1 Corinthians 8
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Important messages
Chapter 8
Are
you motivated by knowledge or by love?
1. 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.
Paul seems to be making use of Corinthian terms to assist him, as he
teaches. Already in chapter 6, there were two… verse 12 and 13: “All things are
lawful for me” and “food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food.”
Perhaps they were included in their questions, directed to the apostle. The
next question concerned food offered to idols.
Paul probably quotes their words: “All of us possess knowledge.” It meant that they,
as Christians, were informed concerning the nothingness of idols and that idol
worship was absolute vanity. If that is so, what harm is there in eating food
offered to idols. However, Christians often oversimplify, tending to emphasize
one particular Scripture, ignoring others, and arrive at conclusions that are
far from an accurate representation of principles taught throughout the Bible.
The apostle has at least two facts to add to the knowledge that idols are
nothing more than pieces of wood or metal, therefore an idolater is simply
involved in powerless vanity.
In chapter 10, verses 18-21, he gives the Corinthians and us something
more to consider. He says, “Consider the people of Israel; are not those
who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?” Their sacrifices made them
participants in the worship of God; however, this also meant that when they ate
the pagan sacrifices, they were participants with the pagan gods. “What
do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is
anything?” This is as far as the mentality of Corinthian Christians led them and
Paul is not going to contradict their knowledge. It is true that the idol is
nothing: It does not speak, hear, walk, or breathe. That does not settle the
issue! “No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to
demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.” There is an evil,
spiritual power behind the idol and that brings the participant, who eats from
their sacrifices, into contact with the kingdom of darkness. “You
cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of
the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” So here we have an obvious
fact, beyond the simple eating of pagan, sacrificial foods, that gives us a
clear reason to avoid compromise in this area.
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