Scripture
1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3But whoever loves God is known by God. 1 Corinthians 8:1-2
Observation
The Church at Corinth were the smartest people in the room…or, at least they thought they were. Paul’s letter was addressing the very clear truth that their knowledge should not trump their love. In a few chapters he will point out how it didn’t matter how knowledgeable they were in the spiritual gifts if they didn’t have love it was all just spiritual noise that didn’t help anyone. Their pride was causing them to be indifferent to the needs of their fellow believers and the world they were supposed to be reaching.
Application
Before Paul even goes into the issue of meat sacrificed to idols he frames the conversation in the love of God. This is soooo good! It doesn’t matter what the specifics of the controversy are, we must return to the love of God and being known by God. He’s the only one who actually possesses all knowledge and He loves us anyway. Whether the controversy was mask or no mask during Covid, Republican or Democrat, race, equity, and inclusion or any other number of arguments we must remember that whatever is coming out of our mouth must be building up and not tearing down. As one commentator put it, it’s the difference between a bubble faith or a building faith. Are we puffed up with all of our knowledge on any specific subject and so bloated and prideful that we simply push away the person on the other side of the issue? Can we choose to have a building faith, that seeks to retain the relationship and build up the chance for them to see the love of Jesus even if we never agree with their point of view? For example, Paul wasn’t telling the Corinthians they had to agree with the view that meat sacrificed to Zeus was imbued with evil spirits. There was no such thing as Zeus, therefore there was no Zeus juice in the Rib Eye. The point was not shutting the person down or pushing the person away, but building a bridge through relationship, even if that meant, God forbid, they had to abstain from steak until they were in their own home. Why in the world would I do that? Because, it’s not about me, it’s about the sacrificial love God has modeled for me through Jesus Christ. He came and dropped some knowledge, but it was always with the purpose of building a bridge to where we were rather than pushing us away because of our ignorance about spiritual truths. If we aren’t careful we can stand and judge others for not eating meat sacrificed to idols while making an idol out of our own knowledge and expertise.
Prayer
Lord, I want to thank You for Your love and I want to thank You for steak. When it comes down to it though, I pray that I would love people more than I love my own knowledge. So many times we Christians are drawn into arguments and though, like the believers in Corinth, we may be “right” in our theology, our treatment of others is wrong. We are pushing them away instead of drawing them to You. Forgive me for my pride that has pushed people away. People don’t care how much I know until they know how much I care and that’s what it comes down to. Do I actually care for the person more than I care for my point? Most people know what we are against rather than the fact that we are for them and their relationship with You. Thank You for correcting me today and using an example I’ll never forget… souls are more important than steak!
Comments