The Love One Another Podcast | Episode 17 - Knowledge Puffs Up, Love Builds Up

This is the Love One Another Podcast from Beach Point Church.

Together, we're exploring the first letter to the Corinthians with the hope that we will be formed by the way of the cross and the love of the one who bore it.

Admitting, as the letter says, that we are nothing without love.

Love empowered by the Spirit through the work of Jesus is an unstoppable force.

It invites each of us to join God in the work of redeeming all things back to God.

With that in mind, let's open our hearts to God's word today.

Today's reading is 1 Corinthians 8, 1 through 13.

Now, about food sacrificed to idols.

We know that we all possess knowledge, but knowledge puffs up while love builds up.

Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.

But whoever loves God is known by God.

So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols.

We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things come and for whom we live.

And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

But not everyone possesses this knowledge.

Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food, they think of it as having been sacrificed to a God.

And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.

But food does not bring us near to God.

We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol's temple, won't that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?

So this weak brother or sister for whom Christ died is destroyed by your knowledge.

When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

The goal of truth is to be right, the goal of love is to build up.

What do you do when your rightness requires you to tear down the people around you?

Paul gave us a model here in this conflict over meat sacrifice to idols.

Again, a very first-century problem that we have to understand in our 21st century context.

Most first century people were polytheists.

They believed there were many gods.

There was often a hierarchy among these gods, like Zeus being the supreme god and gods like Pan being the minor god of shepherds and herdsmen.

There would be celebrations and holidays throughout the year designed to celebrate and worship each of these gods.

And most involved the process of sacrificing meat to these idols.

Some of the meat would be burned at the altar to Zeus or Pan if you were a shepherd.

The rest would be taken home to cook for the celebration or even sold in the marketplace to make back to some of the money lost in the sacrifice.

As we saw in Acts 18, these Gentile polytheists became the focus of much of Paul's ministry in Corinth.

And they now found themselves struggling to figure out whether they could eat the meat sacrificed to these other gods, whether served to them at someone's house or purchased in the marketplace.

Some people in this fledgling Christian community knew the truth.

These idols were statues with no power, no gods behind them, and no meaning besides being sometimes beautiful marble carvings.

There was certainly no Christian concern about eating meat sacrificed to these idols because they were fake stone idols.

But others in this community, likely Gentile converts, were still struggling with the feeling that their consumption of these sacrifices was in some way giving their praise and worship to whichever idol had received the sacrifice.

So what was Paul's response?

Truth to be right or love to build up.

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again so that I will not cause them to fall.

Paul was ready to go vegan for his brothers and sisters in Christ, and that's love.

But how often are we tempted today to choose truth that allows us to be puffed up rather than to choose love that allows our brothers and sisters in Christ to be built up?

Paul wasn't going to endorse something that was untrue, but he was willing to live in a way that embraced his weaker brother and sister so that they could continue to experience the life that Jesus had for them.

Let's take a moment to respond together.

Do you show patience and compassion or frustration and pride?

If Paul was willing to give up eating meat sacrificed to idols for the sake of his brothers and sisters, what might you need to give up so that others can experience more of the life Jesus has for them?

Thank you for taking intentional time to align yourself with God's love and the call to love one another.

You can find the Love One Another Sermon Series and other resources at Beachpoint.com slash messages or on the Beach Point Church app.

May you carry the love of God into every encounter you have today, but I'm not sure.