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Today's Pathway: I Corinthians 8:01 Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him.

In chapter 8 Paul teaches about our Christian liberty in general, and the particular issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols. Since this is an activity that is not readily practiced in our western societies, it would be good to give a little background here. Part of the worship of false gods involved bringing meat into the pagan temple for an offering to the gods. Once the meat was offered, one of three things could be done with it. Some of it went to priests for their own sustenance, some was given back to the one who brought the sacrifice, and the rest was sold by the priests for a profit either in the temple itself or in the meat markets surrounding the temple. Much of the meat being sold in Corinth had been originally offered to the pagan gods, and certainly the best meat could be purchased in the temple or in the nearby meat markets. Christians understood that they had a responsibility to break away from heathen practices once they received Christ. Paul commended the Thessalonian believers because they "turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (I Thessalonians 1:9). Certainly it would be wrong to return to worship those heathen deities. The question was this: is it wrong to purchase the meat that had been offered as a sacrifice to those deities?

Paul opens his response by mentioning "knowledge", and then comparing it with "charity". Of course, "charity" is the translation of the Greek word "agape", which refers to the sacrificial love that was exemplified by God's gift of Christ to mankind (John 3:16). He writes that knowledge tends to make people prideful and arrogant. He is not advocating ignorance, but what he is saying is that knowledge by itself is not always sufficient to make good decisions. However, when Biblical love is added to the mix, then sound choices can be made because charity is primarily concerned with edifying others. Paul put it this way in I Corinthians 13:2,

"And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing"

The Corinthian believers were quite pleased with their "knowledge". Those who understood that it was acceptable to eat meat sacrificed to idols looked down on those who did not, and vice versa. However, they were desperately lacking in love for each other. Paul says in verse 2 that those who think that they know it all really do not. This is clearly aimed at the arrogant saints. They were imagining that they knew everything there was to know about whether or not to eat meat offered to idols. Paul says to them: you think you know, but you don't really know. Many were correct in their knowledge that it was Biblically acceptable to eat idol meat, but their knowledge was incomplete. What they failed to know was how their actions of eating meat could damage a weaker brother.

In verse 3 Paul adds,

"But if any man love God, the same is known of him."

"Our knowledge of God is important, but knowledge about God is no substitute for a personal relationship, initiated by God, that issues in our love for one another which expresses our love for Him."