no human knows or possesses) but in the perfect solution God produced in Jesus' death and resurrection. Confidence must be in God, not in us.
The position of Christians is not "only the strong stand." Nor is it "only the weak stand." It is this: "All who are in Christ stand because God makes them stand." Read and think about the points stressed in Romans 14:4.
The Christian objective is not control, but loving respect in Christ.
Christians urgently need to understand the focus of Romans 14 is not about control. It is about mutual respect because we have given our lives to Christ, God's sacrifice for us.
Christians are servants. Christ is Lord. God is the Father. The objective of Christians as servants is to serve the Lord as we draw nearer to God. The purpose of Christian servants is never found in arrogantly passing judgment on other Christian servants. We follow the Lord to belong to God. We neither follow nor belong to each other.
For Thought and Discussion
Whether a Christian possesses a weak conscience or a strong conscience, he/she is a Christian as long as he/she is in Christ.
The discussion should include the fact that a common part of sacrificial worship was the eating of a meal that contained part of the meat of the sacrifice.
Christian worship is not sacrificial worship in that no animal is sacrificed. Christian worship is sacrificial worship in the sense that it acknowledges and honors God's sacrifice for every person.
A purpose of every Christian is to respect every other person who is a Christian.
The discussion should include this realization: a conscience that functions in terror is weak and a conscience that functions on understanding is strong.
God made each Christian stand.
Christians urgently need to understand that Romans 14 is not about control, but about mutual respect for all who are in Christ.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 8
