Tag: 1st Corinthians 8
Love builds up the church!
Scripture reading for July 15th: 1st Corinthians 8
Key Scriptures for over-comers: 1st Corinthians 8:9-13 “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols. So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.”
“Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” (1st Corinthians 8:1b) Paul taught that believers had knowledge that idols were nothing and liberty through Christ to eat what they wanted with prayer and thanksgiving. However, they must let the law of love rule their exercise of liberty. Believers do not want to cause anyone weaker in faith to stumble. If by our liberty, a weaker believer is lead into idolatry, we sin against them and Christ. We have ability and responsibility to limit our liberties because of love for our brothers!
Observations for over-comers: Over-comers help other believers by living a life of love and humble service! “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth, honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4)
Acting in love!
Scripture reading for July 16th: 1st Corinthians 8
“Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he out to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.” (1st Corinthians 8:1-3) Paul addressed the problem of eating food that had been sacrificed to idols. Much of the meat in the Corinthian culture came from sacrifices to idols. Many Christians knew about this and some were ‘weak’ and others were ‘strong’.
Paul was in the ‘strong’ group that understood that an idol was really nothing. There was only one God and Father who gave us all things to enjoy. He alone was the source of life and blessing. That meant that food could be received with thanksgiving to God and eaten, regardless of the source, without defiling the person. (1st Corinthians 8:8)
However, another group of believers had come out of the idolatry and their consciences were ‘weak’. They believed it was a sin to eat the meat sacrificed to idols. The ‘strong’ believers were causing them to stumble by eating that same meat. Paul addressed this problem by calling on the ‘strong’ believers to limit their freedom in order not to offend or cause their ‘weaker’ brothers to stumble.
“When you sin against you brother in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.” (1st Corinthians 8:12-13) Truly ‘strong’ believers are sensitive to the needs of the younger or ‘weaker’ believers and limit their freedom. Love does what is best for the other! Would that we would be sensitive to the Spirit and the needs of our brothers!