We live in a world of cancel culture. If someone’s views are not aligned with ours, our immediate tendency is to cancel them out of our lives. This has seeped into marriages, friendships, and even our churches.
The church in Corinth had significant relationship issues. They essentially “canceled” each other over any differences they found. They were divided over which leaders they followed, which food they ate, which spiritual gifts they had, and so on.
In this passage, Paul is talking about two groups of people in the church who he classifies as those who claim to be spiritually strong and those who claim to be spiritually weak. Both groups appeared to cancel each other over an issue related to food. Those whom Paul identifies as strong believed they were right because they possessed more spiritual knowledge.
In this brief section of 1 Corinthians, Paul provides three essential principles that can help make any relationship work. He talks about:
- Knowledge and Grace in Relationships
- Truth and Grace in Relationships
- Love and Grace in Relationships
Knowledge and Grace in Relationships
“Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that ‘all of us possess knowledge.’ This ‘knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.” 1 Corinthians 8:1-3 [ESV]
Paul is writing here to those who feel like they are strong. He will write to those who are perceived as weak later on. The “strong” group believed that they possessed the proper knowledge on the matter of food. To help them understand the fallacy in the world’s idea that “knowledge is power”, Paul shares three aspects of knowledge.
- Knowledge we all know (v1)
- Knowledge they don’t know (v2)
- Knowledge we need to know (v3)
- Knowledge we all know
We all possess knowledge. What is this knowledge? Paul talks about the knowledge of God which God himself has made known to all human beings (Romans 1:19). Knowledge of God is a humbling experience. However, as J.I. Packer writes in his book “Knowing God”, there’s a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. While a true knowledge of God will humble anyone, knowing only about God can trigger undue pride in a person.
Paul uses two images to contrast knowing God versus knowing about God. “Puffing up” refers to blowing up something and to having an inflated view of oneself. This is what a mere intellectual knowledge of God (knowing about God) can do to a person. On the other hand, “building up” refers to using that knowledge to build someone up. Although the former may have the right knowledge, they do not have the right attitude.
- Knowledge they don’t know
Though those who were spiritually strong thought they had the corner on the truth of this issue, Paul shares that they indeed did not know the whole truth in this issue. So, what was the issue in question? It was about eating food sacrificed to idols.
In the city of Corinth in those days, there were three areas where food was of significance.
- Food served in meeting places next to temples used for various occasions
- Food bought and consumed at home
- Food specifically served at temples after sacrificing to idols
The spiritually strong group thought they knew how to respond to all three kinds of food. Paul says that they did not. They believed that eating food in all of the above places was acceptable. Later on, Paul would show them the fallacy in this and why eating food sacrificed to idols and eaten in a temple is not acceptable for Christians. Hence, he exhorts them to not be proud.
- Knowledge we need to know
Ultimately, it is not what you know or what you don’t know that matters. It’s what God knows that matters. So, it is essential to be known by God.
This knowing comes out of God’s covenantal love and it is purely by grace.
That is what matters and when you understand that your very own acceptance by God is not dependent on what you know or don’t know, then you can understand grace and show that to others who may be different from you or hold onto a different understanding than you.
Truth and Grace in Relationships
“Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” – 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 [ESV]
Coming to the issue at stake, Paul wants to clarify that to make relationships work you don’t have to sacrifice on truth.
Love and truth go together.
Warren Wiersbe said, “Truth without love is brutality and love without truth is hypocrisy.”But speaking the truth with love is what the Bible exhorts us to do (Ephesians 4:15). Grace alone can enable us to do that.
So, what is the truth here?
Paul affirms several key truths.
- Idols have no real existence (v4)
- God is one, which is repeated in several places throughout the Bible
- There are indeed so many so-called gods and lords that people may perceive, but for us, God and Christ is our Lord
Gods and lords refer to idols which could be anything that we want to worship or pledge alliance to. They could be explicit religions or our own mind-made idols.
What do they do? They tell us that we have to always measure up. As we saw in the “Am I Enough?” blog earlier, all religions of the world say that you have to be good to be accepted by God. Christianity is the only religion that says we can’t be good enough to be accepted by God.
Verse 6 says, “Yet for us, there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” – 1 Corinthians 8:6 [ESV]
We have one God who is our Father who gave his Son so we can be accepted. And we have Jesus Christ. It is from him, his life and death, that we can have a relationship with God and are accepted. Through Christ, we can have life, both physically and spiritually. That is grace.
Everyone is equally accepted before God. That is the grace of God. Knowledge does not make one more or less accepted by God. If we have experienced that grace of God, we can show that same grace to those around us.
Love and Grace in Relationships
“However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” – 1 Corinthians 8:7-13 [ESV]
How can we make relationships work then? How can we apply the principles of grace to our relationships? Paul gives three practical guidelines to help us with that.
- Understand One Another
- Model Godliness
- Love vs. Right – Applying Grace
- Understand One Another
“However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Not everyone possesses this knowledge. In the Church, some are children, some are youth, and some are older men and women.” 1 Corinthians 8:7 [ESV]
New or young Christians, especially those who came from other religious backgrounds, had a struggle with food. Their conscience was conflicted and was weak to protect them from feeling defiled and guilty when they ate food in any of the three places mentioned above. They struggled to be free. They were always feeling guilty. Understanding their struggle will help us to show Grace to them.
- Model Godliness
“Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.” 1 Corinthians 8:8-12 [ESV]
Paul exhorts Christians to do what will help the other person grow and not stumble in their walk with God. We know that food has no inherent spiritual value (except those served explicitly in a temple after worship). But, if you focus on your “right” to eat all food because you know and see this clearly while the weaker brother does not understand this, Paul says you are not displaying godliness and are drawing your weaker brother also to sin against Christ.
Paul is commending those who believe they are spiritually strong to model godliness by refusing food explicitly offered to idols while being sensitive at other places and still not eating certain food out of care and concern and love for their weaker brother.
- Love vs. Right – Applying Grace
“Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.” – 1 Corinthians 8:13 [ESV]
If I truly love my weaker brother, then I will not want to cause him to fall because of my beliefs. Even in the instance where I may be right, if I invite him home or if I am with him, I will be sensitive to him and refuse to exercise my right out of love for him.
Conclusion
In 1 Corinthians 8:11-13, Paul focuses on how Christ died for the weak. The ultimate motivation to display grace to others to make relationships work even amidst our differences is Christ who, though he was strong and mighty and created the whole world by the words of his mouth, became weak and spoke words of forgiveness even to those who were crucifying him.
Christ died for the strong and weak by becoming weak.
When we have Christ in our hearts, His Spirit will enable us to display that grace to others which can make even the most difficult relationship, whether in marriage or work or friendship, work beautifully.
To watch the full sermon, click here
Reflection Questions:
- Have you looked down on someone or been looked down upon by someone because of a belief or perspective that was different from theirs? How did it make you feel?
- Is there a relationship where you are experiencing difficulties right now? What is the basic cause of the tension in this relationship?
- If you were to reflect on yourself, what is your default response when you believe you know something better or more than others? Do you let it “puff” you up or use it to “build’ others up?
- Do you tend to be more truth-focused or love-focused in your conversations with others?
- What would it look like to be Christ-like in a relationship with significant differences?