1 Corinthians 8

Truth & Love

Open your Bible to…

Eph. 4:15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

Pray

Intro

√ Truth and love

It’s been well said that…

"Truth without love is dogma that does not touch the heart. Love without truth is sentimentalism that does not challenge the will. When truth is spoken in love, God's Spirit can use it to change a person's mind".

Well, one area of contention in the church at Corinth that had led to division was that some of the more knowledgeable believers were causing those with weaker faith to stumble because they were practicing truth without love.

That is, they lived out their solid understanding of Grace in such a way that they caused those with weaker faith to stumble and sin.

So, here in chapter 8 Paul reminds his friends at Corinth that knowledge must always be balanced with love.

Both when speaking truth, but also living that truth graced with His love.

While the specific issue that Paul dealt with has little relevance today in the USA…

…nonetheless the principle he teaches is as practical today as it was when he wrote to the Corinthians.

Ap. Stuff Christians love to fight over

Good and godly Christian people can have very different opinions about how to practice their faith, and that’s okay!

Unfortunately we often see our view point as the “more right” one and believe in our heart that everyone ought to live out his or her faith like we do.

That leads to endless divisions and groundless accusations, which, do nothing, more than entertain the devil and hinder our witness for Christ.

Ex. Issues that Christians fight over

What form of education should a good Christian chose for their children?

Public, private, or home school?

Other issues that Christians love to fight about today are…

Can Christians dance?

Is it sinful to own a TV?

Is it wrong to for a Christian woman to wear makeup?

How about ice-skating, after all they wear those cute little dresses ~ is that okay?

Does the Bible forbid tattoos?

I think we’ll find Paul’s instructions to our brothers and sisters at Corinth will help us deal with these and other controversial issues with grace and love so as to preserve the unity of the Body of Christ.

The Question (vs. 1-3)

1Cor. 8:1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

1Cor. 8:2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.

1Cor. 8:3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.

√ The question

The focus of Paul’s comments in chapter 8 is directed to the mature believers, those with a strong knowledge of the scripture and the Gospel.

Thus you’ll find the words “knowledge”, “know”, “knows” and “known” used 11 times in just 13 verses!

Yet, while they had a mature knowledge of God’s word they were immature in their practice of the truth because the failed to exhibit the most important truth revealed in the Word…

…love!

Thus Paul writes…

“Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” ~ vs. 1

Or as one pastor observed…

“Some Christians grow up, others just swell up”

So, Paul reminds his friends who prided themselves with their rich knowledge of doctrine that all their knowledge was of no value at all if not expressed with God’s love…

“And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.”

Vs. 2 & 3

A nice King James way of saying…

“If you don’t love God and other people then you don’t squat!”

His point is that if a person believes they have superior knowledge of God and view other believers as inferior because they don’t share the same convictions…

…then Paul writes that they really have no knowledge of God at all because they have missed the most important attribute of God ~ love!

√ The controversy

The issue of controversy, which divided the good people at Corinth was the question…

“Can Christians eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols?”

A little historical background would probably be helpful…

Throughout the Roman Empire there were in every city temples built to honor the pantheon of false gods worshipped by the Greeks and Romans.

(By way of example, remember in Acts 14 how the crowds at Lystra thought that Paul and Barnabas were the gods Zeus and Hermes and how the local temple priest brought an ox to sacrifice in their honor.)

The method of sacrifice was that the pagan priests offered the less desirable parts of the animal as a burnt offering and then sold the nice cuts of meat at bargain prices in the market.

Well, the believers at Corinth who had a firm grasp of the doctrine of grace and understood from the scriptures that idols weren’t real gods gladly and with a clear conscience bought that meat because it was a good deal.

Further more, some of those same believers would stop in at any of the local temples that occasionally cooked meals and had no issue with grabbing lunch at “Zeus’ Falafel House”.

Reminds me of when my brothers and I were growing up and we used to frequent a home of Hare’ Krishna’s and eat all the food they offered because it was free!

However, some of the other believers were stumbled by their behavior because they lacked the spiritual knowledge to understand that it wasn’t sinful or displeasing to God to eat meat offered to idols.

Ap. Knowledge

Going to a church like this one tells me that you love God’s word!

You study it, like to hear it taught, and invest time into gaining a strong understanding of Who God is, what His plan for this world is, and how He is accomplishing it.

That puts you in a strong position to correct, rebuke, and teach most of the Christians you’ll run into because they don’t have the solid foundation that you do.

