Build the Virtue of Love

(1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

2021, 1, 31 Yonsei University Church Professor Cho, Eun-ha

Ⅰ. Living Together

The following story appears in <Talmud>.

There was a rabbi. He was respected by many because of his integrity and knowledge. As the years passed, it was the time of his death, and his disciples gathered. He suddenly began to cry as his disciples gathered at the bedside.

“Teacher, why are you crying? There were no days when the teacher did not teach his disciples and there were no days when he did not give charity. He lived a life of respect.”

He answered, “If God asks ,'Did you study? Did you give alms?, Did you practice the law?’ I can answer “yes” all the time. However, when he asks' Did you live with others together?', then I have no choice but to answer 'no'. So I am crying,”

The recent COVID-19 crisis makes us think again about the life we live with others. One of the powers of COVID-19 is its incredible contagion. The fear of getting sick is the fear that it will spread to other people and make it difficult for our family. That's why refrain from meeting other people and doing what we want to do together. Because we cherish each other, we are having a time of moderation to stop our natural routines, what we want to do, and what we can do.

Ⅱ. Adiaphora for Idol Offerings

Today’s scripture is “Adiaphora” about the idolatry of the Corinthian church.

“Adiaphora” refers to actions that may or may not be “insignificant,” and that neither God commands nor prohibits them. Therefore, freedom of individual judgment and conscience was important when trying to connect the identity of faith to the suitability of reality. The targets of adiaphora are mainly problems related to consciousness or behavior.

It was a matter that can be viewed from the perspective of the story of 'consistency for the essential, freedom for the non-essential, and love for all.'

There were many different kinds of shrines dedicated to various gods, including Apollo, Venus, and local gods, in the cities of the Roman Empire, as well as to the Roman emperor and his family during the Apostle Paul’s era.

The sacrifices offered at the temple were divided into dishes, and the remaining ones were sold by temple officials to the market according to the usual procedures. For that reason, Jews who did not hire butchers in the ancient world refused to eat meat, so that they would not be indirectly involved in idol worship.

This environment has always caused problems for churches living in pagan worlds, and as the text said today, questions have been asked about the idol's offerings. Some teachers allowed Christians to eat meat offered as an offering. Teachers said that it is not a big deal to enter or eat an idol's temple because "we all have the knowledge of the mysterious truth in ourselves" and the idol does not have the true reality.

Paul calmly organizes this matter. In verse 4, Paul says that on the basis of knowledge alone, idols are nothing, so they can be eaten, but in verse 12, he warns the knowledgeable by warning that such acts are sinning against Christ. That is, knowledge makes pride, but love builds virtue.

The problem Paul faced was that some of the Corinthians, some of whom were referred to as "strong," freely ate idol offerings of idols. It is not clear whether they simply ate idol sacrifices or participated in the ritual without hesitation in the self-consciousness of Christianity. However, given that 1 Corinthians chapter 10 strongly warned against idolatry, it seems clear to Paul that there were people who went too far. The problem is that these strong people's free attitudes have shaken the conscience of faith as the weak have been swept away by such actions. Some people, expressed in the abbreviation, may have had the gloomy mystery and fear that took place there, the feeling of taking God's life as their own, and those memories may have been difficult to separate.

It would have been difficult for those who did not grow up against that background to understand, but for those who had such experiences, eating meat offered as an offering was a summons of past hard experiences and a pain of faith conscience.

Paul says, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.”

If the freedom and right of our knowledge seduces the weak and puts them to the test, the rights must be restrained, and the weak must be respected and considered. “Knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” It was Paul's counsel. When love builds virtue, it builds community.

Ⅲ. Build the Virtue of Love.

Erich Fromm in his book “The Sane Society” tells us that being a human being is only possible through the experience of love, and there is the only answer and soundness. Productive love has several attitudes. It is about caring for others, respecting them, and taking responsibility.

First, to be interested and respectful means to think and listen from the standpoint of others.

Example) In Luke 10, there is a parable of a good Samaritan. An expert in the law who asks for eternal life, Jesus answers, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” The expert in law asks again. “Then who is my neighbor?”

Jesus answers and speaks.

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

“He is the one who showed mercy to him.”

“Go and do the same.”

