True Freedom

“Conscience,” I say, not your own, but that of the other. For why is my liberty judged by another man’s conscience? 1 Corinthians 10:29

The apostle Paul had quite a challenge with the church at Corinth. He found himself in the position of constantly defending his liberty.

People have the mistaken idea that being a Christian is so confining. In actuality, there is the greatest freedom in serving Christ. Every one of us has a certain amount of baggage we carry with us. A person may believe a certain way because that's what he grew up with and is offended when another person "violates" that belief. The person who has found true freedom in Christ is no longer subject to that former belief, and it has no power over him. This is what Paul was dealing with. People wouldn't eat any kind of meat that was offered to idols. It was such a stumbling block that it caused distress in the church.

I have come across similar things in the church today. I got involved in a discussion one time over money. People were convinced that certain money was righteous while other money was evil. I took out a dollar and asked them if it was good or bad. They couldn't answer that. Money is amoral. It can be used for good or for bad, but it has no feelings one way or the other. The same dollar that was used to purchase drugs can also be used to spread the gospel. The more you know Jesus, the freer you are concerning things that trip up weaker Christians.

by Rick (Papa) Wilson