The issue for the Corinthian Christians was whether or not a Christian could lawfully before God eat meat that had been sacrificed to one of the heathen idols. There was a system by which the priests and priestesses were supported. Sacrifices were always part of the worship system in the ancient world. When a worshiper would come with one of these sacrifices and offer it, the basic formula is that the sacrifice would be divided into three parts: one part would go to the priest; another part would be sacrificed and burnt on the altar; and the third part would be sold in the market place, which would also support the priesthood by producing currency they could use for other things.
That portion sold in the marketplace would get bought by all kinds of people, just as what happens when anyone can go to a supermarket and buy meat. So in these markets somebody might easily be buying meat that had been sacrificed, and therefore dedicated, to pagan idols. The question was whether or not a Christian could buy that kind of meat. Did a Christian, in this situation, have to worry about where the meat came from, and try to find out if there was any available that had not first been sacrificed to an idol, or could he just eat whatever he bought without any issues of conscience?
However, this was not all there was to the matter. It became additionally complicated when the meat was purchased by a pagan family who had invited a Christian family over for dinner. You can imagine the potential dialogue as the Christian family is sitting at the table. The pagan family tells the Christians that they have a wonderful roast, and they know it is a good one because it was sacrificed to Zeus. Should the Christians politely decline and risk offending their hosts, or should they continue on with their meal?
This issue was apparently a serious one because the Christians at Corinth had written to Paul about it. Given all the other items that Paul needs to correct in the Corinthian church, he could have said, “Shame on you for writing to me about something as silly as that when you have immorality in the church that you ought to be worried about. You should have asked about that.” But, of course, Paul does not do that. Paul is a good pastor, and he operates on the basis of the people’s need and the problems that are of concern for them.
