1-3 Introduction
Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that "We all possess knowledge." But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
At the very outset of his long discussion Paul states his principle: It is good to have a biblically enlightened view of the issue and to be free from superstitions. but even more important is that this enlightened view be tempered by considerations for others who do not yet have this understanding. In other words, words that he will use later in chapter 13,
The "knowledge" these Corinthians boasted of possessing was not exclusively Christian belief, nor even Jewish belief. Many pagans who walked the streets of Corinth, although for social reasons they went through the outward forms of traditional polytheistic piety, did not believe in the so-called "gods" that were worshiped in the temples of the city. The images of these deities were part of their urban life and as such were valued for patriotic reasons. So when the Corinthian "geniuses" boasted of their knowledge, they were boasting of nothing special. Their pride in superior knowledge was—as Paul puts it here—being "puffed up".Where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. … 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Yet there were others in the Christian communities of the city who for a wide variety of reasons could not rid themselves of the belief that these other "gods" existed, even if only in the form of demons. They would not wish to have anything to do with the temples or any food that had once been placed upon the temple's altar and dedicated to the "gods". For the "enlightened" Christians to do so as a form of demonstrating their "freedom" could disturb and perhaps mislead these simpler souls. That would not be Christian love. It would not "build them up" in the faith.
So there are several issues to be considered beyond the "reality" that there is only one God. Do my actions only puff me up with pride at my freedom, or do they build up the faith of others (v. 1)? And secondly, is what I do done out of genuine love for God—and by extension, for those whom God loves? If not, then my "knowledge" is not real. I do not yet know as I "ought to know" (v. 2). And if there is no love in me for those whom God loves, I must ask myself if God really "knows" me (v.3)—in the sense of the word as used by Jesus in his parable of those rejected at the Last Judgment with these words from the Savior: "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:21-23).
4-6 The "Enlightened" View of Idols
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." 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Paul wants the "enlightened" party to know that he shares their enlightened view—hence, his use here of "we". In the earlier parts of the Old Testament the beings worshiped by the pagan polytheists are called "gods". But in the latest parts—just before and long after the return from the Babylonian captivity—they are called "idols", because by this time the Jews could not bring themselves to use the term "god" for these so-called deities. This language is now reflected in the words of Paul. Only the Holy Triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) was deserving of the word "God". All other pretenders were merely "idols" and "so-called gods" (Greek legomenoi theoi).
But even if Paul can agree with the slogans of these Corinthians free-thinkers—notice how their words are put in quotation marks in the translation I have given here—it is important to notice what he does not go on to say. He does not say that therefore it is okay to offend others by a reckless exercise of "Christian freedom", eating at banquets in pagan temples.
7-8 But Not Everyone Knows This
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. 8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
It is always a good idea to pay attention to the word "but"! There are two of them here, beginning both verse 7 and verse 8. The first reminds us that we do not live to ourselves, free to ignore how our actions affect others—for good or ill. Paul will elaborate this in verses 9-13. Christians belong to one body, which has many members. Christian love, which reaches out to anyone, believer or non-believer—is especially strong for fellow members of the Body of Christ. I cannot act in a way that hurts or weakens a fellow believer and still claim to be showing the love of Jesus. And without that love flowing through me, I am not assured that I even belong to Him.
The second "but" (v. 8) reminds us that neither religious scruples about diet nor the flaunting of those scruples in itself brings us closer to God. It is rather the presence of intentional love for others in our actions that brings us closer to God, and the absence of that love that removes us from Him. The big question should not be: "Am I free do do such a thing?" but rather "Will doing this help my brother or sister?"
9-13 Consideration for Other Believers
Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol's temple, won't they be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 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.
Are believers then "free"? The "exercise of your rights" (v. 9) seems to suggest so. But what Paul goes on to say, both here and in the next chapter, suggests that a believer's "rights" are always to be sacrificed for the good of others. As so often in his letters, Paul not only uses himself as a model, but either explicitly or implicitly holds up Jesus to us as the perfect model. Jesus gave up all his rights in order to save us from our sins. It should be our joy to do likewise for the sake of those he came to save.
Today in the United States and most parts of Europe there is no exact counterpart to the specific situation that confronted these Corinthian believers. But the principle remains. Whatever action on your part or mine that gives the impression to others that we disregard the commands of Jesus should be avoided. And positively, we should live each moment of each day knowing that not only are the "eyes of the Lord" upon us, but the eyes of many other believers who may admire us and look to our lifestyle as a model for their own.
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