Whose neighbor are we? Do many people in our society today think of the church as a neighborhoods?

The question is whether the marginalized, the suffering, and the life-threatened people today think of us as neighbors. Rather, we are seeing social threats posed by what some churches or organizations have recently done in the name of their faith. Today's reality is that nature, destroyed and damaged by human greed and desire to conquer, is pushing us out of our neighbors' positions in return for the climate crisis.

It is said that neither salvation nor the power of prophecy nor the faith to carry mountains are nothing without love. If we do not protect what the weak want, those who are most marginalized and in need of help in times of crisis, and listen to their stories and think from their perspective, it is just our satisfaction and bluff.

Second, it is responsibility. To have responsibility is to recognize and help and serve the help and needs that others cannot or do not express.

Example) In Mark 1, which we read together today, Jesus enters the synagogue on the Sabbath and teaches, while he heals a man possessed by filthy demons. A person possessed by a filthy ghost speaks.

““What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” Dirty demons know that Jesus is the Holy One of God. But what does it have to do with us? How often do we face such temptations? “What does it have to do with us?”

Jesus rebukes the filthy spirit and says. “Be quiet and come out of that person.” After the demons have left, people say that Jesus' teachings are new and authoritative lessons.

It snows a lot this year. Recently, a very warm story was published in a newspaper article. One picture melted our weary and fierce hearts. A picture of a man on his way to work in the morning, who couldn't see well with white snow falling, took off his coat and gloves to a homeless man, gave him 50,000 won, and left in front of Seoul Station.

The homeless man was so cold that he approached the man to buy a cup of coffee, but he left with the padding and gloves off. It's cold in the rush hour of work, and the homeless man he sees all the time...he could leave regardless. But he showed the example of love by taking off his coat and disappearing without a word.

The problem of polarization has already existed structurally, but has become even more serious since the COVID-19 outbreak. Recently, according to Jaime Saavedra, up to 1.7 billion students dropped out of school this year, and 600 million students will not return.

It is said that the 'learning loss' caused by the collapse of the education system will reduce children's future lifetime income by 10 trillion dollars. In the United States, since the COVID-19 outbreak, jobs for high-wage workers have decreased by only 5%, while jobs for low-wage workers have decreased by 40%. The reality of our country is not easy either. Workers suffering in harsh environments, unemployed people who lost their jobs, and young people looking for a place to work are seen. Inequality in education among children, such as children living with grandparents and children raised in low-income families, who are struggling with changing learning conditions is intensifying. What should we not do and what should we do for these weak people?

IV. Conclusion

A recent post by an anonymous pastor (Pastor Joong-Duk Ahn) on Facebook reminds us of the virtue of love that we can do in the COVID-19 era.

'Wear a mask' means 'be quiet'.

It means not to talk nonsense or lie, but to reduce unnecessary words and listen to others.

'Wash your hands often' means 'clean your mind.'

If we wipe the mirror of our mind, we will see ourselves, and if we wipe the window of our mind, we will see our neighbors.

'Keep distance from others' means 'get closer to nature.'

It means not to quarrel and hurt each other while living together. It means to live in harmony by taking care of the ecosystem of air, water and nature. If you come close to nature, you will be generous and will love everything.

'Do not worship face to face' means 'look to God anytime, anywhere.' It means to worship God in heaven and earth instead of going to the chapel for comfort or to be seen by people. If you face God quietly everywhere, he will come closer to the kingdom and its will.

'Do not gather together' means 'be with the marginalized'. Do not gather together to incite or show off your strength, but to become friends of those who miss people. If we cry with those who weep and share with those who are burdened alone, the world will be warm with love.

'Keep distance from people' means 'get closer to nature.'

It means not to quarrel and hurt each other while living together. It means to live in harmony by taking care of the ecosystem of air, water and nature. If you come close to nature, you will be generous and will love everything.

'Do not worship face to face' means 'look to God anytime, anywhere.' It means to worship God in heaven and earth instead of going to the chapel for comfort or to be seen by people. If you face God quietly everywhere, he will come closer to the kingdom and its will.

'Do not gather together' means 'be with the marginalized'. Do not gather together to incite or show off your strength, but to become friends of those who miss people. If we cry with those who weep and share with those who are burdened alone, the world will be warm with love.