A People Guided by Love

1 Corinthians 8:1-13 - Riley Boggs

We come to a text today that is difficult for many reasons. One reason is that this Paul is talking about something that we are altogether unfamiliar with. Who here has ever had to consider whether or not they should eat food that had been sacrificed to idols? None of us. And so the difficulty of understanding what Paul is saying and then appropriately to our lives can be tricky.

   The second reason, and the main one that, I think, makes this text the difficult, is that the application is not clean cut. Here’s what I mean. Throughout the past few chapters Paul has given some direct ways we are to obey God. Don’t have lawsuits in the church, don’t commit sexual immorality, and so on. Some very clear dos-and-donts. We like those kinds of things because the application is simple. Do this, don’t do this. Got it.

This text is not like that. The application of this text is not as simple as do this and don’t this. The application of this text will take prayer, judgement, and consideration. I am going to do my best to show you what Paul is trying to convey here, and from there we ought to pray that the Spirit would enable and empower us to live it out.

I want to start off by walking through this text in its entirety and try to explain what Paul is saying. Then, once we sort of have our footing, I want to simply draw out 4 truths from this text. 4 truths that I think if we apply to our lives, we will find ourselves obeying this text. So let’s work through this and see if we can understand what it is Paul is saying.

Paul starts off here by simply saying that he is switching to a different topic. He has done this multiple times, and he will do it several more times throughout this letter as he works from topic to topic. And so he says, “now concerning food offered to idols”. While this whole idea of what to do with food offered to idols might seem very foreign to us, it was a very pressing issue for the Corinthians. See, during this time there was all sorts of pagan worship going on. There were pagan temples in Corinth, where they held different feast, festivals, rituals, and so on. And part of this idolatrous worship was the sacrificing of animals to whatever god or gods they believed in. The meat of these animals that was left over, after the sacrifice, was then sold at the markets, so that it wouldn’t be wasted. 

And the Corinthians were now having to decide how they are to handle this situation. Are they free to eat meat that had been sacrificed to a false god? Is the meat defiled? Will it defile them? Since the idols aren’t actually real, does that make a difference? What if a pagan worshipper gifts it to me? What if they invite me to eat with them? You get the point. There are all sorts of different scenarios we can envision that they were experiencing.

We can also imagine that the Christians here in Corinth had many different backgrounds. Some of them were not part of any pagan worship beforehand, so they see the whole situation a bit differently than the new believer who was deeply entrenched in pagan worship before being converted. This issue was a real issue, though to us it may seem insignificant.  

Not only was this whole situation ever-before them. There were also vocal proponents of all kinds of positions within the church. Some people were adamant that it was fine to eat the meat, some people were adamant that it was a sin to eat the meat, and some had a nuanced position between the two. So it’s with all of this in mind, Paul starts to address the issue.

Depending on your translation, you have noticed that when Paul refers to something that the Corinthians have said, there are quotes added. Those quotes are not in the original Greek, but the translators have added them so that we would be able to better understand the intention of the text. We’ve seen this a number of times throughout this book, and here in chapter 8 I think they are particularly helpful. You’ll see in verse 1 Paul quotes some of the Corinthians as saying, “all of us possess knowledge”. Then down in verse 4 he again quotes them as saying, “an idol has no real existence” and that, “there is no God but one.”

By restating what some of the Corinthians themselves had been saying, we get a clear picture of what kind of argument one side had been making. There were some there who were saying, look, we all know that idols aren’t real. It’s clear. We all know that there is only one true God and one true Lord, everything else is simply made up. These idols that they are sacrificing to, well you may as well be sacrificing to nothing, because it is all the same. We get it, we’re wise enough to understand this, we all have the knowledge. And so yeah, we are certainly free to eat this meat that has been so-called sacrificed to idols, because it’s all a show, nothing is happening.

And Paul agrees with them on most of this. The are no other gods, and just because people sacrifice to a god, does not make it real. But Paul doesn’t altogether agree with their stance. They seem to be missing something, which we will see later in the application.

The second group Paul mentions starting in verse 7. He says that not everyone has this knowledge that some of you claim to have. There are some Christians who have spent their entire life sacrificing meat to idols, and it seemed very real to them. And now even though they know God is the one true God, it is not as simple as saying, “oh, idols aren’t real? I’ll never associate this meat with idols again.” It wasn’t that simple, and so they couldn’t bring themselves to eat this meat. For them, it seemed a sin to eat this meat. And so Paul says, if they, thinking it to be sin and going against their conscience, eat the meat, then they are defiled. That may raise all sorts of thoughts in your mind, and we will address them in the application as well. 

The question, then, is what does Paul say to do? Are they free to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols? Are they not free? What should they do? The answer is, it depends. See, this is why I said this is a difficult text. The answer to the question of whether or not they should eat this meat depends on a few different things, and it should be informed by a few different things. That is what I want us to look at for the remainder of our time this morning. 4 truths that should guide us in matters like this one. You’ll notice that the title for this morning’s sermon is “A People Guided by Love”. That should give you a clue as to what these truths lead us to.

