Knowledge Puffs Up, Love Builds Up
Love Is the Standard, Not Our Convictions
SCRIPTURE:
1 Corinthians 8:1-3 NKJV - Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
OBSERVATION:
Paul is going to address legalism in the Corinthian church. He begins by addressing those who are offended by those who eat meat sacrificed to idols, and those who eat it without any problem.
The argument boils down to knowledge. Who is right and who is wrong? Neither! The true answer has always been and always will be love.
1 Corinthians 8:1-3 NKJV - Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
OBSERVATION:
Paul is going to address legalism in the Corinthian church. He begins by addressing those who are offended by those who eat meat sacrificed to idols, and those who eat it without any problem.
The argument boils down to knowledge. Who is right and who is wrong? Neither! The true answer has always been and always will be love.
Christian behavior is founded on love, not knowledge, and the goal of the Christian life is not knowledge, but love.
Both knowledge and love have an effect on our lives in that each of them makes something grow. The difference between puffs up and edifies is striking; it is the difference between a bubble and a building. Some Christians grow; others just swell! – David Guzik.
God hath not given people knowledge that they thereby should be a means to harm and to destroy, but to do good, and to save others; it is a most absurd thing for any to use their knowledge, therefore, to the destruction of others. – Matthew Poole.
Both knowledge and love have an effect on our lives in that each of them makes something grow. The difference between puffs up and edifies is striking; it is the difference between a bubble and a building. Some Christians grow; others just swell! – David Guzik.
God hath not given people knowledge that they thereby should be a means to harm and to destroy, but to do good, and to save others; it is a most absurd thing for any to use their knowledge, therefore, to the destruction of others. – Matthew Poole.
Love should compel us to eat or not eat. The fences we build in our lives to keep us from the things we struggle with or have convictions about are for us, not for others. We must be careful how we use the fences in our lives. They do not make us more holy than those who do not share the same convictions. The danger is expecting others to adhere to our convictions because we believe we are holier than they are.
Here is an example: I will not shop at a certain store because it gives to organizations I do not agree with or has policies I see as wrong. I choose to boycott because of these convictions. If I hear you shop there, I assume you are less holy and talk down about how weak people are who shop there. I do not stop to think that it is the cheapest place in town to shop and that the other person has a limited budget. Am I wrong, or are they wrong? Neither.
Here is an example: I will not shop at a certain store because it gives to organizations I do not agree with or has policies I see as wrong. I choose to boycott because of these convictions. If I hear you shop there, I assume you are less holy and talk down about how weak people are who shop there. I do not stop to think that it is the cheapest place in town to shop and that the other person has a limited budget. Am I wrong, or are they wrong? Neither.
This is the very point where most stumble in issues relevant to Christian liberty (such as movies, drinking, music, or television). They assume that one stance or another is evidence of greater or lesser spirituality. – David Guzik.
APPLICATION:
Filter all that we do through love! Let love compel us to do or not to do. Let knowledge not puff us up, but let love lead us. We who are stronger should bear with the struggles of the weak. In love, we may help them in their struggles.
Let us not argue over who is holier, but love one another and encourage one another to good works.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Jesus, that I am not made holy by what I do or don’t do. My righteousness comes from You alone. For none is righteous, not one. May I always live by the rule of love, and may it compel me to take the high road and think of others rather than myself, for You loved me more than I can even try to love others.
Filter all that we do through love! Let love compel us to do or not to do. Let knowledge not puff us up, but let love lead us. We who are stronger should bear with the struggles of the weak. In love, we may help them in their struggles.
Let us not argue over who is holier, but love one another and encourage one another to good works.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Jesus, that I am not made holy by what I do or don’t do. My righteousness comes from You alone. For none is righteous, not one. May I always live by the rule of love, and may it compel me to take the high road and think of others rather than myself, for You loved me more than I can even try to love others.
Knowledge of what's right can make us proud, but love for others is what actually builds the body of Christ.
Posted in 07 - 1 Corinthians
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