June 26th, 2024
by Raef Chenery
by Raef Chenery
Recently in Christian headlines there has been a controversy concerning one of modern protestantism’s great teachers, Alistair Begg. Begg has been under fire for comments he made when answering a grandmother’s question about whether or not she should attend her grandchild’s wedding to a transgender person. Begg suggested that the grandmother could attend the wedding in order to “build bridges” so long as she made it clear that she does not agree morally or theologically with the union. He went on to say,
"Well, here’s the thing: your love for them may catch them off guard, but your absence will simply reinforce the fact that they said, ‘These people are what I always thought: judgmental, critical, unprepared to countenance anything."
-Alistair Begg
Since then, all kinds of Christian leaders have weighed into the conversation and Begg has, in many Christian circles, been canceled. For some, his voice is no longer one to be responsibly listened to. Begg, after receiving the overwhelming criticism for his comments shared a response in which he humbly stood by his initial advice to the grandmother, and said that if this was the issue that was going to end him as a trusted pastor, that he would be glad to go down erring on the side of compassion.
What are we to make of this controversy? With incredible respect to Alistair Begg, who as a teacher I would gladly sit underneath any day in order to glean wisdom from both theologically and pastorally, I disagree with him whole heartedly on this issue. I do not believe a Christian can attend an LGBTQ wedding under any circumstances. In this post I would like to offer one argument that I have seen missing from the larger discussion online regarding this controversy. And that is the Apostle Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 8. I believe this chapter is the key to responding to the Begg controversy.
The Apostle Paul & Attending Feasts to False Gods
The Apostle Paul begins 1 Corinthians 8 as follows
1 Corinthians 8:1-3 “1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.”
The phrase ‘Now concerning,’ means that Paul is taking a new turn in his letter. He has been addressing on set of topics, and now he turns and addresses an entire new set of talking points. The new topic is food offered to idols. In our 21st century context, this concept is foreign to us, but for our purposes with Alistair Begg’s controversy, it is highly relevant. Corinth was a city saturated in idol worship. Idol worship often involved feasts and parties where food was eaten and offered to false gods. Someone in that day would bring a food offering to a local temple where an idol was housed. Part of the meat was burned on the temple altar. Then, as part of that ceremony, there was typically a feast of some kind where friends, neighbors, elites from society would gather together with the person who made the sacrifice, and feast on the meal. All of that would have been done with the express purpose of worshiping that idol. Lastly, whatever meat was remaining was sold to local butchers who then sold it for common use in homes throughout Corinth.
So the question arises, if you’re living in 1st century Corinth and you’re now a Christian, what do you with meat that had been offered to an idol? And more importantly for our context, what do you do with the festivals and parties when you are invited to a feast that is being thrown in honor to a pagan God? Can you go? We can imagine the early Christians in Corinth struggling through all kinds of questions of how to navigate the complexity of this situation.
These questions might sound foreign to us, but in reality they are very similar to the question the grandmother asked Alistair Begg. “Look, I know this whole festival and feast is in honor of an unknown God, but can’t I at least attend just to be a good witness.” Paul’s advice is incredible!
Paul first states that there are two ways one could go about making these decisions. One way is to rely on knowledge as the driving principle. The other way is to rely on love as the driving principle. And his opening two verses are a bit of a swipe at those who are relying on knowledge. He says, “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” What is this knowledge he’s talking about. Well, he explains that knowledge in verses 4-6 where he writes,
1 Corinthians 8:4-6 “4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”
How does he describe our “knowledge” as Christians. Verse 4 explains clearly, ‘We know that an idol has no real existence.’ Further, we know that, ‘there is no God but one.’ Paul here is affirming their knowledge of truth. And he’s likely quoting from them loosely as they probably made an argument like this, “Paul, since we know the truth that the false god they’re worshiping does not exist, what’s the problem if we just attend the feast. Wouldn’t it far too harsh and somehow a bad witness if we didn’t go to our friend’s party.” Can you spot the similarities to Begg’s controversy yet?
Verse 7 begins, ‘However.’ In other words, their knowledge of the truth could not be the only factor that drove their ethical decision making. There is another principle to which their knowledge needed to submit. That principle is love. A love that desperately desires those who are stuck in idol worship to be freed from those chains. And a love that desperately desires for new Christians who are still forming their convictions to never fall back into idolatry because of our behavior. Listen to Paul’s words.
1 Corinthians 8:7-13 “7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
The “however” of verse 7 is that, ‘not all possess this knowledge.’ Who is Paul referring to here? It seems that he is referring to other believers, perhaps young or immature believers, who have weak consciences and who may be watching us and how we handle ourselves at a feast like this.
Consider the younger more immature believer in Christ. Perhaps they know the truth, but are not convicted about the truth to the degree they ought to be. In other words, these are people who are Christians in their heart, but by their actions they don’t really think twice about whether or not their attending an idol festival or not is that big of an issue. Paul in effect says, “If you, mature believer, attend that feast to the pagan god. And that newer believer sees you at the festival eating food that has been offered to an idol, what will they say and think?” In that situation, the mature believer’s presence has normalized idolatry in immature believer’s heart. We might go so far as to say that the mature believer’s attendance has caused the immature believer to sin. And Paul states that because we deeply love immature believers, we cannot go to the festival and we cannot eat the food.
