GOODNESS IS THE DESIRE FOR HOLINESS

The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – GOODNESS #2

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

Lessons From Israel’s Idolatry

In 1 Corinthians 10:23-24; 11:1 NLT says, “23 You say, “I am allowed to do anything” – but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything” – but not everything is beneficial. 24 Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.”

 I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you.”

The issue of eating meat offered to idols led Paul to three conclusions in the matter that can be applied to the broad spectrum of Christian liberties:

While eating such meat is essentially unimportant to one’s faith, and while it is allowed (not against God’s law, see also 1 Corinthians 6:12), it may not necessarily be helpful to the believer. The Christian has the freedom to eat such meat because he or she knows it doesn’t matter (1 Corinthians 8:6-8).

Avoiding Sexual Sin

In 1 Corinthians 6:12 NLT says, “12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything” – but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything”.

The phrase “I am allowed to do anything,” appears to have been a catchphrase, as it appears twice in this verse and twice again in 1 Corinthians 10:23. Apparently, the Christians in Corinth had been using this phrase as a license to live any way they pleased. Perhaps Paul had used the statement when he preached to them about their freedom in Christ, but they had wrongly interpreted it. Paul never meant disregarding basic Christian morality and ethics. Some Christians in Corinth apparently were using this to excuse their sins, saying Christ had taken away all sin, so they had complete freedom to live as they pleased; or what they were doing was not strictly forbidden by Scripture.

Paul answered both of these excuses. While Christ has taken away sin, this does not mean everything a person might do would be good. While some actions may not be specifically forbidden in Scripture, believers should know that these actions and their results would not be beneficial to themselves or to the church. Born-Again Christian believers should be using their Christian freedom to share the Gospel and show love for others instead of looking for ways to gratify themselves. In addition, while some actions are not sinful in themselves, they are not appropriate because they can control believers’ lives and lead them away from God. Believers should not do these actions because they do not want to become enslaved to anything.

Freedom is a mark of the Christian faith – freedom from sin and guilt, and freedom to use and enjoy all things that come from God. But Christians should not abuse this freedom and hurt themselves or others. Many people have misinterpreted the phrase today to mean, “I will not be mastered by any rule of ethics, law, or Bible principle,” rather than, “I will not be mastered by any besetting sin.”

Christians who have been in the church for many years can easily excuse sins such as gossip, bitterness, an unforgiving spirit, lust, or withholding money from God’s work. We must be on alert for those desires that can master us. What God has allowed His children to enjoy must not grow into a bad habit that controls them.

Food Sacrificed To Idols

In 1 Corinthians 8:4-9 NLT says, “4 So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God. 5 There may be so called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. 6 But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for Him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom God made everything and through Whom we have been given life. 7 However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated. 8 It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do. 9 But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble”.

In Verse 4 says, Paul returned to the question at hand, Should we eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols? The believers in Corinth had come to believe that there is only one God and no other out of a culture that embraced many gods. The idols had no substance, authority, power, or ability to curse or bless.

In Verses 5-6 says, Paul acknowledged that many people believed the so-called gods to be real. Idolatry takes away from God we worship He is due. There is one God and there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, who made everything. God is creator. He is not Himself part of the cosmos but is the source of everything created. Christ is the “Lord,” a name that the Old Testament uses only in reference to God. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, God created and redeemed the world.

In Verse 7 says, basic Christian theology focuses on the fact that there is one God, who created everything, and that idols are nothing. But not all Christians realize this. They believe in the all-powerful God of the Christian faith but are not thoroughly convinced that the other gods do not exist at all. In their hearts and consciences, they have difficulty because they are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real. Therefore, when they eat meat that had been sacrificed as part of a religious ceremony, they cannot separate the meat from the ceremony. They had weak consciences. A “weak” conscience regards as wrong an act that is not wrong, or is still unclear about whether it is wrong or not. The possibility exists for new converts to fall back into old obsessions by seeing other believers exercise their freedom. Old patterns may link the activity (such as playing cards) with an old obsession (such as gambling). The Corinthians’ weak consciences could not discriminate between right and wrong regarding food offered to idols, so when they ate such meat, they violated their consciences and so believed that they were sinning against God.

In Verses 8-9 says, that food is neutral – neither good nor evil, regardless of whether or not it has been sacrificed in a pagan temple to an idol. There would be nothing inherently wrong with eating such meat because food has nothing to do with one’s relationship with God. Paul said that the strong believers should not push the weak but, instead, be willing to love them. These “strong” believers (as opposed to those whom Paul described as “weak”) knew Scripture and stood strong on God’s commands and prohibitions but were free from minor, legalistic constraints. Yet, they must be careful with their freedom so that it would not cause a brother or sister with a weaker conscience to stumble. Since it really doesn’t matter what kind of food believers eat, the strong believers should live on the side of love for the sake of the weaker believers.

A “stumbling block” refers to something that might cause someone to trip or fall into sin. The strong but insensitive Christian may flaunt his or her freedom, be a harmful example, and thus offend the consciences of others. The overscrupulous but weak Christian may try to fence others in with petty rules and regulations, thus causing dissension.

Let me encourage our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others, we constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

Just because something is not against the law, however, doesn’t mean that it is helpful.
While believers are free to practice their freedom in Christ in matters that are allowed, some practices of freedom do not necessarily work to build up individual believers, others, fellowship or the church.

Therefore, Born-Again Christians are to use their freedoms, not for their own good, but to think of other Christians and what is best for them. As Paul had concluded at the end of chapter 8, all Born-Again Christians, free in our Lord Jesus Christ, should humbly set aside their freedoms in order to win more people for the Kingdom. Nothing should ever impede a believer’s witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. It is always more important to avoid unhelpful actions than to assert freedoms. Amen!

In these GOODNESS Series of Podcast, we will learn the PURPOSE of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

1. Learn To Care How God Feels About Our Morality (see last week of Podcast Goodness #1)
2. To Have The Desire For Holiness – Podcast Goodness #2
3. To Know That God Implanted Righteousness Into Our Lives Through Our Lord Jesus Christ – Podcast Goodness #3
4. Learn To Imitate Our Lord Jesus Christ – Podcast Goodness #4
5. The Virtue Of The Written Word Of God – Podcast Goodness #5
6. To Be Contented With God’s Commandments – Podcast Goodness #6

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer, please take a look of one of our ministries, “An Invitation To Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Observation: What do these passages say to you?

Interpretation: What do these passages mean to you?

Application: How do the meaning of these passages apply to you or to your situation?

Suggested Prayer: Father God, we come into your presence in Jesus name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and for the Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us to understand God’s Words, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth, and obey them, in Jesus name, Amen!

God bless us, our families, and our loved ones!