每日读经

哥林多前书 第八章 - “再也不吃肉”的原则

我若使我弟兄跌倒,我就永远不吃肉。

作者:

Anne

|

6 分钟阅读

在哥林多前书第八章中,我们读到哥林多教会中的一些信徒吃了祭给偶像的食物。纵使他们的理由是:我们知道世上只有一位神,就是主耶稣,因此祭给偶像的食物根本就是普通的食物。但他们这样的行为却使一些信心软弱,不晓得偶像并非真神的弟兄误以为拜偶像是可以接受的,于是他们的良心因软弱而被玷污了。

为了软弱的弟兄,放弃自己的权利。

“因此,基督为他死的那软弱弟兄,也就因你的知识沉沦了。”(林前8:11)

在现今的生活中,有许多事情和活动圣经并没有明确说明是否可行,但为了不让信心软弱的弟兄跌倒,我们应当谨慎思考自己的行为是否会间接影响我们周围的人,使他们在信仰上感到困惑。例如:圣经并没有直接禁止我们进入夜总会,也没有明确禁止我们穿着非正式的服装(如短裤等)上教会。

因此,我们自己需要更深一层地思考这些行为是否能荣耀神,以及这些行为是否会无意中影响到任何一位信心软弱的弟兄姐妹,使他们也效仿我们去做那些原本他们认为不该做的事。我们应该考虑我们的行为可能会造成的涟漪反应,不论是对自己或是他人的后果——特别是重大的事情,甚至参与一些源自于异教的传统习俗。当我们使弟兄姐妹做出违背神的事情时,我们不仅犯罪得罪了那人,更是得罪了神(林前8:12)。

这段经文提醒我们,不仅要考虑我们的行为对他人的影响,也要思考我们的行为是否能讨神喜悦。最终,我们努力所追求的正是神对我们个人的认可。

为了他人,你曾放弃过哪些原属于自己的权利?为了讨神的喜悦,你曾放弃过什么?

爱心能造就人。

“知识是叫人自高自大,唯有爱心能造就人。”(林前8:1)

那到底什么能推动我们保守自己,不成为他人信仰上的绊脚石呢?唯有主耶稣的命令——以真诚的爱对待我们软弱的弟兄姐妹。

有知识的人因为自己知识渊博而骄傲自大,但如果我们能以真诚的爱对待并顾及我们身边的人,这会帮助他们的信心和他们的义渐渐增长。知识固然重要,能帮助我们明白神的真理,在主里成长,但保罗提醒我们,光有知识是不够的,还必须有爱人的心。当我们爱人时,我们就会谨慎,而绝不让自己成为别人的绊脚石。

如果我们自认为有知识,却不敬畏神的诫命,也不在乎我们的行为是否会影响到他人的信心,那在神眼中,我们仍然是无知的。

让我们记得,不应单靠自己的知识决定事情,而是全心依靠神来引导我们的道路。我们可以随时向神祈求智慧,而神必乐意将智慧赐给我们。“你要专心仰赖耶和华,不可倚靠自己的聪明;在你一切所行的事上都要认定祂,他必指引你的路。”(箴 3:5-6)

