By way of review:  In our first lesson we talked about the bible principle of EXPEDIENCY.
I Cor. 6:12  Paul says;  "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are expedient."
That is; --- The question a child of God is to ask before he goes head long into anything of a
questionable nature is, --- "Is this thing I want to do, or this place I want to go; -- is it profitable
to help me along my way to pleasing my God??  If it's not, Paul says; ---"Leave it alone."

    The second lesson we run a few ideas across having to do with ENSLAVEMENT.
I Cor. 6:12 again;  " All things are lawful for me, but not all things are expedient. All things are
lawful for me, but I will not be MASTERED BY ANYTHING."
That is; --- If we sacrifice the power of choice which is implied in the thought of LIBERTY in 
Christ, we cease to be free; --- and then we are brought under the power of that which SHOULD
be under our power. (Or control)  We become ENSLAVED to it.
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    Now for this part of the study; I would like to bring forth for your consideration, the Bible
principle of: EXAMPLE.    The text will be from I Cor. 8:

    But before we go there I would like to lay down a little historical background: (We studied this
in our Bible class recently, but a little review never hurt any one, right?
   Corinth was a pagan city, and because of this many people were making sacrifices to pagan gods.
And of course most of these sacrifices were animal sacrifices.  And they would take their best
cattle and other animals and slaughter them and offer them up to their pagan deity --- Which were
not deities at all, but just plain ole idols!  IDOLS!!

    And then after the meat was used in this manner, --- The remaining portions which were not
consumed by the fire was brought down to the local meat market and there it was sold.

   Now the Christian, who was not always the wealthiest class in town, (Sort of like some of us today)
he had learned where to go to get a good bargain on meat.   He could go down to the pagan's meat
market and get, say, a nice sirloin for 50 cents a pound.  (If they bought it else where it would cost
an "arm & a leg.)

    But then there were other brethren who would say; --- "You ought not to eat that kind of meat!"
You say; --- "WHY? What's wrong with it?"  They would say; --- "Because that meat has been 
offered up to IDOLS!   Why, I wouldn't touch that meat with a ten foot pole!!"
    Then the other brother would say; --- "Now look, I know where this meat came from, but I don't
believe in those DUMB IDOLS!   And after all, it's the Christian's duty to save money and I don't 
want to be wasteful; etc., etc!"

    And I would think it would be safe to say, if you ask any local congregation (were it back in 1st.
century Corinth) and they would be split right down the middle over whether or not to eat meat 
sacrificed to idols!   Because you see, you would have a pretty good case either way you went!
So there's SOME things in which you can really get a good argument going if you wanted.

    BUT there is a Bible PRINCIPLE in that when we come to things which are doubtful, or matters 
of opinion  etc;----  The Bible principle of EXAMPLE.
I Cor. 8:8ff    Paul says;  "But food  (KJV = meat) will not commend us to God; we are neither the 
worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat.  But take care lest this liberty of yours somehow
becomes a stumbling block to the weak. 
    For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, --- will not his
 conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols??
    For through your knowledge,--- (That is, YOU KNOW there's nothing wrong with it.) 
He who is weak is RUINED (KJV=perish/ Greek=destroy fully), --- The brother for whose sake 
Christ died.
    And thus, by sinning against the brethren;" --- ( Notice, it would be a sin to wound a weak
brother's conscience! --- Even though there's absolutely nothing wrong with the meat!) 
And Paul says, by inspiration; ---
" When you sin against the brethren and wound their conscience when it is weak, ---
YOU SIN AGAINST CHRIST!!"
(Vs 13) --- "THEREFORE, if  food causes my brother to stumble, I will NEVER eat meat again,
             (Why?)   That I might not cause my brother to stumble!"

And so there's another Bible principle;--- The PRINCIPLE OF EXAMPLE!!

QUESTION:  Would it cause some one else to STUMBLE, to be OFFENDED so as to SIN??
ANSWER:  (Vs 9) --- " But take care lest this LIBERTY  of yours somehow becomes a stumbling
                     block to the weak!"

