1 Corinthians 8
8
Love Is Greater Than Knowledge
1Now let me address the issue of food offered in sacrifice to idols. It seems that everyone believes his own opinion is right on this matter. # 8:1 Or “we all have knowledge.” How easily we get puffed up over our opinions! But love builds up the structure of our new life. # 8:1 That is, knowledge may make a person look important, but it is only through love that we reach our full maturity. It is simply “Love builds up.” It builds up our lives, our churches, our families, and others. Love is the most powerful substance for building what will last forever. 2If anyone thinks of himself as a know-it-all, he still has a lot to learn. 3But if a person passionately loves God, he will possess the knowledge of God. # 8:3 Explicit in the Aramaic and implied in the Greek, which can also be translated, “is known [acknowledged] by God.”
4Concerning food sacrificed as offerings to idols, we all know that an idol is nothing, for there is no God but one. # 8:4 See Deut. 6:4. 5Although there may be many so-called gods in this world, and in heaven there may be many “gods,” “lords,” and “masters,” 6yet for us there is only one God—the Father. Out of him is all things, and our lives are lived for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus, the Anointed One, through whom we and all things exist.
7But not everyone has this revelation. For some were formerly idolaters, who consider idols as real and living. That’s why they consider the food offered to that “god” as defiled. And their weak consciences become defiled if they eat it. 8Yes, we know that what you eat will not bring you closer to God. You are no better if you don’t eat certain foods and no better if you do. 9But you must be careful that the liberty you exercise in eating food offered to idols doesn’t offend the weak believers. 10For if a believer with a weak conscience sees you, who have a greater understanding, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t this be a temptation to him to violate his own conscience # 8:10 Or “have his conscience built up.” Ironically, this is the same Greek word Paul used in v. 1 for love “builds up.” The implication is that the weak believer will be emboldened to violate his conscience by watching a more mature believer freely eating food offered to idols. and eat food offered to idols? 11So, in effect, by exercising your understanding of freedom, you have ruined this weak believer, # 8:11 This is because the “freedom” of the mature could lead the immature believer back into what he feels is idol worship. a brother for whom Christ has died! 12And when you offend weaker believers by wounding their consciences in this way, you also offend # 8:12 That is, “They bring an offense against the teachings of Christ,” as translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “When you sin against a weaker believer . . . you also sin against Christ.” the Anointed One!
13So I conclude that if my eating certain food deeply offends # 8:13 The Greek word skandalizō (from which we get our English word scandal) means “to throw a snare in front of someone purposely to trip them up.” my brother and hinders his advance in Christ, I will never eat it again. I don’t want to be guilty of causing my brother or sister to be wounded and defeated.
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Learn More About The Passion Translation1 Corinthians 8
8
Freedom with Responsibility
1-3The question keeps coming up regarding meat that has been offered up to an idol: Should you attend meals where such meat is served, or not? We sometimes tend to think we know all we need to know to answer these kinds of questions—but sometimes our humble hearts can help us more than our proud minds. We never really know enough until we recognize that God alone knows it all.
4-6Some people say, quite rightly, that idols have no actual existence, that there’s nothing to them, that there is no God other than our one God, that no matter how many of these so-called gods are named and worshiped they still don’t add up to anything but a tall story. They say—again, quite rightly—that there is only one God the Father, that everything comes from him, and that he wants us to live for him. Also, they say that there is only one Master—Jesus the Messiah—and that everything is for his sake, including us. Yes. It’s true.
7In strict logic, then, nothing happened to the meat when it was offered up to an idol. It’s just like any other meat. I know that, and you know that. But knowing isn’t everything. If it becomes everything, some people end up as know-it-alls who treat others as know-nothings. Real knowledge isn’t that insensitive.
We need to be sensitive to the fact that we’re not all at the same level of understanding in this. Some of you have spent your entire lives eating “idol meat,” and are sure that there’s something bad in the meat that then becomes something bad inside of you. An imagination and conscience shaped under those conditions isn’t going to change overnight.
8-9But fortunately God doesn’t grade us on our diet. We’re neither commended when we clean our plate nor reprimanded when we just can’t stomach it. But God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a fellow believer still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track.
10For instance, say you flaunt your freedom by going to a banquet thrown in honor of idols, where the main course is meat sacrificed to idols. Isn’t there great danger if someone still struggling over this issue, someone who looks up to you as knowledgeable and mature, sees you go into that banquet? The danger is that he will become terribly confused—maybe even to the point of getting mixed up himself in what his conscience tells him is wrong.
11-13Christ gave up his life for that person. Wouldn’t you at least be willing to give up going to dinner for him—because, as you say, it doesn’t really make any difference? But it does make a difference if you hurt your friend terribly, risking his eternal ruin! When you hurt your friend, you hurt Christ. A free meal here and there isn’t worth it at the cost of even one of these “weak ones.” So, never go to these idol-tainted meals if there’s any chance it will trip up one of your brothers or sisters.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.