相关内容

罗马书 第14章 — 勿使他人跌倒

罗马书 第14章 — 勿使他人跌倒

当我们真正爱一个人时,我们会努力去理解他的内心,设身处地为他着想,感受他的感受。 同样地,爱神的人也蒙召要认识神的心意。 神的心意是爱世人,甚至将祂的独生子赐给他们,叫一切信祂的人不至灭亡,反得永生(约翰福音 3:16)。 更进一步地,神的心是倾向祂所爱的子民,就是那些祂拣选和救赎的圣徒(歌罗西书 3:12)。 爱主的一个表现,就是爱祂的子民,并且设法不让他们跌倒。这是罗马书第十四章的核心思想之一。 本章劝勉我们,不要论断或轻看那些信心软弱的弟兄姊妹。在当时的背景中,“信心软弱”是指那些若不遵守特定规条,良心就会责备他们、觉得自己没有讨神喜悦的人(参哥林多前书 8:9-12)。 保罗写信的时期,有些信徒为了讨神喜悦,会选择不吃某些食物,或守特定的日子(罗马书 14:6)。 换句话说,当他们没有遵守这些标准时,良心会受到谴责,这从以下经文可见: “我凭着主耶稣确知并深信:没有一样东西本来是污秽的,惟独人以为污秽的,那在他就污秽了。”(罗马书 14:14) 放在今天的社会,这可能表现为:有些信徒选择不吃肉、不看电影,以远离世俗影响,保持圣洁;也可能是在特定的日子禁食;甚至有人认为自己只能接受教会婚姻介绍人推荐的对象作为未来的配偶。 当我们遇到这些持有不同信仰操守的人时,内心可能会自然地产生惊讶或评判的反应: “咦?你竟然强迫自己那样做?” 然而,罗马书 14:1 提醒我们要反其道而行,接纳那软弱的人。 这意味着我们不要轻视这样的人(罗马书 14:3),也不可因这些事绊倒他们(罗马书 14:13)。 事实上,从哥林多前书第八章中,我们可以看到接纳软弱的信徒也包括体贴他们的良心。例如,当我们与不吃肉的信徒在一起时,应当体谅他们,不要强迫他们吃肉,也不要用高高在上的口吻评论他们的信仰行为。 神不愿我们藐视或论断弟兄姊妹,因为这会破坏基督身体的合一。因此,罗马书 14:1 教导我们,不要因意见纷争而争吵。 值得注意的是,这些标准并非像十诫或救恩的教义那样在圣经中明确规定,而是信徒个人在信仰上的实践方式。 在我们这个主张表达己见的社会中,要温柔地接纳他人的观点其实并不容易。对某些人来说,坚持自己的看法、纠正他人的“错误”几乎是一种本能反应。 然而,这些在信仰实践上与我们不同的信徒,是向神负责,而不是向你我交代。 “你是谁,竟论断别人的仆人呢?他或站住,或跌倒,自有他的主人在;而且他也必要站住,因为主能使他站住。”(罗马书 14:4) 如果我们因着自己的饮食使弟兄忧愁,我们就不是照着爱心行事了(罗马书 14:15)。而神呼召我们,要爱祂,也要爱我们的邻舍(马可福音 12:29-31)。 归根结底,“神的国不在乎吃喝,只在乎公义、和平,并圣灵中的喜乐。”(罗马书 14:17) 有些事对我们与神的关系影响不大,例如饮食选择;而神所喜悦的,是那些属灵的品格 — 那才是真正重要的。