    Now suppose someone was to say; --- "Why, I just don't see anything WRONG with that meat,
and I'm going down there and get me the biggest juiciest steak I can find! --- I've got enough sense
to know there's nothing wrong with it!"
    Look in this same text, back in (I Cor. 8:1) and see what Paul would say; ---  "Now concerning
things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge.--- knowledge makes arrogant,
(knowledge puffs up); But LOVE EDIFIES!"

    And friend, just because you KNOW a certain thing might be all right for YOU, --- 
That does not settle it right there!!  No sir!
    LOVE has something to do with it. --- LOVE says; That someone else might be watching,  and
LOVE says; ---"Even though a thing may not harm YOU, --- It could very well harm someone else!!"

    You want to get specific? --- Let's take the matter of so-called, SOCIAL DRINKING!

    Here's a man that brags; --"Well I can take a drink and it won't hurt ME!"  Ever stop and
consider how selfish an attitude like that is?     i.e., What about family, -- for starters?

    My friend, If that's ALL you're thinking about, Me, Myself and I; --- May I suggest you read
(I Cor. 8:1)   "LOVE  EDIFIES !!"
    And if  what YOU DO causes another person to stumble, --- Then what YOU are doing is 
WRONG!     I repeat; --- W.R.O.N.G. in God's sight.

    One might say; "What about moderation?" --- "As long as I drink in moderation!!"
LISTEN UP! --- Moderation is not the cure to the drinking problem; --- It is the CAUSE of it!
    You see; --- It is the so-called MODERATE SOCIAL DRINKER who CAN drink and "hold his 
booze, who is the one who encourages the one who can NOT hold his, to drink!!
    And THAT is one of the reasons why ALCOHOL has become such an ungodly problem!!
(Even among some of God's people.)  And that's a real SHAME!
    Because some have this false idea, or some how picture the drinking man, as a "man of 
distinction"; --- Rather than some drunken slob laying in his own vomit somewhere.

   Now just for the moment, I'd like us to consider what Paul had to say to the Roman church:
It's really not up to us to go around judging other people who may drink!
It's not up to us to judge those about us who smoke!
And it's not up to us to go around making judgment over what kind of movies and TV people watch,
or what holidays they celebrate;  etc., etc.;--- 
     In (Rom. 14:13)  Paul says;  "Therefore let us NOT judge one another any more,--- But rather
determine THIS --- Not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way."

    What Paul is saying here is; --That as Christians, it's not our job to go around judging others,
 but to judge ourselves! --- And to see to it that we would not do ANYTHING that might cause 
another to stumble and place his soul in peril.

    And so, therefore, continue to read in (Rom. 14:21) and underline it;---  " It is good NOT to eat
meat or drink wine, or do anything by which your brother stumbles.!"
    You see? --- The question is not only would it hurt YOU, -- But also, would it hurt someone else!!
If it will, then God's word says; --- YOU LEAVE IT ALONE!!

    Brethren, It's high time that Christians stop thinking simply of themselves and start thinking 
of others.  For our soul's sake and for the sake of the gospel of our Savior; --- SOME need to awake
out of their sleep before it's too late.
    Now you may come up with a big argument and say; ---"I don't see anything wrong with this!"
And "I don't see the harm in that!"  ---- YOU DON'T SEE!! 
You're pretty smart aren't you?
 "Knowledge makes arrogant, --- But love edifies."
   Now had you rather be smart or loving??

    You see, the BIG QUESTION we need to ask before we do or say anything is; --- "What about 
MY EXAMPLE??
    Would it wound somebody else's conscience??
    Would it perhaps cause another to sin??
    Would this freedom of mine drag  somebody else down??

If it would, --- for their sake, maybe I had better leave it alone!!

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    Now we've covered the Bible principles of:
a. EXPEDIENCY ---- Would it help me on my way?

b. ENSLAVEMENT ---- Does it have power over me?

c. EXAMPLE ---- Even if I can get by with it, would it hurt others?

                                                                                                   Submitted in the love of our Lord;
                                                                                                                       Earl Wilburn