However, just because you know how to use your sword doesn’t mean that you should…

…we need to be led by the Spirit and motivated by love when we share God’s word with others.

Ex. E’s wedding

The Strong (vs. 4-6)

1Cor. 8:4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

1Cor. 8:5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),

1Cor. 8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

√ The strong

So, now that Paul’s laid out the criteria for how to balance knowledge with love he gets down the Biblical response to their question…

“Can Christians eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols?”

Note vs. 4…

“Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.”

That is, Paul affirms that the Christians in Corinth with a solid foundation in God’s word were correct…

…an idol is nothing more than a rock, a piece of metal, or carved wood therefore a Christian cannot be defiled by eating meat that’s been offered to it.

Rather, because God knows our heart condition He knows that person is not worshipping the idol to which the meat was offered.

See Jesus’ comments on food in Mark 7:15-19.

So, Christians have liberty to eat what they want regardless of where it came from and even if it had been offered to a false god.

Ap. Liberty

God has given us in Christ a wide berth to practice our faith.

We’re not bound to observe the ceremonial Law of Moses.

Jesus didn’t give us a new rulebook to follow.

Even the observance of communion, baptism, and church attendance aren’t codified nor required for salvation.

So we need to be careful then not to make a law where there isn’t one and thereby lose the liberty that Jesus won for you on the Cross.

Ex. Our friends at Galatia

They bought into the arguments of the Judiaizers and began practicing the Jewish religious traditions and laws thinking that by doing so they were pleasing God.

But all they were really doing was robbing the Cross of its power because they wrongly believed that they needed to add to Jesus’ work in order to please God.

Don’t fall for that trap!

Ap. 7^th Day Adventist who confused me as a young believer

Their argument for keeping the dietary laws of the Old Testament and the Sabbath was…

“Sure we’re not under the Law anymore, but by keeping the Laws you show God how much you love Him!”

That was a hard argument to counter with my limited knowledge of scripture!

But it was no coincidence that later the same summer our Bible study group went through Paul’s letter to the Galatians where I discovered the wonderful liberty I have in Christ!

So, don’t let anyone make you a slave to his or her ungodly interpretation of scripture by which you find yourself trying to keep some law developed by Man.

The Weak (vs. 7-8)

1Cor. 8:7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

1Cor. 8:8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

√ The weak

Here Paul reminds his arrogant friends that not everyone in the church had reached the same level of knowledge that they possessed.

There were, and always would be, people who were new to the faith who would simply not have a mature understanding of the Gospel and God’s grace.

The reality then is that there were in the church many who had just been delivered from the worship of pagan gods and goddesses who wouldn’t be able to discern between eating in a temple and the worship of that false god.

The NLT captures that thought in its translation of vs. 7…

“However, not all Christians realize this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated.”

Paul’s point is that the weak Christian, the person who doesn’t have a solid foundation in God’s word isn’t yet ready to enjoy the full extent of their liberty in Christ.

Ex. The question of alcohol

Christians have the liberty to partake of wine, but in our culture here in the Southern states I for go that liberty because (I like Ovaltine better) I don’t want to stumble a brother.

Because while I’ve never struggled with alcohol I wouldn’t want someone who has see me partaking of my liberty and cause that person to descend back into alcoholism.

That’s what Paul is driving home here.

That the immature believer isn’t equipped to realize that a Christian can eat meat offered to an idol…

…without worshipping that idol!

So, the mature believers needs to take into consideration those with an immature understanding of God’s word and His Grace and accommodate the weaker brother.

The Way (vs. 9-13)

1Cor. 8:9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

1Cor. 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?

1Cor. 8:11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

1Cor. 8:12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

1Cor. 8:13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

√ The way

So, what was the solution to the division at Corinth over the question of eating meat sacrificed to idols?

The same answer to all their divisions ~ love!

That is, Paul exhorts the mature believers to prove their maturity by acting like Jesus by loving their weaker brothers and sisters.

That rather than demanding their freedom in Christ to eat meat sacrificed to idols that they chose to demonstrate love to the weaker brother by foregoing their liberty.

In that way the division would be healed and the unity of the church restored so that they could work together for the cause of Christ.

Ap. Demonstrating love

Ex. San Quentin and the Oaxacan

Close

√ Truth and love

Love always trumps knowledge.

When it comes to practicing your liberty learn to be led by the Spirit and motivated by love.

Always putting others and their needs before your own.