55 英翻中 1 Corinthians 8 對基督徒的自由觀要警覺! 02/05/2025

55 英翻中              1 Corinthians 8                  對基督徒的自由觀要警覺!                    02/05/2025

CHAPTER SEVEN               1 Corinthians 8; 10                      Be wise for the christian liberty                      第七章                        哥林多前書 8；10                             明智地對待基督徒的自由         

After answering their questions about marriage, Paul turned to one of the most controversial subjects in the letter he received from the Corinthian church: “Can Christians eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols?” The immediate question does not interest believers today since we do not face that problem. But the wider issue of “Christian liberty” does apply to us, because we face questions that Paul never faced. Is it right for Christians to attend the theater? Should a believer have a television set in his home? To what extent can a Christian get involved in politics?              在回答了他們關於婚姻的問題後，保羅轉向了哥林多教會寫給他的信中最具爭議的話題之一：「基督徒可以吃祭過偶像的肉嗎？」由於我們不再面臨這個問題，所以當今的信徒並不對眼前的問題感興趣。但「基督教自由」這個更廣泛的問題確實適用於我們，因為我們面臨保羅從未面對過的問題。基督徒去劇院看戲合適嗎？信徒家裡應該要有電視機嗎？基督徒可以在多大程度上參與政治？                 

In 1 Corinthians 8—10, Paul enunciated four basic principles that would guide believers in making personal decisions about those “questionable” areas of the Christian life. The four principles are as follows:                                                                                                                          在哥林多前書第 8 至 10 章中，保羅闡述了四項基本原則，指導信徒對基督徒生活中那些「有問題的」領域做出個人決定。這四項原則如下：

Knowledge must be balanced by love (1 Cor. 8)                                                                                        知識必須與愛平衡（哥林多前書 8）

Authority must be balanced by discipline (1 Cor. 9)                                                                                權威必須與紀律平衡（哥林多前書 9）

Experience must be balanced by caution (1 Cor. 10:1–22)                                                                      經驗必須與謹慎相平衡（哥林多前書 10:1-22）

Freedom must be balanced by responsiblity (1 Cor. 10:23–33)                                                              自由必須與責任相平衡（哥林多前書 10:23-33）                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               As you can see, Paul addressed himself primarily to the strong Christians in the church, believers who had spiritual knowledge and experience and who understood their authority and freedom in Christ. It is the strong who must care for the weak (Rom. 14—15).                                                正如你所看到的，保羅主要向教會中堅強的基督徒講話，這些信徒擁有屬靈的知識和經驗，並且理解他們在基督裡的權威和自由。強者必須照顧弱者（羅馬書 14-15）。                                                                                                                                                                                                         The question of meats offered to idols is dealt with in 1 Corinthians 8; 10, so we will examine it in this chapter. In 1 Corinthians 9, Paul illustrated this principle of the right use.                                哥林多前書第 8 章討論了祭偶像的肉的問題； 10，因此我們將在本章中對其進行研究。在《哥林多前書》第 9 章中，保羅透過解釋自己的財務政策，闡明了正確使用權力的原則；因此我們將在下一次研究中考慮這一點。

Knowledge Must Be Balanced by Love (8:1–13)                                                                                       知識必須以愛來平衡（8:1-13）                                                                                                         

There were two sources of meat in the ancient world: the regular market (where the prices were higher) and the local temples (where meat from the sacrifices was always available). The strong members of the church realized that idols could not contaminate food, so they saved money by purchasing the cheaper meat available from the temples. Furthermore, if unconverted friends invited them to a feast at which sacrificial meat was served, the strong Christians attended it whether at the temple or in the home.                                                                                                      古代世界有兩種肉類來源：常規市場（價格較高）和當地寺廟（始終有祭祀的肉類可用）。教會的堅強成員意識到偶像不會污染食物，因此他們透過從寺廟購買更便宜的肉來省錢。此外，如果未皈依的朋友邀請他們參加提供祭祀肉食的宴會，虔誠的基督徒就會參加，無論是在寺廟還是在家裡。