We can use logic like this to push beyond Paul’s words and to consider the nonbeliever who sees us. Perhaps someone at that banquet has been learning about Jesus, and beginning to consider following Christ. What happens when that seeker sees you sitting at the feast to the pagan god eating the food to the pagan god, and seeing that you don’t think its that big a deal to participate in idolatry like this. That can have eternal consequences! Listen to these next words because they’re vital.
1 Corinthians 8:12-13 “12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
This is Paul’s doctrine of love put into very practical cultural terms. Because we love so deeply, we do not want to put a stumbling block in anybody’s path. Paul minces no words. Later on in chapter 10 Paul will explicitly lay down the law. Paul’s rule is this, “Christians are never permitted to eat idol offerings that are known to be such.”
1 Corinthians 10:28 “28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it...
Paul’s instructions above are that as soon as you know food has been offered to idol, you must refuse to participate in it.
1 Corinthians 10:20-21 “20 … I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”
Likewise, a Christian cannot under any circumstances attend a pagan feast to a a false god. He calls it partaking at a table to demons.
What This Means for Attending LGBTQ Weddings
The parallels between the Corinthians who were struggling to determine whether or not they should attend their friend’s feast to a false god, and a modern person struggling to determine whether or not they should attend their friends LGBTQ wedding are difficult to miss. We would be foolish to rewrite the Apostle Paul’s advice. Begg is trying to make the case that out of love we ought to attend. But the Apostle makes the case that out of love we ought never to attend.
Paul’s advice would have struck early first century readers as extremely harsh. They would have struggled to think through the relationship dynamics and what not attending communicated, and how to keep a friendship alive after the fact. These are all the same struggles that Christians must wrestle with now. They were not easy then and they are not easy now. But Paul’s counsel remains. Love must drive us to refuse to attend a wedding held in honor of an unknown god.
"Well, here’s the thing: your love for them may catch them off guard, but your absence will simply reinforce the fact that they said, ‘These people are what I always thought: judgmental, critical, unprepared to countenance anything."
-Alistair Begg
Since then, all kinds of Christian leaders have weighed into the conversation and Begg has, in many Christian circles, been canceled. For some, his voice is no longer one to be responsibly listened to. Begg, after receiving the overwhelming criticism for his comments shared a response in which he humbly stood by his initial advice to the grandmother, and said that if this was the issue that was going to end him as a trusted pastor, that he would be glad to go down erring on the side of compassion.
What are we to make of this controversy? With incredible respect to Alistair Begg, who as a teacher I would gladly sit underneath any day in order to glean wisdom from both theologically and pastorally, I disagree with him whole heartedly on this issue. I do not believe a Christian can attend an LGBTQ wedding under any circumstances. In this post I would like to offer one argument that I have seen missing from the larger discussion online regarding this controversy. And that is the Apostle Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 8. I believe this chapter is the key to responding to the Begg controversy.
The Apostle Paul & Attending Feasts to False Gods
The Apostle Paul begins 1 Corinthians 8 as follows
1 Corinthians 8:1-3 “1 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.”
The phrase ‘Now concerning,’ means that Paul is taking a new turn in his letter. He has been addressing on set of topics, and now he turns and addresses an entire new set of talking points. The new topic is food offered to idols. In our 21st century context, this concept is foreign to us, but for our purposes with Alistair Begg’s controversy, it is highly relevant. Corinth was a city saturated in idol worship. Idol worship often involved feasts and parties where food was eaten and offered to false gods. Someone in that day would bring a food offering to a local temple where an idol was housed. Part of the meat was burned on the temple altar. Then, as part of that ceremony, there was typically a feast of some kind where friends, neighbors, elites from society would gather together with the person who made the sacrifice, and feast on the meal. All of that would have been done with the express purpose of worshiping that idol. Lastly, whatever meat was remaining was sold to local butchers who then sold it for common use in homes throughout Corinth.
So the question arises, if you’re living in 1st century Corinth and you’re now a Christian, what do you with meat that had been offered to an idol? And more importantly for our context, what do you do with the festivals and parties when you are invited to a feast that is being thrown in honor to a pagan God? Can you go? We can imagine the early Christians in Corinth struggling through all kinds of questions of how to navigate the complexity of this situation.
- What if your friend invites you to a feast at a local idol where he is going to make a sacrifice and then all his friends are going to enjoy the meal after. Can you go now that you’re a Christian?
- What if you miss the idol worship part, and just arrive for the meal. That’s just a meal right? Certainly you can hang out with your friends.
- What if you’re at the butcher, do you need to ask the butcher which meat was offered to an idol and which meat wasn’t?
- What if you’re at the butcher and its really overt, there is a clearance on all the beef from last nights ceremony down the street. Can you buy it?
