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The Life That Glorifies God |
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When General Lee heard that Stonewall Jackson had been wounded at Chancellorsville, he sent him a note which read, "General; I have just received your note, informing me that you were wounded. I cannot express my regrets at the occurrence. Could I have directed events, I should have chosen for the good of the country to be disabled in your stead. I congratulate you upon the victory, which is due to your skill and energy. Very respectfully your obedient servant, R.E. Lee, General." When the note was delivered and read to Jackson, he turned to the wall for a few minutes and then looked back at Lee's aide and said, "General Lee is very kind, but he should give the praise to God." The great composer Bach said, "All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul's refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only a devilish hub-bub." He headed his compositions, "J.J." The letters stood for "Jesus Juva" which means, "Jesus help me." He ended them "S.D.G." The letters stood for "Soli Dei gratia" which means "To God alone the praise."1 In our text Paul tells us that in everything we do, God should be praised and glorified. We read in verse 31, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." The word "glory" speaks of something or someone that is worthy of praise or exaltation. Giving glory to God is to acknowledge Him as the One worthy of praise and exaltation and ascribing Him praise and exaltation. The Psalmist said in Psalm 29:1-2, "Give unto the Lord, O ye might, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Our Lord deserves glory, He desires glory, and as the Psalmist declares, He is due glory. As believers we can give God glory with both our lips and life. As we look at Paul's words we see that it is giving God glory with our life that is his focus. He talks about what we do and not necessarily what we say. Paul describes in verses 23-33 a life that glorifies God. He describes a life that is ruled by certain principles. Let's look at the life he describes and learn about the kind of life that glorifies God. In a life that glorifies God we see:
1. A GAUGE THAT IS APPLIED TO LIFE
In a life that glorifies God a certain spiritual gauge is applied to one's personal life. It is a gauge by which all things in life are evaluated and assessed. Notice this gauge that Paul describes. We read in verse 23, "All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not." Twice in verse 23 Paul speaks of that which is lawful. We have seen the phrase earlier in I Corinthians. It is a phrase Paul uses to speak of our freedom and liberty in Christ. Paul uses it in reference to the gray areas of life. When it comes to the gray areas of life, area's in which it is not black and white or plainly identified as right or wrong, Paul applied a two-fold gauge.
A. Is It Expedient
The word "expedient" means, "to bear together." It speaks of bringing something to a wholesome conclusion. When something is not expedient, it means that it does not produce spiritual benefits in the life. It is not profitable spiritually. When it comes to the gray areas of life; things in which the Bible does not give a clear yes or no about, it is possible that it would not be wrong for a Christian. When Paul said, "all things are lawful for me" that is what he was saying. He was acknowledging that when a matter is not clearly defined as right or wrong, a Christian could possibly do such a thing and it would not be sin. But the gauge that Paul applied to such things was whether or not it would bring about a wholesome conclusion in a believers life. Would it bring about spiritual benefits? A life that glorifies God applies such a gauge to their life. What a person does is filtered through whether or not it is expedient. The truth of the matter is, that oftentimes our life is build around things that are not wrong, but yet have no spiritual value in our life. We ought to ask ourselves, "How does this help me spiritually? Is what I am doing benefiting me in a way that helps me as a Christian?" A life that glorifies God applies such a test. The second gauge is:
B. Is It Edifying
In the latter part of verse 23 Paul says, "but all things edify not." The word "edify" is a word that means, "to build a house." It is a word used in the New Testament to describe spiritual growth, the building up of the Christian life. The flip side of the gauge Paul applied to what he did was whether or not it lent to spiritual growth and the development of spiritual maturity. Ray Baughman said in his book "Abundant Life," of the 200 people found in the average church on Sunday morning, about 25 will be carrying almost all the load. The rest of the people will help a little here and there, but they are not the kind the pastor can depend upon. Among the 25 working will be some who are not to be classified as spiritual workers, but are helping out in the church program just as they do in civic organizations and clubs. After a year or so they will tire of it and quit. Out of the 25 will be about 5 people who can be classified as spiritual Christians, people who have a strong devotional life, who spend time each day in prayer, and who love to read and study their Bibles, and who are concerned about the lost. I think Dr. Baughman gave a fair assessment. The majority of believers are not spiritually mature. The majority of believers are seeking to grow spiritually. A life that glorifies God seeks to grow spiritually and desires to spiritually mature. What a person does in life is tested by whether or not it is edifying. We should ask, "Will this be profitable for me as a Christian and will this help to grow as a Christian?"
When the great cellist Pablo Casals reached 95, a young reporter asked him,
"Mr. Casals, you are 95 and the greatest cellist that ever lived. Why do
you still practice six hours a day?" Casals answered, "Because I think
I'm making progress."2 The Christian is to always be making progress in their life; therefore in all
we do we should ask, "Is this expedient and is this edifying?"