All of this offended the weaker Christians. Many of them had been saved out of pagan idolatry, and they could not understand why their fellow believers would want to have anything to do with meat sacrificed to idols. (In Rom. 14—15, the weak Christians had problems over diets and holy days, but it was the same basic issue.) There was a potential division in the church, so the leaders asked Paul for counsel.                                                                                                                              這一切都冒犯了較弱的基督徒。他們中的許多人已經擺脫了異教偶像崇拜，他們無法理解為什麼他們的信徒會想要與祭祀偶像的肉有任何關係。 （在羅馬書 14-15 章中，軟弱的基督徒在飲食和聖日方面遇到了問題，但基本問題是一樣的。）教會內部可能出現分裂，因此領袖們向保羅尋求建議。

Paul called to their attention three important factors.                                                                        保羅提醒他們注意三個重要因素。

(1)  Knowledge (vv. 1–2). The Corinthians were enriched in spiritual knowledge (1 Cor. 1:5) and were, in fact, rather proud of their achievements. They knew that an idol was nothing, merely the representation of a false god who existed only in the darkened minds of those who worshipped it. The presence of an idol in a temple was no solid proof that the god existed. (Later, Paul would point out that idolatry was basically the worship of demons.) So the conclusion was logical: A nonexistent god could not contaminate food offered on his altar.                                                         （1）知識（1-2節）。哥林多人擁有豐富的精神知識（哥林多前書 1:5），事實上，他們對自己的成就相當自豪。他們知道偶像什麼都不是，只不過是假神的代表，只存在於崇拜者的黑暗心靈中。寺廟中存在偶像並不能證明神的存在。 （後來，保羅指出，偶像崇拜基本上就是崇拜惡魔。）因此，結論是合乎邏輯的：不存在的神不可能污染祭壇上供奉的食物。

So far, it is the strong Christians who are ahead. Why, then, are the weak Christians upset with them, when their position is so logical? Because you don’t always solve every problem with logic. The little child who is afraid of the dark will not be assured by arguments, especially if the adult (or older brother) adopts a superior attitude. Knowledge can be a weapon to fight with or a tool to build with, depending on how it is used. If it “puffs up” then it cannot “build up [edify].”              到目前為止，堅強的基督徒仍處於領先地位。那麼，既然他們的立場如此合乎邏輯，為什麼軟弱的基督徒會對他們感到不滿呢？因為你並不總是能用邏輯解決所有問題。害怕黑暗的小孩不會因為爭吵而感到安心，尤其是當大人（或哥哥）採取優越的態度時。知識可以成為戰鬥的武器，也可以成為建造的工具，這取決於如何使用它。如果它“自高自大”，那麼它就無法“建立[教化]”。

A know-it-all attitude is only an evidence of ignorance. The person who really knows truth is only too conscious of how much he does not know. Furthermore, it is one thing to know doctrine and quite something else to know God. It is possible to grow in Bible knowledge and yet not grow in grace or in one’s personal relationship with God. The test is love, which is the second factor Paul discussed.                                                                                                                                                    自以為無所不知的態度只不過是無知的證據。真正了解真理的人只會清楚地意識到自己不知道的東西有多少。此外，了解教義是一回事，了解上帝又是另一回事。有可能，聖經知識有所增長，但恩典或與上帝的個人關係卻沒有增長。考驗就是愛，這是保羅討論的第二個因素。

