1 Corinthians 8:1-6

Knowledge Puffs Up

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1Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

2The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.

3But the one who loves God is known by God.

4So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.

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

6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.

Berean Standard Bible

Read aloud

Paul begins with the issue of food sacrificed to idols. The Corinthians know that “we all have knowledge,” but knowledge can puff up while love builds up. He is not saying knowledge is worthless. He is asking whether what we know is making us proud or helping us love a real person in front of us.

Anyone who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought. Christian knowledge includes humility about its limits and awareness of its effect. The person who loves God is known by God; relationship and responsibility matter more than the feeling of having mastered a theological issue.

Paul agrees that an idol is nothing in the world and that there is no God but one. The surrounding culture may speak of many gods and many lords, but for Christians there is one God, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist and through whom we live.

This confession includes Jesus in the divine work of creation: all things exist through Him, and our life is through Him. An idol has no rival claim to that lordship. Yet knowing this truth does not settle how we should treat a person still struggling with old associations. Knowledge of the Lord should lead us to love those He receives.

Families often face similar questions in matters that are not central to the gospel. Before asking whether we are technically free, ask what our confidence is doing to another person's faith and whether our knowledge is serving love.

Questions

1 What can knowledge do when it is separated from love?

AnswerKnowledge can puff a person up with pride, while love builds people up through patient responsibility.

2 What does Paul say about idols?

AnswerHe says an idol is nothing in the world and affirms that there is no God but one.

3 How does Paul name the one God and one Lord?

AnswerThere is one God, the Father, from whom all things come, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist.

4 What should Christian knowledge produce?

AnswerChristian knowledge should produce humility and loving responsibility rather than contempt for people whose consciences are less settled.

What This Means for Us

When someone asks a question you think should be obvious, resist answering with embarrassment or ridicule. Explain patiently, and listen for what makes the matter difficult for them. Knowing the answer is an opportunity to help, not a reason to make them feel small.

Return together to what Paul confesses: our life comes from the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. We exist for God, so our knowledge should serve the people He places before us.

Prayer

One God and one Lord, make our knowledge humble and useful. Keep us from pride, and teach us to use freedom in ways that build up the people You have placed around us. Amen.

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