of God's Word and go to 1 Corinthians chapter 8. We'll pick up where we left off in this text here in 1 Corinthians chapter 8, where we left off last time. There's something in my eye. beginning of verse four, and reading on down to verse six this morning. As concerning, therefore, the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, there be gods many and lords many, but to us there is but one God, the Father of whom are all things, and we in him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. The title of my message today is, No Other God But One, No Other God But One. And as we continue on in this text, we're dealing primarily with Christian liberty as Paul is tackling the subject of meat sacrifice to idols. Remember, he's writing to a first century church with first century problems. And last time, it was more of a introduction. And in that intro, I pointed out that as we begin to tackle this section we read of meat sacrifice to idols, we must understand that while it's not much of a problem in today's society. And I mean, that's just my assumption, just a show of hands who went into the grocery store this week. And as you were shopping, you really looked at the meat and questioned whether or not it came from the temple where it was sacrificed to an idol. Nobody? Yeah, no, me neither. I didn't even think about it. My main concern was how much per pound was the meat. That's my main concern, right? I don't even care what country it comes from anymore. Free range, no range, China, Italy, hormones. America, I don't, how much per pound is it? And how far can I stretch it? And for some Christians in Corinth, they didn't question it either. But for other Christians, it was a big deal. Did it come from the temple? Was it sacrificed to an idol? And as we think about their concerns, And as we read through this in chapter eight, chapter nine, chapter 10, going all the way to chapter 11 in verse one, dealing with Christian liberty, you and I can apply some of these things into our own lives, these principles, as we navigate things like matters of dress and get up in the morning Do I put on a pair of shorts or not? Does my wife put on a pair of pants or not? As we navigate things like Christmas and Easter, navigate things like alcoholic beverages, movie theaters, and so on and so forth, even on into Bible versions and card games and things like that, things that are relevant in our modern day. era. As Paul addresses these things, dealing with the church at Corinth, we begin to see which side, if you will, he's on. In verse four, he says, as concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, that there is none other God but one. And so we begin to see which side of the argument he's falling on. But as we study Paul's life in ministry, we know Even before we get into the next verse, we know that Paul did know that there were idols in the world. We know because here at this church, we've gone through a lot with Paul. I preached a series through the book of Acts, and one of my favorite passages is in Acts chapter 17. And if you go over there with me, Acts chapter 17 and verse 16. Acts 17 and verse 16. Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. Paul did know that there was idols. He saw them. He knew that they were real, so much so that his spirit was stirred in him when he saw the Athenians were given over to idol worship. Yet to the church at Corinth, he says, idols are nothing in this world. And so as we begin to see him dealing with the church at Corinth, and we see how he deals with the Athenians, we see something about Paul, and we see something about context. We see something about liberty. Maybe initially we might scratch our heads and say, what gives here? But I believe in the context of the Athenians who had nothing to do with the God of the Bible, Paul's spirit was stirred in him. He knew the error of their ways. But for the Corinthian Christians who questioned meat sacrifice to idols, he says, idols are nothing. You see, Paul would have been just fine eating the meat sacrifice to idols. No problem. Sitting down with someone in Corinth, eating the meat that had been sacrificed to idols, but he was not at home with the Athenians who were worshiping those false gods in idolatry. And there is a difference. Let me bring this a little closer to home here. In our American world, It's one thing to go into a forest, cut down a tree, and shape it into an idol as described in Jeremiah chapter 10. That's one thing. It ought not to happen. It's forbidden. but it's something totally different for a family to have a Christmas tree in their home. You see, there's a difference. These are the sorts of things that one has to navigate through, just like in this first century church, Paul was navigating through these things and also having to navigate things like what he was navigating in Athens. being able to discern issues like this rather than making assumptions and blanket statements as he dealt with the church there. He could have said, well, you know, I was at Athens, and I've seen this, and I was down at the, I was, as I was walking through Corinth, I saw that. And so, yeah, you want, no, he didn't, he didn't do that. You see. If you go on into Acts chapter 19, we see the basis of his teaching, very consistent. Acts 19 verses 26 and 27. Moreover, you see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands, so that not only this our craft is endangered to be said it not, but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshipeth. He was always pointing out to everybody, whether they were Christian or pagan or whoever they were, that there was simply only one God. And in fact, this is what got the Christians into a lot of trouble with the Romans. The Romans had many, many gods, and they didn't mind someone coming along and introducing a new god, as long as they left their gods alone. Well, what got the Christians in trouble was the exclusivity of Jesus