1.) Our knowledge must never lead us away from love

In verse 1, right after Paul quotes some of the Corinthians as saying, “all of us possess knowledge”, he immediately puts this group in check for their attitude. He says, “This ‘knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.” In other words, you’ve missed it.

See the issue is not that what they know isn’t true. It is true. Paul makes that clear in verses 4-6. Paul restates the knowledge that they are claiming to have as the truth. He says, starting in verse 4, “4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ‘an idol has no real existence,’ and that ‘there is no God but one.’ For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’— 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.”

The idols that are being sacrificed to do not exist. And the fact that there are people who have devoted their lives to the worshipping of a statue carved of wood is both saddening and laughable. Paul isn’t saying that we should reconsider how we view this. That’s not it. The knowledge that these people are saying that “everyone knows” is true knowledge. Knowledge that we should desire that everyone comes to understand.

The problem is that this knowledge is not leading them in the right direction. It is not making them more loving to their brothers and sisters in Christ. And since it is not leading them to love God’s people, it is not leading them to love God. The way they are conducting themselves is devoid of love, and therefore their knowledge is only puffing them up, since it is love that builds up.

True knowledge should actually cause us to be more humble and more loving. That is what Paul is trying to convey in verse 2. He says that if anyone thinks they have it all figured out, they’ve missed it. If anyone thinks that have all the knowledge needed, they are showing themselves to be lacking knowledge. And then he says, “But if anyone loves”, not knows, but loves, “God, he is known by God.” He flips it on their heads. 

I fell into this trap while in college. I was gaining knowledge faster than I ever had before. I was beginning to understand Biblical truths in ways I never had before. The problem is that I was stockpiling knowledge, I was letting it lead me away from love. Here’s what I mean. I was so bent on making sure everyone’s theology was up to par, that I justified being a jerk to the people for whom Christ died. Someone could have rightly asked of me, brother you say you know all of this stuff. Do you not know that these people are valuable, and that Christ died for them? And yet, you treat them as projects to be fixed rather than as people to be taught with love.

Do you see the difference? It’s a dangerous thing because knowledge is necessary. We need to know the truths of the Word of God. But church, if they ever lead away from love, it is time to check ourselves. True Biblical knowledge leads us to love God, His Word, and His people more. That doesn’t mean we don’t stand firm on things and have to have hard conversations or anything like that. It simply means that we do it with love, understanding that knowledge alone puffs up, while love builds up.

2.) What is sin for all is not determined by the weaker brother or sister

This text, if it familiar to you, is probably because you have heard it in reference to alcohol. The reason you’ve likely heard this text in reference to alcohol is because it is one of the more similar examples of where this text needs to be applied in our modern context, since we don’t have to think through eating food sacrificed to idols. And like the different positions among the Corinthians concerning this food, there are many different positions in the church today concerning alcohol. I would waiver to guess that in this room alone we have people on all different sides of the issue. 

  Some of you drink and see no problem with it. Some of you don’t see a problem with it, but still choose not to. Some of you don’t see a problem with it, but choose not to because of the temptation of drunkenness, or maybe it has been a struggle for you in the past. Some of you don’t see a problem with it, but choose not to because you don’t want tempt others to drinking in case they struggle. Some of you see it as a hindrance to your Christian witness and choose not to. Some of you see it as a sin, so abstain. You get the point, there are all sorts of ways to land on this.

The reason I say this is because I do think it is an example of where we need to be careful. The Bible simply does not say drinking alcohol is a sin. Psalm 104:15 says that wine was made to gladden the hearts of man. We see that Jesus Himself drank wine and that He turned water into wine at a wedding. There are plenty more examples from the Bible on this. And you might have heard the argument that the alcohol then was not as intoxicating, so it wasn’t as big of a deal. I don’t think that was the case, and even if for the sake of the argument it was, it was still intoxicating enough to get drunk on, which the Bible makes abundantly clear is sin.

And we can say both of these things at the same time. The consumption of alcohol alone is not sinful, while drunkenness is certainly sinful and should be avoided. Now, even if that is the case, there can be a number of reasons why one chooses not to drink, as I mentioned. But here is where I think this text is calling us to be careful.

Look what Paul says in verse 8, “Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.” He makes it clear here, that whether or not they eat of the meat sacrificed to idols isn’t going to change their standing before God. All things being the same, it is not sin to eat or to not eat. They are free to choose to do whatever. That meat sacrificed to the fake god, is just meat after all. 

Paul wants to make it clear that he is not saying that because there are those who see eating this meat as sinful, that it is actually sinful. It’s not that the eating of the meat is sin in and of itself. The same is true of alcohol for us, and it’s where we have to be careful. If a brother or sister decides to drink alcohol and also fervently avoid drunkenness, we cannot condemn them on the basis that for others it would be sinful. What is sin for all is not determined by the weaker brother or sister. Some of you are too excited about this, so let’s go to the next point.