(2)  Love (vv. 3–6). Love and knowledge must go together, “speaking the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). It has well been said, “Truth without love is brutality, but love without truth is hypocrisy.” Knowledge is power and it must be used in love. But love must always be controlled by knowledge (see Paul’s prayer in Phil. 1:9–11). The strong believers in the church had knowledge, but they were not using their knowledge in love. Instead of building up the weak saints, the strong Christians were only puffing up themselves.                                                                                        （2）愛（3-6節）。愛與知識必須並存，「用愛心說誠實話」（弗 4:15）。有句話說得好：「沒有愛的真理是殘酷的，沒有真理的愛是虛偽的。」知識就是力量，必須用愛來運用它。但愛必須始終受知識的支配（參考腓立比書 1：9-11 中保羅的禱告）。教會裡的堅定信徒擁有知識，但他們並沒有將他們的知識運用在愛中。堅強的基督徒不但沒有幫助軟弱的聖徒，反而只會自我膨脹。

Paul’s great concern was that the strong saints help the weaker saints to grow and to stop being weak saints. Some people have the false notion that the strong Christians are the ones who live by rules and regulations and who get offended when others exercise their freedom in Christ; but such is not the case. It is the weak Christians who must have the security of law and who are afraid to use their freedom in Christ. It is the weak Christians who are prone to judge and criticize stronger believers and to stumble over what they do. This, of course, makes it difficult for the strong saints to minister to their weaker brothers and sisters.                                                            保羅最關心的是，堅強的聖徒能夠幫助較弱的聖徒成長，不再是軟弱的聖徒。有些人錯誤地認為，堅強的基督徒是那些遵守規則和規定的人，當別人在基督裡行使自由時，他們會感到被冒犯；但事實並非如此。軟弱的基督徒必須得到法律的保障，並且害怕運用他們在基督裡的自由。軟弱的基督徒容易評判和批評更堅強的信徒，並容易因他們的所作所為而絆倒。當然，這使得強大的聖徒很難去服侍那些較弱的兄弟姊妹。

Experience Must Be Balanced by Caution (10:1–22)                                                                                經驗必須與謹慎相平衡（10:1-22）

Paul reminded the experienced believers who were strong in the faith that they had better not grow overconfident in their ability to overcome temptation. “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Paul used the nation of Israel as his example to warn the mature believers that their experience must be balanced by caution. He gave three warnings.                                                                                                                                                    保羅提醒那些有經驗、信心堅定的信徒，最好不要對自己戰勝誘惑的能力過於自信。 「所以自己以為站得穩的，要謹慎，免得跌倒」（哥林多前書 10:12）。保羅以以色列國為例，警告成熟的信徒，他們必須謹慎地平衡自己的經驗。他發出了三次警告。

First, he warned that privileges were no guarantee of success (vv. 1–4). Israel had been delivered from Egypt by the power of God, just as the Christian believer has been redeemed from sin. (In 1 Cor. 5:7–8, Paul had already related Passover to salvation.) Israel was identified with Moses in their Red Sea “baptism,” just as the Corinthians had been identified with Christ in their Christian baptism. Israel ate the manna from heaven and drank the water God provided, just as Christians nourish themselves on the spiritual suste[1]nance God supplies (John 6:63, 68; 7:37–39). However, these spiritual privileges did not prevent the Jews from falling into sin.                    首先，他警告說，特權並不能保證成功（第 1-4 節）。以色列已在上帝的力量下被從埃及拯救出來，正如基督教信徒已從罪中得到救贖一樣。 （在哥林多前書 5:7-8 中，保羅已經將逾越節與救贖聯繫起來。）以色列人在紅海「洗禮」中被視為摩西，就像哥林多人在基督教洗禮中被視為基督一樣。以色列人吃了天上的嗎哪，喝了上帝所賜的水，正如基督徒靠上帝所供應的精神食糧[1]來滋養自己（約翰福音 6:63, 68；7:37-39）。然而，這些精神特權並沒有阻止猶太人陷入罪惡。

There are dangers to maturity as well as to immaturity, and one of them is overconfidence. When we think we are strong, we discover that we are weak. The strong believer who eats in the temple may find himself strug[1]gling with an enemy who is too strong for him.                                          成熟和不成熟都存在危險，其中之一就是過度自信。當我們以為自己很強大時，我們才發現自己很軟弱。在寺廟裡吃飯的堅定信徒可能會發現自己正在與一個比他強大得多的敵人搏鬥。

