Alba 6-15-2025
KNOWLEDGE, LOVE AND EXAMPLE
I Corinthians 8:1-13
Rob Kenney’s YouTube channel, “Dad, how do I?” went viral five years ago (2020). Kenney released his first video shortly after the coronavirus pandemic reared its ugly head. He wanted to provide practical advice and emotional support. But in a time defined by isolation and loneliness, his messages resonated with far more than the 30 or 40 subscribers he expected. By July, 2022, he had surpassed 4 million subscribers. With his soft Mister Rogers–like smile and warm voice, Kenney created simple, digestible 2 to 3 minute-long how-to videos teaching everyday life skills — how to tie a necktie, how to change a tire, how to shave — things that most kids would hope to learn from their own fathers.
In 2021, “Good Morning America” called the then 57-year-old the “Internet’s Dad.” After that, followers flooded him with stories about their parents, broken relationships, and traumatic experiences. Kenney said, “It breaks my heart that so many people need my channel.”
Well if the apostle Paul had been able to have a YouTube channel, he would have been flooded with questions about many topics. And in fact, he was, especially from the church in Corinth. But it was through ordinary mail. So in chapters six through ten of First Corinthians, Paul gives answers to things that were troubling the church in Corinth.
In chapter eight, he addresses the controversy among the Corinthian Christians as to whether it was permissible to eat meat from animals that had been used for pagan sacrifices. Apparently, some of the Christians were attending feasts held in pagan temples where meat was served to all present. A lot of the community gatherings took place in the idol’s temple, where such meat was consumed. In addition, after the sacrifice, there was so much left over that the priests sold it very cheaply so they could get rid of it before it spoiled. The cheapest meat in Corinth was sold in the idol’s temple.
To the Christians who ate the meat which had been offered to idols, it was mere food. Nothing more. Yet, other believers associated meat offered to idols with their former experience of worshiping idols. And because of conscience, they would not eat the meat because they believed it would be the same as giving honor to the idol (as if the idol was an actual god).
So the church was split. In our society, eating meat sacrificed to idols is no longer an issue. But at least three principles Paul teaches in this passage are as relevant as ever. In verse one of chapter eight, Paul begins, “Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have...
KNOWLEDGE (Principle # 1)
What is the knowledge that the meat eating Christians have? Well in the context here it has to do with knowing that an idol is just a carved lump of wood, or clay, or gold, an inanimate object. It is something that has been carved or shaped to look like something else. But it has no power in and of itself.
People need to have that knowledge even today. In First Corinthians 8:4-6 Paul, addressing this issue, says, “we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
The belief associated with idols is something to be concerned about, but the idol itself can do nothing. It would be no different than if a person took a red brick and set it on their mantle and then said, “I’m making an offering to that little red brick on my mantle.” And if we were to see someone do that we might say, “That’s really dumb. That brick has no power. That brick can’t provide or help you in any way. It’s just a brick.” An imaginary god cannot defile food for a Christian who follows the only true God of creation. That’s the knowledge those who ate meat from pagan temples had of these carved images.
“However,” as Paul says in verse seven, “there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.” Notice Paul calls these people “weak” in the sense they are immature in their faith. But in the mind of the “strong” Christians who were armed with correct knowledge, they could go into pagan temples and eat whatever was offered there without guilt or hesitation.
And to do so was their way of demonstrating their spiritual maturity showing the others just how “right” they were. Are there times you have done things thinking that you were right and everybody else was wrong? That can feel so good, can't it? But if ever something has been used by Satan to divide and conquer Christians over the centuries, it has been this problem of “superior knowledge”... The “I know more than you” syndrome. Paul gives a warning that we must realize that knowledge, as good and helpful as it is, can puff us up.
Paul takes the opportunity (there in verse one) to challenge those with “knowledge” to reconsider their actions on the basis of a very different standard. He says that knowledge is defective if it fails to build up the community in love. You see, “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” Love builds up.
LOVE (Principle #2)
This is an important principle that we need to apply in our Christian lives. While knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church. How many churches do you know that have split over showing too much love to one another? On the other hand, how many churches do you know that have split over feelings of superiority? What is the underlying issue Paul raises with those who supposedly possess superior knowledge? Pride. But love can break down the barriers that come from pride.
In verse two, Paul says, “And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.” The ones who were saying there is no such thing as an idol, just eat the meat, were right. But they wounded the conscience of their weaker brothers. Yes, an idol is nothing, but they weren’t using their knowledge to build others up in love.
They were in danger of becoming egotistical and self-righteous. You and I, we can be theologically accurate, we can be doctrinally sound; we can cross all our “T’s” and dot all our “I’s” and still fall into error if we aren’t balancing that knowledge and using that knowledge with love.