These questions might sound foreign to us, but in reality they are very similar to the question the grandmother asked Alistair Begg. “Look, I know this whole festival and feast is in honor of an unknown God, but can’t I at least attend just to be a good witness.” Paul’s advice is incredible!
Paul first states that there are two ways one could go about making these decisions. One way is to rely on knowledge as the driving principle. The other way is to rely on love as the driving principle. And his opening two verses are a bit of a swipe at those who are relying on knowledge. He says, “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” What is this knowledge he’s talking about. Well, he explains that knowledge in verses 4-6 where he writes,
1 Corinthians 8:4-6 “4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”
How does he describe our “knowledge” as Christians. Verse 4 explains clearly, ‘We know that an idol has no real existence.’ Further, we know that, ‘there is no God but one.’ Paul here is affirming their knowledge of truth. And he’s likely quoting from them loosely as they probably made an argument like this, “Paul, since we know the truth that the false god they’re worshiping does not exist, what’s the problem if we just attend the feast. Wouldn’t it far too harsh and somehow a bad witness if we didn’t go to our friend’s party.” Can you spot the similarities to Begg’s controversy yet?
Verse 7 begins, ‘However.’ In other words, their knowledge of the truth could not be the only factor that drove their ethical decision making. There is another principle to which their knowledge needed to submit. That principle is love. A love that desperately desires those who are stuck in idol worship to be freed from those chains. And a love that desperately desires for new Christians who are still forming their convictions to never fall back into idolatry because of our behavior. Listen to Paul’s words.
1 Corinthians 8:7-13 “7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
The “however” of verse 7 is that, ‘not all possess this knowledge.’ Who is Paul referring to here? It seems that he is referring to other believers, perhaps young or immature believers, who have weak consciences and who may be watching us and how we handle ourselves at a feast like this.
Consider the younger more immature believer in Christ. Perhaps they know the truth, but are not convicted about the truth to the degree they ought to be. In other words, these are people who are Christians in their heart, but by their actions they don’t really think twice about whether or not their attending an idol festival or not is that big of an issue. Paul in effect says, “If you, mature believer, attend that feast to the pagan god. And that newer believer sees you at the festival eating food that has been offered to an idol, what will they say and think?” In that situation, the mature believer’s presence has normalized idolatry in immature believer’s heart. We might go so far as to say that the mature believer’s attendance has caused the immature believer to sin. And Paul states that because we deeply love immature believers, we cannot go to the festival and we cannot eat the food.
We can use logic like this to push beyond Paul’s words and to consider the nonbeliever who sees us. Perhaps someone at that banquet has been learning about Jesus, and beginning to consider following Christ. What happens when that seeker sees you sitting at the feast to the pagan god eating the food to the pagan god, and seeing that you don’t think its that big a deal to participate in idolatry like this. That can have eternal consequences! Listen to these next words because they’re vital.
1 Corinthians 8:12-13 “12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
This is Paul’s doctrine of love put into very practical cultural terms. Because we love so deeply, we do not want to put a stumbling block in anybody’s path. Paul minces no words. Later on in chapter 10 Paul will explicitly lay down the law. Paul’s rule is this, “Christians are never permitted to eat idol offerings that are known to be such.”
1 Corinthians 10:28 “28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it...
Paul’s instructions above are that as soon as you know food has been offered to idol, you must refuse to participate in it.
1 Corinthians 10:20-21 “20 … I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”
Likewise, a Christian cannot under any circumstances attend a pagan feast to a a false god. He calls it partaking at a table to demons.
What This Means for Attending LGBTQ Weddings
The parallels between the Corinthians who were struggling to determine whether or not they should attend their friend’s feast to a false god, and a modern person struggling to determine whether or not they should attend their friends LGBTQ wedding are difficult to miss. We would be foolish to rewrite the Apostle Paul’s advice. Begg is trying to make the case that out of love we ought to attend. But the Apostle makes the case that out of love we ought never to attend.
Paul’s advice would have struck early first century readers as extremely harsh. They would have struggled to think through the relationship dynamics and what not attending communicated, and how to keep a friendship alive after the fact. These are all the same struggles that Christians must wrestle with now. They were not easy then and they are not easy now. But Paul’s counsel remains. Love must drive us to refuse to attend a wedding held in honor of an unknown god.
Posted in Article
Recent
Westminster Considerations on the Lord's Prayer
October 9th, 2024
Lead Me to the Rock That is Higher Than I
September 27th, 2024
Why Feminism Failed Women
September 14th, 2024
Episode 91: Taste and See that the Lord is Good
September 13th, 2024
Episode 90: Becoming a Man of Godly Zeal
August 30th, 2024
Archive
2024
June
Episode 86: David Brainerd - A Man Mightily Used of GodLiving in the Worldview of IsaiahAlistair Begg and Attending LGBTQ WeddingsShould Christians Use the Enneagram?Experiential Preaching with the PuritansThe Madman on Your Nightly NewsAre Christians Required to Honor the Sabbath?Six D’s of EldershipListening to Experiential Sermons Well
July
August
September
No Comments