Paul did not suggest in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that an actual rock accompanied the Jews throughout their wilderness journey, though some Jewish rabbis taught this idea. It was a spiritual rock that supplied what they needed, and that Rock was Christ. Sometimes the water came from a rock (Ex. 17:1–7; Num. 20:7–11) and at other times from a well (Num. 21:16–18). God provided the water.保羅在 (哥林多前書 10:4)  中並沒有暗示有一塊真正的岩石陪伴著猶太人完成他們的荒野之旅，儘管一些猶太拉比教導了這個想法。它是一塊精神上的磐石，滿足了他們的需要，而那塊磐石就是基督。有時水來自岩石（出 17:1-7；民 20:7-11），有時來自井裡（民 21:16-18）。上帝提供了水。

Paul issued a second warning: good beginnings do not guarantee good endings (vv. 5–12). The Jews experienced God’s miracles, and yet they failed when they were tested in the wilderness. Experience must always be balanced with caution, for we never come to the place in our Christian walk where we are free from temptation and potential failure. All of the Jews twenty years old and upward who were rescued from Egypt, except for Joshua and Caleb, died in the wilderness during their years of wandering (Num. 14:26ff.).                                                                                    保羅發出了第二個警告：好的開始並不保證好的結局（5-12節）。猶太人經歷了上帝的奇蹟，然而當他們在荒野受到考驗時卻失敗了。經驗必須始終與謹慎相平衡，因為在我們的基督徒生活中，我們永遠不會到達沒有誘惑和潛在失敗的地方。除了約書亞和迦勒之外，所有從埃及獲救的二十歲以上的猶太人都在流浪期間死在了荒野中（民數記 14:26 比照研讀）。

We can hear some of the “strong” Corinthians asking, “But what does that have to do with us?” Paul then pointed out that the Corinthian church was guilty of the same sins that the Jews committed. Because of their lust for evil things, the Corinthians were guilty of immorality (1 Cor. 6), idolatry (1 Cor. 8; 10), and murmuring against God (2 Cor. 12:20–21). Like the nation of Israel, they were tempting God and just “daring Him” to act.                                                              

Paul certainly knew his Old Testament, and his readers would recognize the events referred to. The “lusting” is found in Numbers 11:4ff., the idolatry in Exodus 32, and the fornication in Numbers 25. The Israelites often tempted God, but perhaps Numbers 21:4–6 was the reference Paul had in mind. For their complaining, see Numbers 14 and 16.                                                      

這種罪孽是嚴重的，上帝必須審判。這些叛亂者不僅有些立即死亡（參考哥林多前書 11：29-31），剩下的人也不被允許進入應許之地。他們從埃及獲救，卻無權繼承豐富的遺產。保羅並不是說他的讀者可能會失去救贖，而是擔心他們中的一些人會成為「被拋棄的人」（哥林多前書 9:27），不被上帝認可並且無法獲得任何獎賞。我聽說有一位牧師發表了一系列有關「聖徒的罪」的講道。一位教會成員顯然深信不疑，他不贊成這個系列節目，並告訴了牧師。 “畢竟，”她說，“基督徒生活中的罪與未得救的人生活中的罪是不同的。”

「是的，」牧師回答。 “更糟！”

我們絕不能認為，因為猶太人受律法約束，他們的罪就比我們更嚴重，因此要受到更嚴厲的懲罰。今天教會中的罪惡要嚴重得多，因為我們有以色列的榜樣[1]可以學習，而且我們正生活在「時代的末期」。違反法律是一回事；違背恩典而犯罪又是另一回事。

保羅的第三個警告是，如果我們聽從上帝的話語，上帝就能幫助我們戰勝誘惑（13-22節）。 上帝允許我們受到誘惑，因為祂知道我們能承受多少；如果我們信任祂並且利用它，祂總是會提供一條逃脫的方法。自以為站立得住的信徒可能會跌倒；但逃跑的信徒卻能站立。

 

 

 

This kind of sin is serious and God must judge it. Not only did some of these rebels immediately die (see 1 Cor. 11:29–31), but those who remained were not permitted to enter the Promised Land. They were saved from Egypt but were not privileged to claim their rich inheritance. Paul was not suggesting that his readers might lose their salvation, but he was afraid that some of them would be “castaways” (1 Cor. 9:27), disapproved of God and unable to receive any reward.