Christ. It wasn't one among many. It wasn't even the best one. It's the only one. He is the only one. That's the message of the cross. And And so, what happened in the Roman Empire and among the Roman religion is that people were dying not because they were Christians, they were dying, they were being killed. At least this was the accusation. The charge here in this world was that they were atheists. And so, the charge that was given in the Roman Empire was that these people were atheists. I'm talking about men like Paul, men like the early churches that you read about in the book of Acts, in the New Testament churches. They were not charged with Christianity. They were charged with being atheists because they denied the gods of the Roman Empire. They lost their lives with that charge being hung over their head. It was a false charge, a false accusation. What a great thought that is to think about that men and women, boys and girls who are Christians in this world, they will die with a false accusation, but they will receive a crown in heaven for their martyrdom. And so, indeed, back to our text, Paul is sticking to this truth that In 1 Corinthians chapter 8. As concerning, therefore, the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice and idols, we know that an idol is nothing in this world. There is none other God, but one. Verses five and six. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there be gods many and lords many, but to us there is but one God, the father of whom are all things, we in him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. for though there be that are called gods. Or as the LSB puts it, for even if there are so-called gods. You see, he knew that within that church, there would be some who would push back on what he said in verse four and say, yes, there are gods, little gene. What's the matter, Paul, haven't you been around our city? Don't you know? Some of them, even in Corinth, might say, well, Paul, let me tell you about my experience. I used to serve at the temple. Paul, I love you, brother. but you don't understand the meat that is sold at that market. It has come from an awful ceremony. Some lady in the church might say, Paul, I hate to tell you this, but not only was I there, I was a temple prostitute. And it's an awful thing what's happened to that meat. How can we as Christians partake of that meat? That building, that tall building over there. And that one over there. And that one down yonder. You know what's going on in there? And then they bring that meat into our markets. They sell it. And then we as Christians, how can we eat it? It's being offered to Zeus and to Jupiter and to all manner of gods. I know their names. I was there. There were in that church, men and women who had that background. So Paul empathizes with that. He says, yes, yes, there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, as there being God's many and Lord's many. And in your Bibles, regardless of the translation you use, you'll notice that it's lowercase g for God's. Because what Paul said in that previous verse, In verse four, it's true, there is only one God, uppercase G. And while there may have been some who pushed back at the church of Corinth because of where they came from and what they'd seen, there were those who would not eat the meat sacrificed to idols because of what they knew or what they thought they knew and what they had experienced. He says, these are so-called gods. They are fake. They are manifestations of demons. Over in Psalms 115, over in the 115th Psalm, if you go back there with me. Psalm 115, verse 1, not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake. Wherefore should the heathen say, where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not. Eyes have they, but they see not. They have ears, but they hear not. Noses have they, but they smell not. They have hands, but they handle not. Feet have they, but they walk not. Neither speak they, through their throat, they that make them are like unto them, so is everyone that trusteth in them. The psalmist, as he penned this, he says, Oh Lord, oh Yahweh, unto thy name give glory. Why should the heathen say, where is, where is their God? You see, their idols in the land of Canaan was spread, there were so many idols all over the place and even the Israelites got caught up in it. Oh, and Corinth was spread throughout with it, and our country, our land is spread. Don't think that idolatry is just a first century problem. We've got the problem here too. But there is, there is only one true God. There is only one true God. And as each generation deals with this problem, Old Testament or New Testament like, Paul here is dealing with a problem of food sacrifice to idols. And we rejoice insofar as that this is recorded. There's a lot of good information here. See, there's two extremes when you come to this text. At chapter eight, some people are, some people's eyes glaze over and they say, well, this is not relevant to us. We don't have a problem with food sacrifice to idols. And so they skip over it. That's one extreme. The other extreme is the extreme that says, well, this is all about Christian liberty, and let me see what I can find in here about Christian liberty. And yes, there is a lot in here about Christian liberty, but let's not miss something very important that Paul brings out here in the midst of his laying down the argument. Right here in the midst of this passage dealing with food sacrifice to idols, right here in the midst of this passage dealing with dealing with Christian liberty is what James White called the most important Christological, Trinitarian, theological sections in all of the New Testament. Don't miss it. Don't overlook it. As Paul is dealing with this fractured church, this church and Corinth that's split in a lot of ways, that has a lot of different questions. And he's patient with them, isn't he? I mean, if you think about it, he