I love the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I do not think it is possible for a person to be a Christian and not be connected with and committed to a local church of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Christian professing to know Christ and yet seldom if ever being a participant in the life of a local church is simply someone who does not know what it means to be a Christian. He or she is a body without a head which is not only a biblically accurate picture but a clear image of what is going on with such a person. I love the church, but there have been more than a few times through the years that I have seriously considered trying to walk away from the local church and never look back. And it has always been for the same reason: issues in the church that are adiaphora.
Adiaphora is defined in the Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms as “elements of faith regarded as neither commanded nor forbidden in Scripture and thus on which liberty of conscience must be expressed.” Paul addresses such issues in at least three of his letters (Romans 14:17, 1 Corinthians 6:12, 8:8 and Galatians 5:6). The big issue in his day was whether or not Christians could or should eat meat that was being sold in the marketplace that had arrived there in the meat market after being used in rituals related to the worship at the altars of “other gods.” Here was the question: “can we eat this meat in good conscience that we know has been used in the worship of idols?” The question related to stewardship, theology proper, and ecclesiology.
The meat was most likely sold at a price that was cheaper than meat where the exterior had not been seared by the fire. But the theological question was about it being an offense to God; the ecclesiological question was about it being offense to immature or young believers. Paul made it an issue of “indifference.” It was a matter of conscience. It was not an offense to God except in its being an impediment to young believers as they were growing toward maturity. Paul simply used an example. If you are going with a young believer to enjoy a meal and you all know that the meat you will eat has been a part of the ritual of the pagans in their practices and you know that your eating it offends the young believer, because you love them enough to have had this conversation, then don’t eat the meat. But when you are with others who are not offended by your eating this meat, and if this is something that you also do in the privacy of your own home, eat the meat. It is a matter of personal conscience that cannot and must not be imposed as a standard one way or the other for all believers in the church. This is so simple. This very clear. Yet, through the years I have watched people in every church I have been in take matters that in the Bible are adiaphora and treat them as if they are the “law of the Medes and Persians.” It is particularly true in the deep south related to the issue of drinking alcohol. The Bible clearly forbids drunkenness; it does not forbid the use of alcohol as a beverage except as a warning of its real danger for some. It can be and is addictive for some. But to make it absolutely forbidden as a test of faith for fellowship is to make the Bible say what it simply does not say. Some go here and thus make the issue a biblically mandated issue. This is a very bad and a very unbiblical step to take.
Here is what is worse. People are notorious when offended by a matter that is adiaphorous to talk about their offense to others without ever going to the person or persons who are the cause of the offense. In other words they violate a crystal clear teaching of Scripture found in multiple places in Scripture that even a child in the faith should know in order to air their grievances before others in a matter about which the Scripture does not speak either clearly or definitively. They “gossip” to others while never going to the brother or sister who is the cause of their offense. They do as declared believers what the Bible is clear that only true unbelievers would do. They often are swollen up with a pompous pride over their being offended while clearly violating in their speech and actions a very simple and straightforward teaching of Scripture.
i have seen this take place hundred of times through the years. I have thought of walking away and staying away. Then I remember how sinful I am and how gracious God has been to me. And I also remember that Jesus died for His church to purchase a people who are sinners like me. It is then I know that I cannot and will not walk away. i’ll just go eat some meat that was prepared by a group whose rituals are indeed pagan, and give praise to God for the good food while praying for those who are a part of such a group. Maybe these last lines will give you some food for thought as you ponder adiaphora issues that frankly all around us.