2. A GUIDE THAT IS ADOPTED IN LIFE
A life that glorifies God not only is concerned about their personal spiritual life but also is also interested in the spiritual life of others. In a life that glorifies God, there is not only a gauge by which one measures their activities, but also a guide by which they monitor their actions. Notice first:
A. A Selfish Life
Notice verse 24, "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth." I once read about a lady named Edith. It was said of her, "Edith lived I a little world, bound on the north, south, east, and west by Edith." It could be said of many that their world is bound north, south, east, and west by themselves. In the words of Paul, they seek their own. A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons Kevin (5) and Ryan (3). The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. The mother saw an opportunity for a moral lesson. She looked at them and said, "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake." Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus." That sounds like many in the family of God. They are self-centered and all they do is for themselves. A wife said to a friend, "My husband and I have managed to be happy together for 20 years. I guess that is because we're both in love with the same man." Paul tells us that one of the characteristics of a life that glorifies God is that it is not self-centered or selfish. The word "wealth" that is used in verse 24 is in italics meaning it was added to clarify what was said. The word was not used in reference to material things. It was used to speak of one's well-being and profit. A life that glorifies God seeks to lift, help, and profit others. It is not marked by selfishness but selflessness. Paul declared the same principle in Philippians 2:4, "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." Some people serve for what they get out of it, while others serve for what others will get out of it. Some people do what they do for their own benefit. Those who seek to glorify God do what they do so others will profit. Secondly, notice:
B. An Sensitive Life
After declaring that a life that glorifies God seeks the well-being of others, Paul then demonstrates such a life in verses 25-29. Paul once again goes back to the matter of eating meat that had been dedicated to idols (Cp. Chapter 8). Notice verse 25, "Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat, asking no questions for conscience sake." The word "shambles" refers to the Greek marketplaces. Paul was saying that if you bought meat at the market, don't worry if it had been dedicated or sacrificed to idols. It was just meat. Go ahead and eat it. There would be nothing wrong with eating it. He says in verse 26, "For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." Ultimately all things belong to God, so accept it as a gift from and as coming from Him. Then in verse 27 Paul gives a scenario to illustrate his point. He says, "If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake." Paul gives a scenario of a Christian being invited by someone that is unsaved to go out to dinner. Paul says that if one is disposed to go (desires, wants to) go ahead. If that friend takes you out to eat and orders you a big steak, don't ask or even worry about if it is meat dedicated to idols. Eat and enjoy yourself. My translation would be, "Praise God someone is picking up the bill." Then in verse 28 Paul gives another scenario to the picture. We read, "But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." Paul adds another twist to the story by suggesting that another Christian has been invited to go as well. But this brother happens to notice on the menu that the steak is from meat that has been offered to idols. This brother is one Paul described in chapter 8 that are not as mature as others and don't understand that it is just meat. It bothers him to eat such meat and he leans over and whispers, "That steak is I-D meat (Idol-dedicated). Paul says not to eat the meat for "his sake." Now the mature believer knows that there is nothing wrong about eating the meat, but does not seek his own, but the well-being of the weaker brother. He does not want to do anything that would hurt someone else. Notice verse 29, "Conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other." Paul was saying, it may not bother you to eat, but it would bother the weaker brother, therefore, don't eat lest you injure your testimony and hurt the other brother. Paul adds in verse 29, "for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?" Paul was saying that he had the right to eat the meat even if there other felt it was wrong, but since it could hurt the other, one was to seek the well-being of the other, rather than their own. In verse 30 speaks to those who would criticize and condemn those who did eat such meat. He says, "For If I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?" It is like he saying that those who do not feel it is wrong to eat such meat should not be condemned by those who do. But the point Paul makes is that in a life that glorifies God, a believer puts others before themselves and seeks to do nothing that would hinder or hurt others. I recently read an article in which one compared the Christian life to a fax machine. On a fax machine you can send an exact duplicate of a document anywhere in the world. The receiving person doesn't get the original but a duplicate. The writer says that in a Christian people see a copy of the Lord Jesus in our life. They don't see the original but a duplicate.3
When you think of someone living their life in light of others, the Lord
Jesus is the supreme example. When we practice the kind of selflessness Paul
describes, we are showing the life of Christ in our life. The life that
glorifies God is one in which a guide is adopted. A guide that says I will seek
the well-being of others and not seek my own.
3. A GOAL THAT IS ASSUMED FOR LIFE!
A life that glorifies God, not only has affect on one's own spiritual life and one's life as it relates to other believers, but also is concerned about those who are not saved. In verse 32-33 Paul describes a goal that he has personally assumed for life. Notice this goal that Paul describes as a feature of a life that glorifies God. First, he speaks of:
A. A Godly Walk
We read in verse 32, "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of God." The word "offence" means, "to hit or smite." Paul is talking about doing nothing that is a blow to his testimony and witness. He speaks of three classes of people: Jew, Gentile, and Church of God. The Church of God refers to all who are saved, while his reference to Jews and Gentiles refers to those who are unsaved. He has spoken about doing nothing to hurt the Church of God, but he now declares that he doesn't want to do anything that would hurt his ability to win lost people to the Lord. He is saying that he wants to walk godly before those that are unsaved. Also, he speaks of:
B. A Godly Work
We read in verse 33, "Even as I please men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved." Paul's goal in life was to win people to Christ. A life that glorifies God seeks to win others to Christ and see people saved. Winning people to Christ should be a goal of every believer. It should be a passion and desire of every believer to win others to Christ. The story has been told about two men that were walking down a Mexican beach talking with one another. They noticed a man in the distance throwing something into the ocean. As they got closer they saw that he was bending over, picking up something and throwing it into the ocean. The closer they got they realized that he was picking up starfish left on the beach by the outgoing tide and throwing them back into the water. They asked what he was doing and the man said, "I am throwing the starfish back out to the sea. If they don't get back into the water they will die." One of the men said, "Yes, I understand that part, but look at this beach. It is covered with starfish. There must be a thousand stranded out here. How do you feel that this will make a difference?" The man bent over and picked up another starfish, hurled it out into the sea and then said, "It makes a difference to that one!"
I realize that we can't win every person, but we should try to win everyone
we can. It will make an eternal difference for each one we win to Christ. Our
goal ought to be to win as many as we can. This is a life that glorifies God! |