Back To Basics

Back To Basics

Anyone starting university will immediately appreciate the increase in autonomy and independence. For any university student, it may be tempting to join in hall activities and university societies, to pursue even greater academic heights like joining competitions, or to start building up a portfolio for our careers. If throughout our academic journeys we have always felt overshadowed, university may seem like the time to finally shine and show our worth. Moreover, a common feature of the “university experience” is being able to live alone away from home, regardless of whether you study abroad or locally in Singapore. The newfound independence and freedom can be both intimidating and exciting. If we are serious about our faith, we must consider how to ensure our time in university is something beneficial to our faith. Too many youths have lost their faith whilst in university. As Christians, we have a higher purpose and calling in this life. We have been empowered to transcend all the frenzy and chaos our peers may find themselves in. With a larger portion of your time under your control, the question is, how should we best use it? As we continue to further our education, many classes often start with a "Back to Basics" introduction, going through and reviewing some of the key concepts that one needs to know to be able to understand the subsequent lessons fully. Likewise, in our faith, it's often helpful to return to the basics and grow in these things. With the increased independence and freedom, many are caught up with the allures of university life and drift away in their faith. And quite a key deciding factor on whether we grow or drift is our daily cultivation routine. How much time do we spend each day in prayer? Practical tip number 1: Even amidst the busy university term, you must fight the temptation of setting a limit on your cultivation time. Don't just pray for 15 minutes because that is your habit. When your alarm rings, if you feel like you are having a good conversation with God, keep going! If you realise you've been distracted the whole prayer, quieten your heart, resolve to focus, and try again. And if you've been praying for 15 minutes for the past year, why not make it 20 minutes? And if 20 minutes is your current routine, why not work towards 30 minutes? Just as we go through university hoping to grow in knowledge and skills, as Christians we must also strive to grow in our prayers. The independence and flexibility of university life greatly aid and enable us to grow in our daily cultivation. (And if you aren't already using a timer to ensure you pray for a minimum amount of time, I highly recommend using one) Practical number 2: To set your prayer life in order, you must set the rest of your life in order. If we are often out late having supper, if we always return home late, we will struggle to find time to pray before we sleep. If we are doom scrolling on social media past midnight, when it’s time to pray, we will be tired and just say a short and quick prayer. And because we sleep late, we wake up late in the morning and say a hurried prayer (if any) before rushing to start our day. It’s called “life of prayer” for a reason - if we are serious about our prayer life, we must be willing to adjust the rest of our life around our cultivation habits. We must esteem our daily cultivation time and do our best to protect it. Practical tip number 3: On top of our routine prayers, make spontaneous and unscheduled prayers. Don't limit yourself to a fixed routine of "X minutes in the morning" and "X minutes before bed". Bow the knee whenever you're stressed with deadlines. Call out to God whenever you're feeling stuck with your work. Pray while you prepare for church work. God is faithful, and if we put in the effort to seek after Him each day, we will surely find Him. A sister from the UK testified how she would pray for a total of two hours through the day whilst living alone during her difficult university days. It got to a point where prayers were the highlight and joy of her day. And though those days were decades ago, her encounters with God back then still play an important part in her journey of faith even today. She actively serves in church and still runs around actively attending various church events despite no longer being so "young". A brother from the US did something similar, and he shared how each day when he returned to his college dormitory, it was as though God was waiting for him there because he had spent much quality alone time with God on his knees in his room. His relationship with God was something so real and living. He could clearly feel the presence of God in his life. University life isn't easy. Living alone, whilst liberating, can also be lonely and sobering. You will face new challenges that you may have never faced before. You will face even greater lows in your academic journey. But it is precisely these times when we learn to turn to God and pour out our hearts to Him in prayer. When we are alone in the dormitory, when it feels like no one around us understands or has time for us, God allows us to gain a slightly deeper understanding of what Psalm 46:1 says, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (You see, many of the teachings we've learnt from RE since young, about God being our refuge, about praying and entrusting to God, about God's love towards us... these are lessons we continue to learn for the rest of our lives. Time and time again, God teaches us these same lessons, but each time, we have a slightly deeper appreciation for His precious words. This precisely is what it means to grow as a Christian, to grow in our relationship with God and His words.) Unlike everything else from university that will end one day, your relationship with God is eternal . And all your encounters with God during your university days will become your own personal testimony and experience which no one can take away from you. We see this in Job chapter 2. Everything can be taken away from you, but no one can ever take God away from you. Most of the above can also be said of our Bible reading. How much time do we spend on the Word of God? You will have to do a lot of reading in university, be it papers or textbooks. We probably have experienced times where we dedicate hours trying to read and understand something, but still glean nothing out of it. The Bible is different. Unlike all other books, Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the word of God is living. The Bible is the only text in the whole world that is living. What does it mean for it to be "living"? Imagine each time we read the Bible, God is before us, feeding us with His teachings! After all, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord, and His words truly are spirit and life. Essentially, this means that whenever we quiet our hearts and put in the effort to read the Bible, we will always gain