Special Focus Session: Interdependent Independence
Interdependent Independence
I’m thankful for our rights as Americans. I’m even more thankful for the rights we’ve been given in Christ. For example, we have the right not to be held to the convictions or preferences of others, but there are times we must set aside those rights.
That’s right. There are times we must set aside our rights.
Do you ever find yourself in a place where you know what you are supposed to do, but you don’t know the “why” behind it all? I find myself in that place a good bit, but I’m thankful the Bible is the source of wisdom and clarity. When it comes to understanding our rights and responsibilities, 1 Corinthians 10:23-33 leads us to see the “why.”
As we step into this study, we’ll see that love dictates that we often set aside that “right” and freedom for the sake of others. In so doing, we can encourage others and honor Christ.
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Interdependent Independence
Question 1:
What do you find most helpful about smart phones?
THE POINT
Let your responsibility to others drive how you exercise your rights.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
I have a confession. The other day as I was driving, I received a text. I know you should not text and drive, but at that moment, I gave in to the pull of the notification and clicked on the text. Yes, I was still driving—and I swerved into another lane! I didn’t hit the other car, but I almost did. If I had hit their car, it would have caused serious—perhaps even deadly—consequences for both of us.
The way we live can significantly impact those around us. What if we could live our lives in such a way that we didn’t merge into other lanes, causing issues for those around us? What if we lived in such a way that we always “stayed in our lane,” and in doing so, we allowed those around us to reach their destination without our interference?
The apostle Paul spoke to how we can live in this way. This is indeed a better way to live, and it will lead us to support others and honor Christ.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
1 Corinthians 10:23-24
23 “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything builds up. 24 No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.
As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he used language they were familiar with. “Everything is permissible” was something the people would’ve heard on the streets of Corinth. It was a part of the Corinthian way. Corinth was set in Greece, and as an important port city, it was a gateway for many people, viewpoints, and sinful activities. As a gateway for many sins, everything was accessible for this city. The attitude of the people, then, was that they could do anything because anything was available.
Paul acknowledged that, yes, they had access to everything, but not everything would help them live life. It’s true for us too. Some of the things that are accessible to us are not going to bring us life; rather, they will lead to bondage instead of freedom. “Not everything is beneficial” or “builds up.”
We need to do what is beneficial to others. Paul spoke to the church in Corinth about not seeking their “own good, but the good of the other person.” People are prone to think of themselves first and others second. Paul reminded the church that the kingdom of God is different than the kingdom of this world. In God’s kingdom, we think of others above ourselves. This is not a normal posture for us. We want to be first. We want our own way, yet Paul called for us to humble ourselves and allow the focus to be on “we,” not “me.”
Question 2:
How does a kingdom focus change the way we see our rights?
We must see things through a new lens. It’s as if we have been viewing the world with less than perfect vision. When we put on the glasses of the kingdom of God, our focus changes. Sometimes “good” is not simply saying no to sinful things. That certainly is important, but we also might need to say no to some good things in order to say yes to something better: helping our brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s not lay traps with our lives and choices. We set aside our rights—that which is permissible—for the sake of others. This is a paradigm shift for sure, but when we surrender our lives to Jesus, we abandon our earthly standard for a new kingdom normal.
1 Corinthians 10:25-30
25 Eat everything that is sold in the meat market, without raising questions for the sake of conscience, 26 since the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it. 27 If any of the unbelievers invites you over and you want to go, eat everything that is set before you, without raising questions for the sake of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This is food from a sacrifice,” do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who told you, and for the sake of conscience. 29 I do not mean your own conscience, but the other person’s. For why is my freedom judged by another person’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thanksgiving, why am I criticized because of something for which I give thanks?
Don’t offend others unnecessarily. This sounds easy enough, but if this is not an intentional step, we will without a doubt offend others unintentionally. Paul continued with his theme of putting others before himself, but now he did so with a very practical example, one the Corinthian believers could likely experience.
The Jews in Corinth were familiar with the restrictions the law placed on them regarding what they could or couldn’t eat. However, because of the new covenant in Christ, those restrictions no longer applied (Mark 7:18-19; Rom. 14:14), and they were free to “eat everything that is sold in the meat market.” They were free to eat all food because the Lord made it all. This was a big deal for those brought up with Jewish dietary laws.
