BUILDING UP
1 Corinthians 8:1 and 13 NKJV
1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Paul has to deal with so many issues in the church at Corinth. In our chapter today, he is talking to the church about doing things in a way that helps other believers, particularly those who are young in the Lord.
Paul starts by declaring a truth that is still applicable today. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies or builds up. People can get knowledge and get puffy about what they know. This would most likely describe me coming out of Bible School. I had two years of knowledge, and I pretty much knew it all. When I went back to Lakewood, I asked to meet with Pastor John Osteen. Instead, they sent this brash, young, puffy 25-year-old to meet with the man called Brother Dearman. He had been an executive for Coca Cola and had a great deal of wisdom. When I told Brother Dearman I was back from Bible School and wanted to volunteer, he sent me to work with children’s church. I was thinking, with all my knowledge, I should have been teaching an adult Bible class. I was puffy, and Brother Dearman took some of that air out. Years later, I did teach a Bible class for Lakewood, but the best thing for me as a puffy young preacher was to start with the kids. Children’s ministry is an excellent place to serve God, but one thing about kids, they will not make you puffier. Kids don’t care what you know about the Bible; they just want to know you care.
Paul spent the rest of the chapter instructing the Corinthians on how to handle food offered to idols. Knowledge says that an idol is nothing and we serve the only true living God. But not everyone knew that and if they ate food offered to an idol, it would wreck their conscience. Paul was appealing to the church to think about the brother or sister who was weaker in their faith and not eat food offered to idols. His message was don’t wound their weak conscience and that Jesus does not take this lightly. Once again, Paul is reinforcing the idea that we are accountable to the Lord, and we are accountable for how we treat each other.
Paul sums up his discourse on food offered to idols: If eating meat makes his brother in the Lord stumble or makes them weaker, then he will not eat meat again. Period. End of discussion. And this makes the truth of verse one so vital. Love builds up. How we treat one another matters. What we do for others in the body of Christ is something Jesus takes personally.
Paul had experienced Jesus on the road to Damascus. At that time, Paul was known as Saul of Tarsus, and his main purpose in life was to stamp out the church of Jesus Christ. So, he put believers in jail and caused a great amount of trauma in the church. Jesus, when He appeared to Paul, asked why Paul was persecuting Him. Jesus took what Paul was doing to Christians personally. And He still does.
APPLICATION
Whenever we interact with other believers today, the purpose is to build each other up not tear each other down. Our differences can create division. But maturity says, where can we agree and not separate and attack the differences in our respective levels of knowledge? Paul learned to get along with all kinds of people in order to reach them for the gospel. This should be our objective today.