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1 Corinthians 8:7-8
Some of the Christians at Corinth have stopped eating food that had been sacrificed to idols, as then it may be sold in the marketplace and being so is open for anyone to purchase. But some other Christians have decided that as there is only one true God – the God of heaven, that there is no concern of eating food that has been sacrifice to idols as there is no other god besides the God of heaven, so they eat; to them, the sacrificed food is meaningless as the god it was sacrificed to does not exist. The Apostle Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 8:8 (NKJV), “But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.”
This is a promise that God does not love us more or less due to the food that we eat.
Jesus taught in Matthew 15:10-11, “Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” Jesus continues in Matthew 15:17-20, “do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”
God has created food for us to eat; some prefer this and some prefer that, but what is most important is that our hearts are cleansed in new life in Christ Jesus. It is in the heart that one makes life changing decisions that define the person – let our lives be defined by Christ Jesus as children of God. The Bible teaches us in John 1:10-13, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” And in Romans 10:9-10 we learn, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Let us eat and digest the Word of God in our lives that we may truly be…children of God.
Dear LORD,
Please help us to realize and understand through this Bible study today that superficial things do not lead to salvation and eternal life in heaven with You, but that the condition of our hearts is the true revealer. Please help us to see that it is only through opening our hearts to You in receiving the gift of Your Holy Spirit through believing in Jesus that truly changes our lives and makes us…children of God. Please let it be so LORD. In Jesus name I pray, amen.