 

I heard about a pastor who gave a series of sermons on “The Sins of the Saints.” One member of the church, apparently under conviction, disapproved of the series and told the pastor so. “After all,” she said, “sin in the life of a Christian is different from sin in the life of an unsaved person.”

 

“Yes, it is,” the pastor replied. “It’s worse!”

 

We must not think that because the Jews were under the law that their sins were worse than ours and therefore dealt with more severely. Sin in the church today is far more serious, because we have Israel’s exam[1]ple to learn from, and we are living “at the end of the ages.” To sin against the law is one thing; to sin against grace is quite something else.

 

Paul’s third warning was that God can enable us to overcome temptation if we heed His Word (vv. 13–22).  God permits us to be tempted because He knows how much we can take; and He always provides a way to escape if we will trust Him and take advantage of it. The believer who thinks he can stand may fall; but the believer who flees will be able to stand.

 

Paul had already told his readers to “flee fornication” (1 Cor. 6:18); and now his warning is “Flee from idolatry” (1 Cor. 10:14). He explained the reason why: the idol itself is nothing, but it can be used by Satan to lead you into sin. Idolatry is demonic (Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:37). To sit at an idol’s table could mean fellowship (“communion, partakers”) with demons. Paul was again enforcing the important doctrine of separation from sin (2 Cor. 6:1—7:1).

 

He used the Lord’s Supper as an illustration. When the believer partakes of the cup and loaf at the Lord’s table, he is, in a spiritual way, having fellowship with the body and blood of Christ. By remembering Christ’s death, the believer enters into a communion with the risen Lord. In 1 Corinthians 10:18, Paul pointed to the temple altar and sacrifices as another illustration of this truth. The application is clear: A believer cannot par[1]take of the Lord’s food (the Old Testament sacrifice, the New Testament supper) and the devil’s food (the idol’s table) without exposing himself to danger and provoking the Lord.

 

“Are we stronger than he?” (1 Cor. 10:22) is directed at the strong Christian who was sure he could enjoy his liberty in the pagan temple and not be harmed. “You may be stronger than your weaker brother,” Paul inti[1]mated, “but you are not stronger than God!” It is dangerous to play with sin and tempt God.

 

Freedom Must Be Balanced by Responsibility (10:23–33)

 

At no time did Paul deny the freedom of the mature Christian to enjoy his privileges in Christ. “All things are lawful”—but not everything is profitable, and some things lead to slavery (1 Cor. 6:12). “All things are profitable”—but some activities can cause your weaker brother to stumble (1 Cor. 8:11–13). In other words, it is a mark of maturity when we balance our freedom with responsibility; otherwise, it ceases to be freedom and becomes anarchy, lawlessness.

 

To begin with, we have a responsibility to our fel[1]low Christians in the church (1 Cor. 10:23–30). We are responsible to build others up in the faith and to seek their advantage. Philippians 2:1–4 gives the same admonition. While we do have freedom in Christ, we are not free to harm another believer.

 

Paul applied this truth to the impending question of meat offered to idols. He had already warned against a believer publicly participating in pagan feasts (1 Cor. 8:9–13), so now he dealt with private meals. In 1 Corinthians 10:25–26, he instructed the believers to ask no questions about the meat purchased at the market for use in their own homes. After all, everything comes from God (he quoted Ps. 24:1), and all food is permissible to the believer (see Mark 7:14–23; Acts 10:9–16, 28; 1 Tim. 4:3–5). The mature believer can enjoy in his own home even meat sacrificed to idols. Even if meat purchased at the regular market originally came from the temple (which was often the case), he would not be harmed.