More important than what we know is Who we know. And that even more important than Who we know, is Who knows us. Verse three says “But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him”. Love is the primary component of the Christian life. God made us for love like He made fish for water. He did so because He is love, and we are created in His image. The fact that you and I know and love God is wonderful! But the fact that He knows and loves us is beyond comprehension.
We have been made acceptable to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Every Sunday we remember how God has loved us as we partake of communion. We take the bread to remind us that it was by the body of our Savior that our salvation came. He died in our place. He became our substitute.
And we take the cup to remind us that it was by the blood of our Savior that our salvation came. He shed His blood on the cross and died there. He became the sacrifice we needed in order for us to be forgiven of our sins. So now we know what love is! And, we are called to love one another.
True love says, “I may be right, or have a right, but your needs, and our relationship, and our precious fellowship are far more important than any right I might want to exercise.” Paul warns us in verses nine to thirteen, “But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. Here we see the principle of...
EXAMPLE (Principle #3)
Christianity is not about our own needs, but rather considering the impact our actions have on others.
The conscience of one’s self, and others, must be taken seriously. God has entrusted us with the responsibility to live in Christian freedom... with a concern and a sensitivity for others that respects their conscience, our conscience, and what ultimately is the common good.
Paul says that what we eat is irrelevant—but how our actions affect others in the body is not irrelevant. One may feel he or she has the freedom to do things that other Christians would never do. Yet, we are to look at everything we do in light of how it affects others. While we don’t go around lowering the church to the lowest common denominator by catering to the whims of the weakest member, we also cannot use our freedoms to cause a brother or sister with a weaker conscience to stumble.
From these verses we see that Paul’s primary concern is not meat sold in the marketplace; rather, he is most concerned about weak Christians being drawn back into idol worship. His concern is not that the weak will be offended, but that they will be led into sin and fall away from God.
So to apply it to ourselves, it’s not about how many "questionable" activities we can get away with. It’s about being able to recognize the impact our actions have on others. There may be things that, like Paul, we should be willing to stop doing in order not to be a poor example to others.
And, because this is Father's Day, we can see that these principles also apply to men as they lead in their homes. First, Knowledge. Fathers, and all of us, need to be teachable, to become students of the Word. To learn what the Bible says about God, about holiness, about forgiveness, about marriage, about child-rearing, about career ambition, and about all the other areas of our life. We need to know the truth in order to live the truth.
But, secondly, that knowledge needs to be tempered by love.
Knowledge without love is useless. D. L. Moody, the well known evangelist of the last century, wrote that “The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.” A father who loves his children will have greater influence than one who simply “lays down the law.”
And third, the example of a godly man does more for a family than anything else. Here is a story from Dr. Harry Ironsides. He went on a picnic with a number of Christians, and there was a Muslim convert to Christ among them. The only sandwiches they had at the picnic were ham sandwiches.
This young man graciously refused the ham sandwich. Dr. Ironsides said to him, “Well, you’re a follower of Christ; don’t you realize that the food restrictions have been taken away? You really are free to eat a ham sandwich.” The young man said, “Yes, I know that. I know I’m free to eat ham, but I’m also free not to eat ham.”
Then he said, “I am the only Christian in my family, and so far I’ve had the freedom to go home and share my new life in Christ with my mom and dad. Every time I go to the front door, my dad says, ’Have those infidels taught you to eat that filthy pig meat yet?’ I’m able to look my dad in the eye and say, ’No dad, I don’t eat pork,’ which gives me an entrée.” He was able to give up his freedom for the sake of the eternal destiny of his family.
This young convert knew he didn’t have to have to exert his freedom. By not exercising it, he left the way open for his family to embrace Jesus Christ. What a good choice! What a good example!
May our knowledge, love and example be a means for others to see their need for Jesus.
CLOSE:
A man really wanted to help his son understand the importance of making right choices, obeying, and doing right. So, if his son made a bad choice or a wrong decision, he’d give him a nail, send him to a post out in the back yard, and have him take a hammer and put the nail in the post. And every day that he went through the whole day making good decisions, he’d let him go out and remove one of those nails.
As the boy grew up from the age of about eight years until about fourteen or fifteen, there were always 2 or 3 nails in the post, and he’d be nailing them in and pulling them out. But he got better, until finally all the nails were removed as he started to mature.
When all the nails were removed, he felt pretty good. Then his dad took him out and said, “I want you to notice something about the post.” The boy looked at it for a moment and realized that all the holes where the nails had been placed in the post were still there.
His dad said, “I want to tell you something son, about bad choices. You may be completely forgiven; there are no nails left -- no problem there. But you do have the remaining effects. That post will never be the same again.”
Thankfully, the nails that were driven through the hands of Jesus onto that cross are able to remove the holes left in our lives because of sin. Jesus can heal our hurts and wrongs.