something and be edified. And this is even more so for those of us who have the Spirit of truth dwelling in us! This assurance that no time spent reading the Bible will ever be spent in vain (unlike that extra hour you might try to spend on your assignment) should naturally motivate us to spend more time reading His word. Practical tip number 1: Don't stop reading until you are edified. Just like for prayer, it's helpful to train ourselves not to set a "limit" on our daily Bible reading (e.g. one chapter or 15 minutes) but rather to read until we are edified. Perhaps initially, we are a little distracted, but we need to muster up that resolve and determination to read through the passage and meditate on His words slowly. And just like how when we are full we will naturally know to stop eating, when we are edified from the word of God and have received our daily spiritual bread, we will know when we have read enough for the day. It's a hard feeling to explain, but a very spiritually satisfying one. And as shared above, all of us can experience this spiritual satisfaction each day. Practical tip number 2: Do not treat church work (e.g., preparing RE) as a substitute for your daily Bible reading. As university youths, chances are we are taking on more church work, be it as an RE teacher or in leading fellowships. However, church work is not an excuse to slack in our Bible reading. In fact, being diligent in our daily Bible reading is often what makes it easier to prepare for our church duties. By storing up the word of God in our hearts and actively meditating on His words, we have more to draw from when preparing for fellowships or lessons. On top of reading His words (emphasis: "on top of"), listening to sermons is worthy of our pursuit. One of the biggest blessings from the pandemic is the plethora of sermons on YouTube that we can listen to. Many of our peers in church do actively listen to sermons as part of their daily routine, and they can all testify of how much it has benefitted their spiritual lives. Living alone greatly enables this. While we head out to buy groceries, cook in the kitchen, eat our meals, do the laundry, why not listen to a sermon? The flexibility that comes with university life makes it the best time to grow in our service and fellowship attendance. By God's grace, the church provides us with many services and fellowships for us to attend. While attending all of them may seem like a tall order, we should be constantly pursuing to attend more. And as we become more present in the church, naturally, there'll be more church works for us to begin serving in. While studying in university, many youths grow to be actively involved in church. Practical tip number 1: It takes faith to make time to do church stuff Some may quote Luke 14:25-33 to say that we should carefully plan our time and say "no" to church services or church work if needed. And yes, that is true, but often, the problem is that we are too quick to turn down. For the record, the start and end of that passage in Luke 14 talk about the necessity of bearing our cross and forsaking all that we have to become Jesus' disciples! We must remember that we walk by faith and not by sight. If we only agree to church works when they can clearly fit into our schedule, then perhaps we will only be walking by sight. Walking by faith means saying "yes" to church work even if we do not know how our schedule will work out, but we still say "yes" because we know that serving God is the purpose of our lives. And by faith, we know that somehow, God will provide. By faith, we know God will give us the gifts we need to do His work. By faith, we know that God will guide us to finish all our deadlines on time and to get the grades we need for whatever path He wants to lead us on. Yes, there will be times when we feel overloaded and overwhelmed, but these are all good opportunities for us to once again pray to God and reflect on our purpose and direction in our lives, to once again remember the great love and grace of Jesus towards us, shown to us by His death for us on the cross. Remember, God will never shortchange you for the time that you offer up to Him. And more often than not, what we need to sacrifice to make time for church activities and church work is not the time for our studies, but our leisure time. Is it really the case that we have no time to take on additional church things, if we spend hours doom scrolling on social media each night? Practical tip number 2: Use our hobbies and interests to serve God. If you like writing, why not write articles and devotionals for the church? If you enjoy filming and video editing, the internet ministry welcomes you with open arms. If music is your thing, you can consider writing hymns (especially hymns for children, hymns based on Bible passages, hymns based on our basic beliefs, etc.). If planning activities give you satisfaction, why not help to plan activities for the RE students? If you have an eye for design, the church greatly needs you. Our gifts and talents all come from God, and the most satisfying way to use our gifts is to use them to serve and benefit the house of God. As we navigate university and are exposed to more allures of the world, it is always good to return to the basics. Though we always hear these things while growing up in church, each time we transition into a new phase in our lives, our resolve to hold fast to these "basics" are challenged. Yet, each transition into a new phase is also an opportunity to renew our conviction and grow in these fundamental aspects of our faith. In particular, university life gives you much more freedom and independence, possibly more than ever. Many end up getting really involved in campus life, taking on many extracurricular activities, building up a portfolio, and crafting their dream lives. And with whatever time we have left, we often would want to have time for ourselves, to have "alone time", time to unwind and relax. To be clear, I don't want to present a false choice here: you still can do all those aforementioned things. But as you pursue those things, there will be times when you experience the vanity that's described in Ecclesiastes. In these moments, readjust and realign yourself. We can lead a more meaningful life beyond just chasing after things in this world. And our leisure time, alone time, self-care time, etc., does not need to be mutually exclusive from faith time, church time, and God time. Make God a bigger part of your life. Pray more, read the Bible more, be more present and active in church. God wants to give you a life where you can experience His true joy and peace. You'll find that, indeed, there's none but Christ that can completely satisfy.

关于本会

我们是真耶稣教会,一间建立在耶稣与使徒们的教导上的全球性非宗派教会。藉由圣灵创立,我们的使命是把全备的救恩真理传向地极/世界尽头。

关于本会

We have four places of worship, and we gather for Sabbath and night worship services. We welcome you to join us for any of our in-person services!

参与崇拜聚会