8:1 Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us
possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
8:2 Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the
necessary knowledge;
8:3 but anyone who loves God is known by him.
8:4 Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that
"no idol in the world really exists," and that "there is no God but
one."
8:5 Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on
earth--as in fact there are many gods and many lords--
8:6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all
things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through
whom are all things and through whom we exist.
8:7 It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some
have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of
the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience,
being weak, is defiled.
8:8 "Food will not bring us close to God." We are no worse off if we
do not eat, and no better off if we do.
8:9 But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become
a stumbling block to the weak.
8:10 For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the
temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak,
be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols?
8:11 So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died
are destroyed.
8:12 But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound
their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
8:13 Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never
eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.
For me, the theological point here is that being loving is more
important than being right. (This is a word that is hard for me to
hear because I love being right.) I serve a surburban middle-class
congregation of "over-acheivers," and we pride ourselves on our
education and our achievements. Recently, we've begun to struggle
with how to be more welcoming to the newcomers in our immediate
neighborhood -- many of whom are working minimum wage jobs,
struggling with English as a new language, and are a part of the
"invisible poor" in our very affluent county. Is it too much of a
stretch to draw a parallel between our "classism" and the pride of
those Corinthian Christians who had so much "knowledge?"
Also, I'm looking for a video clip to illustrate that being loving
is more important than being right. Any ideas??
Revev in Kansas
Revev of Kansas, Many of our UMC's seem to struggle with being right
vs. being loving. I'm having trouble seeing that message in this
text if we read the whole of Ch. 8. However, your message does have
a very strong link to vv 1-3. Maybe I'm not seeing something in the
rest of the chapter that is right in front of my eyes! I see more of
a connection about what are our "rights" vs what is helpful or
hurtful. Comments? revd
Reev- I was sharing something about this last week with my
co-pastor...not sure where the leading came from. Pastor are
afflicted with a particular form of this, for me are persons whith
some power and influence....we are able to create things and form
things in worship which affect so many others....
what a release when we are able to share that responsibility..
I recall something which Barry of Ohio shared with us last year...
somethingsd about control, learning and going with the Spirit Holy
The purpose of getting power is to be able to give it away. ---
Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960), British Labour politician Education is
what remains when we have forgotten all that we have been taught.
--- Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695), English statesman,
author When a man's education is finished, he is finished. --- E. A.
Filene (1860-1937), American businessman, financier To be great is
to be misunderstood. --- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), essayist,
poet, philosopher That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the
chief danger of the time. --- John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), English
philosopher, economist When all think alike, then no one is
thinking. --- Walter Lippmann (1889-1974), American journalist
Conventional people are roused to fury by departure from convention,
largely because they regard such departure as a criticism of
themselves. --- Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), British philosopher,
mathematician, social reformer When a thing ceases to be a subject
of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest. --- William
Hazlitt (1778-1830), English essayist
donhoff, Elmira, NY
Revev,
I agree -- being loving is more important than being right,
according to all the teachings of Jesus. For a long time I debated
all the Jehovah's Witnesses who came to the door, and I was good at
it. Then one day the Lord asked, "What are you accomplishing with
this approach?" I realized that the only thing I was doing was to
make them more angry and combative. So I started avoiding the
arguments, invited them in for coffee and expressed appreciation for
their hard work, doing what they could to please God. This not only
shocked them, but it led to much more effective witnessing - and
sitting in my kitchen with my cookies in their hands made them a
captive audience. I quit debating and just shared simply how Jesus
had changed my life. Soon they stopped coming. They knew how to
fight, but didn't know how to handle kindness.
Also, I have an alcoholic (grown) son. We soon learned that "not"
having wine at family dinners (like Thanksgiving) made no difference
to him at all; if he wanted alcohol he got it before coming. So I
had the "freedom" to have wine with dinner, but when he's around I
will not have a drink. Not because it has any influence on him, but
because I love him so much that I will never do anything that even
MIGHT have the slightest bad effect on him. Because of love. And
that's how I feel about my church members too. I may have the
"right" and the maturity to handle anything, but I am a pastor - I
love my people, and it would devastate me to think I had done
anything to put a stumbling block before any one of them.
This must always be by the leading of the Holy Spirit, I believe,
for every situation is different. Part of our job is to help bring
believers to maturity, and sometimes they need some waking up.
Judgmentalism and always having to "be right" is one of the main
signs of spiritual immaturity. Those who deliberately "stumble"
sometimes are just using that as an excuse to control the behavior
of others. Love must come first, but there is a time to teach
freedom by our actions. If I preach this passage Sunday, I will have
to find the balance. Revjudy in N.M.
"Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." 1 Corinthians 8:1
Such rich imagery Paul employs here. I will be hoping to illumine
this text Sunday. Anyone have concrete examples/stories to share in
this regard? I will post my stories/musings as they come to me as I
work deeper into the week.
Thank you for your companionship in the gospel.
Tom in Chautauqua County, NY
I think the struggle which Paul is addressing is more than the
attitude of "I'm right and you're not". In the church at Corinth the
problem has amplified to sound something like "I know I'm right, and
you are stupid and inferior for disagreeing with me." After all the
meat-eaters are right. There is no other God. The idols of the
temples in Corinth are just lifeless, powerless statues. Paul had,
himself, taught that there is no special significance to food so
there was no need to observe the Jewish food laws. We all know that.
So whats the problem? Maybe part of the problem is that at the
compromise in Jerusalem they had agreed - Acts 15:28-29 - Don't eat
meat sacrificed to idols. The more I think about it the more it
sounds like they are haveing a conservative\liberal argument in
Corinth. The liberals are saying - come on get enlightened- While
the conservatives are saying - why don't you read what scripture
says- Paul says to all of them why must you feel superior? Why don't
you love each other? Still pondering FISHER IN TN
Our actions may cause another to fall. I am hoping to use examples
of how our actions cause not only ourselves to fall but also others.
For example: laughing at racial or sexual jokes; making swooping
generalizations, remaining silent when our voices need to be heard
etc. Does anyone have any examples for me? REV WWM
