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1st Corinthians 8 address three major things that we will focus on
today. First is the problem, the case, and the solution. These all center
on the misunderstanding they had regarding knowledge and love in how they
were supposed to live out their Christian faith.
1st Cor 8:1-3, “Now let’s talk about food that has been sacrificed to
idols. You think that everyone should agree with your perfect knowledge.
While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds
up the church. Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really
know very much. But the person who loves God is the one God knows and
cares for.�?br>
We must know God so well as to avoid the appearance of pride. This
was the problem was that they were using their so called knowledge not to
build up the body but to tear it down. The Greek word gnosis (which
means “knowledge) is used especially of spiritual truth, and is used twice
in this verse. Paul is comparing their knowledge that they have first in
a sarcastic way. It was his way of saying “Do you really think you are
something, well then here is what I have to say about that.�?There is no
such thing as ‘perfect knowledge�?in terms of humans understanding or
attaining perfect knowledge which is why Paul uses that comparison to
point out that our knowledge means nothing if we are not building each
other up. He goes further on to make the problem compounded for the
Corinthians by probing the depth of their knowledge to see if it really
was part of their Christian belief, or former pagan ways. Paul answers his
own comparison here by saying what is most important in our Christian
lives is, “But the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares
for.�?br>
1st Corinthians 8:4-7, “So now, what about it? Should we eat meat that has
been sacrificed to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a
god and that there is only one God and no other. According to some people,
there are many so called gods and many lords, both in heaven and on earth.
But we know that there is only one god, the Father, who created
everything, and we exist for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus
Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been
given life. However, not all Christians realize this. Some are accustomed
to thinking of idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and
their weak consciences are violated.�?br>
The case is such that it pits knowledge verses understanding. The
zealousness they had was not born out of godly zeal leading to a greater
understanding of Jesus, but in fact quite the opposite. Replacing God or
putting Him behind another thing is easy to do today, but there is also
only One Mediator between God and man, that is Jesus Christ. Living godly
lives means living in temperance. What is important is not what we know to
be true, but what truth we put into action. He has given us life for this
sole purpose, to walk in such a way as to not appease or tickle the ears
of our fellow humans, but too also walk in such a way that our love for
Him springs out of the knowledge that we have about Him.
1st Corinthians 8:8-13, “It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by
what we eat. We don’t miss out on anything if we don’t eat it, and we
don’t gain anything if we do. But you must be careful with this freedom of
yours. Do not cause a brother or sister with a weaker conscience to
stumble. You see, this is what can happen. Weak Christians who think it is
wrong to eat this food will see you eating in the temple of an idol. You
know there’s nothing wrong with it, but they will be encouraged to violate
their own conscience by eating food that has been dedicated to the idol.
You know there’s nothing wrong with it, but they will be encouraged to
violate their conscience by eating food that has been dedicated to the
idol. So, because of your superior knowledge, a weak Christian, for whom
Christ died, will be destroyed. And you are sinning against Christ when
you sin against other Christians by encouraging them to do something they
believe is wrong. If what I eat is going to make another Christian sin, I
will never eat meat against long as I live-for I don’t want to make
another Christian stumble.�?br> The solution then as Paul address it that the knowledge that we do
have should not be used in such a way as to be demonstrate our love, for
one another. The direct result of our knowledge of God will bring forth
from the abundance of our heart; a great harvest of love. Love is what the
world craves, not peace, but true biblical love. This is what Paul is
addressing in this chapter to the Corinthians, and as we shall see in
Chapter 13, without love put into action as a direct result of who we know
God to be, too not put that very knowledge into place causes us to be
nothing more than a clanging symbol.
We are to build up our brothers and sisters in the wisdom of God,
but also in the love of God. Love and knowledge go hand in hand. God
touches us through His love, and we feebly try to understand that love
through the pursuit of knowledge. This knowledge therefore is the pursuit
of love. Love must capture us, so completely; encompass us so fully that
as we grow in knowledge we will never lose sight of the true meaning of
our faith, which is to walk in such a way as too not cause our brothers
and sisters in Christ to stumble in anyway.
This chapter removes the stumbling block, the perceived notion
that knowledge of God was to be their primary concern. May the love of God
always be first on our mind, in everything we say, do and think. May our
lips be kissed with the fruit of His love and grace Amen.
Pastor David
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 bringing alot of this back up..at one point we all suffer depression and hu rts..amen |
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