Another problem, which is closely wrapped up with the first and seems to be Paul’s major concern, is that by conducting themselves in that manner they were actually producing divisions among themselves in the very midst of the observance that was supposed to indicate that the church, in all of its diverse parts, was actually one.
Another problem, which is closely wrapped up with the first and seems to be Paul’s major concern, is that by conducting themselves in that manner they were actually producing divisions among themselves in the very midst of the observance that was supposed to indicate that the church, in all of its diverse parts, was actually one.
One of the wonderful things about the sacraments and ceremonies of the Christian Church is that when they are practiced properly, they recognize the equality of all men and women before God. None of us comes with any special privilege, but rather we all come as sinners in need of the grace of God, and that we must come equally and be received equally on the basis of what Christ has done.
Jesus spoke of Himself as the one who gives freedom, and it is the freedom that comes in the Gospel, of which we read in the written Word of God. As Jesus said in John 8, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (v. 32). The truth of God is what we find in passages like these, where we see that we will not be free when we say to ourselves, “I must be able to do what I want to do, and whenever I want to do it.” Rather, true freedom is found when we can say, “I want above all things to have God glorified in my life.”
As Paul moves from the end of chapter 10 to the beginning of chapter 11, we see how the theme of freedom continues with regard to how men and women relate within the church of Jesus Christ and also in marriage. Although Paul is certainly responding to concerns that had been brought to him by the Christians in Corinth, he is linking his answer with what he said in chapter 10 about freedom. There are restrictions that apply in how each other uses this freedom.
For these areas that are a matter of indifference, we cannot go back to the Ten Commandments and point out the particular commandment that tells us what we either should or should not do. For matters of indifference we need to think about the principles that are involved for the specific issue, and recognize that people’s consciences might approach a subject differently, and both are correct because the Bible does not pronounce on what they must and must not do in that case.
In yesterday’s study we concluded by saying that Roger Nicole used a number of illustrations to show what happens when something that has been created for one purpose takes it upon itself to exercise supposed freedom in another area.
The difficulty with freedom, of course, is that when we try to define it, we discover it is not such an easy thing to do. When most people talk about freedom, they probably have in mind the ability to do anything we want to do. If I have freedom, I should be able to do anything I want. If in some area that desire is restricted, then in that area, at least, I am not free. The difficulty with that understanding is that life is filled with things just like that.
Canadian Committee of The Bible Study Hour
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