3.) What is good for all is not determined by the stronger brother or sister

While the eating of the meat is not sinful in of itself, that does not mean that everyone should eat of it. This is what Paul is trying to get at in verses 7-13. There are some who see the eating of this meat to be sinful, and because they see it this way, if they were to eat of it, they would be sinning. We see a similar concept in Romans 14:20-23. Paul says, “ 20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.[c]22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” That last line is the one that I want us to see, “whatever does not proceed from faith, is sin.  

If there is brother or sister who saw the eating of this meat as sin, but chose to eat it anyway, then they really are sinning because they are not doing it in faith. They are violating their conscience. And Paul acknowledges that it is a weak conscience, and it ought to be stronger, but that doesn’t change the fact that since they are unable to do it in faith, they cannot do it.

This same principal, again, is true concerning alcohol. For some of you, you see drinking as a sin, even if it isn’t, and so for you to drink, it would be sinful. For some of you, you don’t see drinking itself as a sin, but you see it tied so closely with sinful acts, your past, or whatever it may be, that you cannot do it in faith. If that’s the case, for you to drink would be sin. If you can’t do it in faith, you cannot do it. Just because some are able to, does not mean that you are able to. What is good for all is not determined by the stronger brother or sister.

Okay, so now what should they do? Should they eat of it or not? Those who are weaker and see it as sin cannot, that much is clear. But what about those who don’t see it as sin, are they free to eat? Here’s the final principal Paul gives them.

4.) Our love for one another should inform what we choose to do

Look with me at verse 9. Paul says to those who are to be considered the stronger and do not see this as sin, “Take care that this right of your does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” There it is. Paul acknowledges that they do indeed have the right to eat the meat, but they must take care. They must be mindful. They must take more than just their right into consideration. They must consider their weaker brother or sister.

Here’s what he means by this. Let’s say for example a stronger brother knows the truth that eating or not eating of this meat makes no difference, and so they go to the an idol temple where they are hosting a feat with their leftover meat. They know it’s a fake idol, so it’s just a meal to them. But now, a weaker brother who does see this as sin sees him doing this and says to himself, “Oh, well if he can do it, then I guess I can to.” So he goes and buys some of the meat and takes it home to eat it, despite the fact that it bothers him the whole time. Because to him, there is still a connection with the sins of his past idol worship.

Now the weaker brother has decided to go against his conscience, doing what he thinks he should not be doing, not in faith, and sinning. And what might happen because of this, is that the weaker brother may continue to do a similar thing in other places of his life. Their conscience is going to become seared. They might end up making a habit of going against their conscience so much that they continue to sin and sin, and it now longer feels wrong to them. And then Paul says, want to know why that might happen? Verse 11, “And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.”

In other words, you have sinned in this way because you have caused them to run into sin headlong. To the point where they are destroyed. Which is to be understood as they now have a total disregard for obedience and faith, and leap into their past sinful ways. This whole idea troubles Paul and so he says, “Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”

Can I be very honest with you? This is where this application gets very difficult. I am hesitant to make specific applications about your lives. I can’t stand here and say on the authority of the Word of God what you should or shouldn’t do regarding some of the freedoms you have. You might be asking yourself, “So am I free to drink or am I not?” I can’t say on the authority of the Bible. All I can say is what this text says.

And this text is saying that our love for one another should inform what we choose to do. Your love for your brothers and sisters in Christ should change the way you think about what you do and don’t do. You should value your brothers and sisters fight against sin, more than you value whatever freedom you have. That is what this text says. Now how you do that specifically, the Spirit is the only one who can show you. 

The way that we obey this text is that we evaluate our heart. We apply this principal to our hearts, and we trust that God will give us wisdom into what we should and shouldn’t do. If we ever get to a spot where we have to choose between a freedom we have, or maybe possibly causing our brother or sister to stumble, we don’t even have to think twice. Easy decision, I choose to give it up for their sake. Why? Because I value them, and I value Christ far more than whatever this thing is. If we do this, then we will be found faithful in our obedience to this text. God has called you to the body of the Christ, and He has called you to love His people. This is how we do it. And in so doing, we are loving Christ.

Be careful to not over or under apply this text. It is a wrong application of this text to go and eliminate all freedoms in your life because someone somewhere might stumble. On the other hand, you cannot pretend that nothing you ever choose to do will affect someone. Both of those are too extreme, and it’s not what we are being called to. We are being called to a posture. Don’t be legalistic in the application and don’t disregard it. Find the place where you enjoy the freedoms God has given you to His glory, and be willing to lay them aside if and when you need to.

Let me say one more thing. Some of you here are the stronger one, and you need to be more mindful of what you should and should not be doing, because it is hurting your weaker brother or sister. Some of you here are the weaker one, and you don’t need to see everyone as sinning when they are enjoying things they have freely been given to do. Obey where you need to obey, don’t let them cause you to stumble, and be willing to ask them to not do certain things, so that you are no longer tempted. And lastly, some of you are doing well. And to you, keep on doing well for the honor of Christ and the love of His people.

This is a hard text, but it is good for me, it is good for us. I know that God will use it for our churches good, I do. God’s Word never returns void, and it accomplishes all that it is intends to. Let’s work through the application of this together, as a body who is committed to loving one another, and loving the God who brought us all together.