There are some people who dismiss Christianity because they say it's all about rules and restrictions.

Others say it offers total freedom and grace.

How are we as Christians to live in liberty? Today on Truth for Life,

Alastur Begg explores the true nature of Christian freedom as we revisit a popular message

in our Encore 2025 series.

First Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 1 reminds us of the fact that Paul has been answering some

specific questions that have come to him from these Corinthian believers. They had written to

him about some specific practical issues of Christian living. In coming to

chapter 8 and verse 1, he now begins to address with them another question that was obviously a matter

of great concern, and to it we are introduced in the phrase which leads up to this first colon.

Now about food sacrificed to idols.

I called our study this evening the nature of Christian freedom.

I thought it would look better on the tape and in the tape catalog

than food sacrifice to idols.

Because after all, I don't think any of us probably have given

any attention whatsoever to the whole concept of food sacrifice to idols, certainly not in the

last week, and maybe not even in the last lifetime. And so when we open here and we turn to

chapter 8 and we read the first phrase where our immediate

reaction is, well, let's skip that part because we're not into food that has been sacrificed to

idols. And we're made very aware of the fact that Paul is addressing a context in first century

Corinth and we know ourselves to be living in Cleveland.

However, I hope we will discover as we go through the chapter that the wider issue to which

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