could have said, we know an idol is nothing in this world and there's none other God but one. End of story. Let's move on to the next subject. Eat your meat and be happy about it. But he doesn't. But as he's dealing with this fractured church, this split church, he got a lot of questions. He doesn't start out with a theological sermon or series of sermons about the Trinity. He doesn't start out talking about Christ. He goes right into the subject, talking about, writing about meat sacrifice to idols. He's writing about Christian liberty. And in passing almost, he mentions this, Christological Trinitarian truth that if you're not familiar with this passage, you'd miss it, to tell them based upon the presupposition that they as a Christian people shared a particular commitment of the faith. You see, regardless of whichever side that they were on, whether they were eating meat or whether they weren't eating meat, They all were in agreement on this, that there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him. That doesn't have anything to do with eating meat. Regardless of where they fell, that's foundational to the church. Why did Paul bring them to that in this argument, in this discussion? Well, this is the basis of the unity of the church. You see, in the argument about meat sacrifice to idols, in the discussion about Christian liberty, it wasn't about whether or not they could all come to an agreement to be on the same page about meat or no meat. wasn't about that. It wasn't about whether they could all feel better about the other side or whether they would get right emotionally with each other. Think about how different things were in the first century versus how things have become. Why are there so many different churches in this world? Even Baptist churches. Why are there so many different Baptist churches? It's because in our minds, we think that if we disagree on stuff, we need to split apart The New Testament churches really were good at navigating through complex scenarios. There really can be unity through diversity. They really were good at figuring out what were the primary issues, secondary issues, and even issues of liberty. And we have trouble figuring those things out sometimes. The bond that held them together was not their feelings, not that everyone was exactly alike, not that one side had it all figured out. The bond was that there is one God, the Father, one Lord Jesus Christ. Foundational. The oneness of the Godhead is our source of unity. Over in John chapter 17, remember our Lord's high priestly prayer. John chapter 17, verses 20 and 21. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. They all may be one as thou father art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory, verse 22 says, the glory which thou givest me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one. This is the unity that our Lord prayed about, that they would be one, that we would be one, even as He is one, even as our God is one. The oneness of the Godhead being our source of unity. And even in our, even in Ephesians, Ephesians chapter 4 Verse 1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all loneliness and meekness, with all longsuffering, forbearing one another in love. endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace, there is one body, one spirit, even as you're called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all who is above all and through all and in you all. What's he talking about? Is he talking about the universal church? No. No, you won't find that in the scripture. What's he writing to? He's writing to a local church, the church at Ephesus, and within that church, within that congregation, he's talking about the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace, our common confession, including One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all. As we get back to our text there in 1 Corinthians. Chapter eight. But to us, there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him." When you come across deep truths like this, understand something. The the devil, the cults, others will misuse and abuse it. And sure enough, the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witnesses and others, they do take this verse and they twist it. They only quote part of it. And so when you come across those fellows, understand they're not quoting the whole verse when they quote it. They're taking it out of context and so on and so forth. But meditate on this and understand the importance of it. How was Paul so sure that this was the basis of that church? Well, How was he so sure that he was able to take that and mention it in passing in a discussion about food sacrifice titles? Well, I can tell you because he had a hand in founding that church. He had spent some time with them. And in those early months when that church was being founded, he preached and taught those foundational truths to them. And as he revisited them at this time through this letter, he didn't need to go back and give them a whole lesson about the doctrine of the Trinity. He didn't need to go back and give them a whole systematic study of theology once again, but he only needed to remind them of that truth, you see. They weren't founded on meat sacrificed to idols. They weren't founded on no meat. They were a church that was founded on, united in the truth of the Godhead, the truth of Jesus Christ. And that's something that we all need to be reminded in, even in our day. We all have our quirks, we have our differences, even in our day. There may be some of us that, quote, eats meat, and some of us that don't eat meat. But we're all bound in the truth of Christ. We're all in the same faith and we can indeed get along like the Church of Corinth could. And so, do you believe these things? Are you living them? May God help us. Lord willing, we'll get further into the passage as we move along some more next week. May God add the blessing.