engage in his old habits, his pagan worldview, before he has matured to the point that he could control those habits. He could easily get caught up in his old habits and ways of thinking, often without realizing it until it was too late. The truth is that we can all slip back into our own old habits of sin and immaturity all to easily. We are all creatures of habit and habits are hard to change.
While it is true that false gods have no power, idolatry and false belief are very strong human habits that have very deep roots in the human psyche. The false gods themselves have no real existence or power, but the habits of false belief and the behaviors they engender are very alluring and destructive. While alcohol consumption is not always a sin, a life of excessive drinking is deadly. It will interfere with and obstruct one’s sanctification. So, even though it is not always a sin, said Paul, avoid it for the sake of your weaker brother. Don’t let your knowledge of the truth, or your strength to not succumb to old habits, become the undoing of others. “And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died” (1 Corinthians 8:11).
Paul makes this point later, “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up” (1 Corinthians 10:23). Just because we can, doesn’t mean that we should. So, Paul counseled the Corinthians not to participate in the holiday celebrations or eat the food that had been dedicated to idols, not because it was a sin, nor because it would in any way harm them, but rather for the sake of the sanctification of those who were less mature, less stable in the faith, those who could still be drawn back into their old habits of false