 

But what about those times when the believer is the guest in the home of an unbeliever? Paul handled that problem in 1 Corinthians 10:27–30. If the Christian feels disposed to go (Paul did not make this decision a matter of great import), he should eat whatever is set before him and ask no questions (see Luke 10:8; 1 Tim. 6:17). However, there may be present at the meal one of the weaker brothers or sisters who wants to avoid meat offered to idols, and who has done some investigating. If this weaker saint informs the stronger Christian that the meat indeed has been offered to idols, then the stronger saint must not eat it. If he did, he would cause the weaker believer to stumble and possibly to sin.

 

Paul anticipated the objections. “Why should I not enjoy food for which I give thanks? Why should my liberty be curtailed because of another person’s weak conscience?” His reply introduced the second responsibility we have: We are responsible to glorify God in all things (1 Cor. 10:31). We cannot glorify God by causing another Christian to stumble. To be sure, our own conscience may be strong enough for us to participate in some activity and not be harmed. But we dare not use our freedom in Christ in any way that will injure a fellow Christian.

 

But there is a third responsibility that ties in with the first two: We are responsible to seek to win the lost (1 Cor. 10:32–33). We must not make it difficult either for Jews or Gentiles to trust the Lord, or for other members of the church to witness for the Lord. We must not live to seek our own benefit (“profit”), but also the benefit of others, that they might be saved.

 

When Paul wrote, “I please all men in all things” (1 Cor. 10:33), he was not suggesting that he was a compromiser or a man-pleaser (see Gal. 1:10). He was affirming the fact that his life and ministry were centered on helping others rather than on promoting himself and his own desires.

 

Before we leave this important section, we ought to note the fact that Paul probably appeared inconsistent to those who did not understand his principles of Christian living. At times, he would eat what the Gentiles were eating. At other times, he would eat only “kosher” food with the Jews. But instead of being inconsistent, he was actually living consistently by the principles he laid down in these chapters. A weather vane seems inconsistent, first pointing in one direction and then in another. But a weather vane is always consistent: it always points toward the direction where the wind is blowing. That is what makes it useful.

 

Are there some things that a mature Christian can do in the privacy of his own home that he would not do in public? Yes, provided they do not harm him personally and he does not tempt the Lord. I know a couple who, when their children were small, eliminated all games from their home that used either cards or dice. When their children were more mature, they were permitted to play those games.

 

As Christians, we do have freedom. This freedom was purchased for us by Jesus Christ, so it is very precious. Freedom comes from knowledge: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). The more we understand about the atom, for example, the more freedom we have to use it wisely. However, knowledge must be balanced by love; other[1]wise, it will tear down instead of build up.

 

The strong Christian not only has knowledge, but he also has experience. He can look back and see how the Lord has dealt with him through the years. But he must be careful, for experience must be balanced with caution. Take heed, lest you fall! The strong Christian knows that he has this freedom, but he also knows that freedom involves responsibility. I have the freedom, for example, to take my car out of the garage and drive it on the highway; but I must drive it responsibly. I am not free to drive at any speed on my street; nor am I free to ignore the traffic signs along the way.

 

Out of these chapters come several “tests” we may apply to our own decisions and activities.

 

“All things are lawful,” but—

 

1. Will they lead to freedom or slavery? (1 Cor. 6:12)

2. Will they make me a stumbling block or a stepping-stone? (1 Cor. 8:13)

3. Will they build me up or tear me down? (1 Cor. 10:23)

4. Will they only please me, or will they glorify Christ? (1 Cor. 10:31)

5. Will they help to win the lost to Christ or turn them away? (1 Cor. 10:33)

 

The way we use our freedom and relate to others indicates whether we are mature in Christ. Strong and weak Christians need to work together in love to edify one another and glorify Jesus Christ.