In Corinth, worshipping pagan idols was part of life. It was common for meat sold at the market to have come from pagan sacrificial offerings. You couldn't get away from it. But some Christians were trying to. Having turned their backs on idols, they believed that eating this meat was akin to associating themselves with pagan practices. Other Christians (let's call them ″the liberal group″), however, thought it was fine to eat the meat. As they saw it, idols were man-made and didn't have any power.

This divided the church, as had questions over sex and marriage (1 Corinthians 7). Can a believer eat this meat, or should they abstain from it? Paul gives an elaborate answer to this question (8:1-11:1). In today's reading (8:1-13), we will look at how he wants us to see the importance of both knowledge and love.

Paul starts by quoting the liberal group who thinks that the key to solving everything is knowledge. The trouble is, ″knowledge puffs up″ and causes us to look down on others. Love, on the other hand, ″builds up″ (v. 1). Love for God, shown in humble, self-sacrificial acts for His people, is the sign that someone is known by God (v. 3). Christianity is not just about us knowing and loving God; it's also about Him knowing us.

That said, knowledge is important. ″We know,″ Paul says, agreeing with the liberal group, that an idol is nothing (v. 4), for there is only one God and one Lord, Jesus Christ (v. 6). Eating the meat wouldn't bring you closer to God or push you farther away (v. 8). So, the liberal group are right theologically.

But they are wrong pastorally (vv. 9-11). Not every Christian in Corinth was certain of this truth (v. 7). For some, eating the meat caused them to feel that they were doing something wrong. They could get so stricken with guilt that it affected their relationship with God.

To further prove his point that knowledge can be taken too far, Paul presents a scenario with drastic consequences. A believer who chooses to go along to the temple and eat meat may think he has done nothing wrong. But, a ″weak″ brother and sister may think, ″Well, he's doing it″, and start to copy him (v. 10)-but then feel guilty that he or she has sinned against God. All because of the first believer's ″knowledge″ and his belief in his ″right″ to do whatever he likes.

By contrast, Paul is so careful about never leading his brother or sister into sin that he says he'd rather give up meat altogether if by eating meat it'll cause them to fall into sin (v. 13).

And notice how Paul describes ″this weak brother or sister″ in verse 11. He calls them someone ″for whom Christ died″. It's very striking that Paul puts this problem in the shadow of the cross. This makes things look so different. At the cross, we don't find a Jesus who demands His freedom, but one who lays it down-even for that weaker brother or sister on whom we might be tempted to look down on.

Knowledge is important. It says that there is only one God and idols are not real. But love says that what I do may hinder my brothers and sisters who used to be idol worshippers. So, for their sake, I will modify my behaviour.

Dear Lord, help me never to use my knowledge and freedom in a way that hurts my brother and sister and causes them to fall into sin.