Paul now took this freedom and placed it in the context of a dinner invitation. If an unbeliever invited you to his home for dinner, it was all right to go and to eat the food that was prepared. After all, it could be an opportunity for him to embrace your Savior. Remember, though, that a person who doesn’t know Jesus will behave that way. Paul brought this up by mentioning that the meal a Corinthian unbeliever might serve may or may not include food that had been offered as a pagan sacrifice. This was not an issue the believer had to chase. Just sit next to your friend and enjoy the meal.
However, if someone announced that the food was part of a sacrifice, the scenario changed. Nothing was wrong with the food itself, but the believer should still abstain for the sake of the other person’s conscience. Someone might argue that the Christian could “set the record straight” by eating the meat anyway, proving it was just meat. However, by doing so, the Christian might be sending the message that idolatry is OK. By eating, the Christian could be encouraging the other person that it’s OK to engage in idolatry. Or the unbeliever, assuming Christians don’t eat such meat, would view the believer as hypocritical, causing a barrier to the unbeliever coming to Christ.
So again, while “everything is permissible” (v. 23), the believer is to abstain to avoid misleading others. We may need to set aside our freedoms to avoid being a stumbling block. We may have a “right” to eat, but we also have a responsibility to love the other person. Our actions affect the growth of a new believer or the progress of someone coming to Christ.
Choices aren’t always about good or evil, but about what’s best. The principle Paul outlined here provides a road map for navigating the journey. When we are fixing our eyes on Jesus, we will take steps according to that road map. We won’t offend unnecessarily. We will reflect the love of Christ.
Question 3:
How can we determine which aspects of our faith are matters of conscience?
1 Corinthians 10:31-33
31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, 33 just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.
What Paul had been saying to the church in Corinth can be summarized with this: Do what gives a witness for Christ. When Paul wrote, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God,” he encouraged the church at Corinth and the church today to allow every aspect of our lives to honor Jesus. Paul wasn’t trying to overwhelm us but to encourage us. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, make sure you keep your kingdom lenses on.
Question 4:
How can the glory of God practically serve as a filter for how we live our lives?
Even as we seek to “do everything for the glory of God,” we also seek to “give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God.” Times will come when what we do to bring God glory will offend others. Nevertheless, the call to glorify God is to fuel all our actions.
It may seem odd, then, that Paul said, “I also try to please everyone in everything.” We must understand Paul’s desire to please everyone within the context in which he said it. Paul had been addressing the freedom we have in Christ. Paul willingly set that freedom aside if his actions might cause someone to stumble. He wanted to please them in order to point to Christ. We please the King when we love people in this manner.
We are the “ambassadors” of the King. The people of the kingdom of God speak on behalf of the King and represent His goodness to others. That is why we do everything for the glory of God and meet everyone where they are.
We may not always get this right. That’s why grace is so beautiful. Don’t let the bigness of this calling overwhelm you; just focus on what you must do next and view it through the lens of the kingdom. Every step you take then will be more in step with what it means to live as an ambassador of the King.
Question 5:
When have you seen someone willing to make personal sacrifices in order to share the gospel?
FOR THE SAKE OF THE KINGDOM
List some activities that may be permissible for the Christian but may not be beneficial for the kingdom. Then answer the question.
PERMISSIBLE BUT NOT BENEFICIAL
1.
2.
3.
How do you determine when to give up a right for the sake of the kingdom?
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making
his appeal through us.”
2 CORINTHIANS 5:20A
LIVE IT OUT
Let your responsibility to others drive how you exercise your rights. Choose one of the following applications:
- Take inventory. Are you watching movies, listening to music, or following social accounts that are permissible but not beneficial? Consider removing these and replacing them with things that bring glory to God.
- Put others first. Give up something good to do something better. We have freedom in our personal time. Set aside one hour this week that you’d normally devote to leisure. Spend that time serving someone else.
- Engage with others. Paul assumed Christians would be eating with non-believers and have opportunities to give a witness for Christ. Invite someone far from God to lunch or dinner. Pray for discernment in your interaction to make wise choices that help that person see Christ.
