1 Corinthians 8 is one of my favorite Bible passages that nobody knows.
Here's a quick summary: Some Corinthian Christians, following Jewish custom and law, refused to eat meat sacrificed to idols and believed that it was wrong for anybody who believed in the Judeo-Christian God to do so. Others, following Gentile customs and believing Paul was correct that Jewish law was (generally) non-binding on Christians had no problem eating the meat. So who was right?
Paul's answer, in essence, was that both were right. He reminded the Corinthians that idols represented false gods - fake gods - and so there really was no difference between meat offered to an idol and meat fresh from the market. So the Gentile approach was right. But he also acknowledged that, in modern terms, perception is reality. He said that eating meat offered to an idol really could affect someone's faith. If you believe that eating the meat is wrong and I as a respected Christian do it anyway then your faith could be affected negatively.
Then he says this (in the Common English Bible):
12 You sin against Christ if you sin against your brothers and sisters and hurt their weak consciences this way. 13 This is why, if food causes the downfall of my brother or sister, I won’t eat meat ever again, or else I may cause my brother or sister to fall."
Uh-oh. Paul pulled a fast one. He told us we could eat whatever we wanted, but then he said we have some responsibility for our sisters and brothers. This is, by the way, why I generally don't drink alcohol in social settings. I have nothing against alcohol but as far as taste and effect goes I could take it or leave it. If I don't drink then somebody who has a problem with alcohol might feel less pressure to go along with the crowd.
But back to Paul. What Paul is doing is reminding us that we have individual rights AND we have communal responsibilities. From a Christian standpoint, the question "What are my rights?" is not the best starting point. The best starting point is, "In this situation, how do I best love God and neighbor?" So Paul might say, "I love meat, but I love my siblings in faith more. If the best way to love them is to refraining from eating meat then that's what I'll do."
I'm not a Constitutional scholar. I don't understand how the state right to a militia in the 2nd Amendment became an individual's unfettered right to bear arms, but apparently it does. I do have great respect for the Constitution. But I'm a Christian. I don't worship it. I worship Jesus.
It may be that the guns laid down at the altar of the Constitution should stay there not because we don't have a right to pick them back up, but because of the love we have for our sisters and brothers, our children. Love God. Love Neighbor. The rest is secondary.
