Hi Dave,
This is frim the transcript on 'Repentance' where Ray touched on this.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php?topic=3709.0 ---------
I think Paul was mature enough and he was going to go up and fight for what he believed to be right. And he didn’t want any authorization from Judea that these people were going to come out and try to teach heresy behind the people that he was converting. And so there was much disputing, Peter rose up and said, “Men and brethren, you know how that a good while ago God made a choice among us that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel and believe.
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Barnabas and Paul got up and talked for a while, and then James got up and talked. And they said, “Look, we’re not going to ask these Gentiles to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses”. Remember, there were two issues. Circumcision was as big an issue as the ENTIRE Law of Moses. It was a big deal. I mean, the worst thing you could call somebody was an “uncircumcised Gentile”. That was like spitting in his face twice! But they said, no, we’re not going to have that.
There were some things among the Gentile like going to their temples and fornicating with temple prostitutes, drinking blood offered to idols and other rank idolatry that they had to tell them to stop doing. So the apostles are learning. And then it says in verse 28, “for it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” See? They were all in agreement then. They laid hands on Paul and Silas and they sent letters out and so on, and that took care of the matter.
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As you can see I think it was a common practice of going to a pagan temple for different immoral reasons and eating the meat they had offered to an idol was one of them. But now the Apostles were teaching a new way to live and going along with this generally acceptable practice was not okay. Not that eating the meat offered to idols or any other meat for that matter can defile you.
Mat 15:11 Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
But Paul does say more about this practice in I Cor.
1Co 8:10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?
v. 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
v. 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
v. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
I think this is showing that if we are someone "who has knowledge" of the truth, then it makes us more accountable for directly or indirectly teaching other by our actions.
Rom 14:19 Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
v. 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for any one to make others fall by what he eats;
v. 21 it is right not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother stumble.
mercy, peace and love
Kat