Cell phones can be beneficial to our lives in many ways, but just because our phones are always accessible doesn’t mean we have the right to use them whenever and wherever we want. Our personal rights can, and must, be balanced with our responsibilities to others and God’s kingdom.
Teacher's Notes:
I have a confession. The other day as I was
driving, I received a text. I know you should not text and drive, but at that
moment, I gave in to the pull of the notification and clicked on the text. Yes,
I was still driving—and I swerved into another lane! I didn’t hit the other
car, but I almost did. If I had hit their car, it would have caused
serious—perhaps even deadly—consequences for both of us.
The way we live can significantly impact
those around us. What if we could live our lives in such a way that we didn’t merge
into other lanes, causing issues for those around us? What if we lived in
such a way that we always “stayed in our lane,” and in doing so, we
allowed those around us to reach their destination without our interference?
“Stay in your lane”
Believers are free in Christ.
But that freedom, as with all freedom,
carries a responsibility to be used honorably and to benefit others rather than
for selfish purposes or to prove a point.
Lou Holtz was asked one time, what is the
difference between football players today, and 50 years ago. He answered,
"Simple, Today's athletes talk about rights and privileges. And the
players 50 years ago talked about obligations and responsibilities!” To me that
describes our society today.
Rights & Privileges
Obligations & Responsibilities
When I was growing up Christians faced issues
like playing cards, going to movies, and dancing. Now its recreational drugs,
drinking wine, the lottery, politics, conspiracy theories, abortion, sex,
marriage, bearing arms, and gender legitimacy.
FOR
THE SAKE OF THE KINGDOM
List some activities that may be permissible
for the Christian but may not be beneficial for the kingdom. Then answer the
question.
PERMISSIBLE BUT NOT BENEFICIAL
1.
2.
3.
How do you determine when to give up a right
for the sake of the kingdom?
This Lesson speaks to all of these things,
not about which are right, and which are wrong, but how believers are to
respond to differences of opinion.
Learning to let your responsibility to others
drive
how you exercise your rights.
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians as Paul teaches
us how to let your responsibility to others drive how you exercise your rights.
The issue in Corinth was food offered to
idols. Some thought eating that food was acceptable, others did not. What was
the responsibility of those who believed it was okay to those who were
convinced it was not?
1 Corinthians 10:23-24
“Everything is permissible,” but not
everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything
builds up. No one is to seek his own good, but the good of the other person.
Paul’s conclusion was that believers were
free to eat such food, but that they should limit the exercise of their freedom
out of consideration and concern for those who were troubled by the practice.
All believers should put limits on their independence in Christ for the benefit
of others.
1.
Do what
is beneficial to others.
How do we determine what is beneficial to
others?
What are some issues you face with others
that have the potential to be divisive?
1 Corinthians 10:25-30
Eat everything that is sold in the meat
market, without raising questions for the sake of conscience, since the earth
is the Lord’s, and all that is in it. If any of the unbelievers invites you
over and you want to go, eat everything that is set before you, without raising
questions for the sake of conscience. But if someone says to you, “This is food
from a sacrifice,” do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who told
you, and for the sake of conscience. I do not mean your own conscience, but the
other person’s. For why is my freedom judged by another person’s conscience? If
I partake with thanksgiving, why am I criticized because of something for which
I give thanks?
How might legalism get in the way of doing
what is best for others?
When was a time when you willingly subjugated
your freedom for the benefit of another person? Why were you willing to do so?
2.
Don’t
offend others unnecessarily.
1 Corinthians 10:31-33
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you
do, do everything for the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or
the church of God, just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not
seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved.
Why do believers’ actions affect unbelievers’
attitude toward Jesus?
What are some factors in determining whether
to act on our personal rights and freedoms?
How do you decide between those issues for
which you feel compelled to stand firm and those that you are willing to be
flexible?
3.
Do what
gives a potential witness for Christ.
Conclusion:
We have the freedom to choose how we use our
rights and privileges, but we also have an obligation and responsibility to
love and respect others, do what is beneficial to others, avoid creating
needless controversy, and do all we can to enhance our gospel witness. By so
doing, we can bring glory to God.
Use discernment when exercising freedom in
Christ.
Avoid activities that may not cause problems
for us but will definitely cause temptation or worry for others.
