2.20.10 -- 1 Corinthians 8

1 Corinthians 8

1 Cor 8:1-3 ~ Is Paul here actually condemning knowledge of the Lord and of th scriptures? Of course not! Often people point to this passage and say that you shouldn't tell other believers that what they are doing is wrong. Earlier in this very book, Paul talks about judging others within the church. And in 2 Tim 3:16 he makes it quite clear that we are to use scripture "for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." What then is he talking about here? Humility and love. We aren't to be puffed up or proud in our knowledge. We are to correct our brothers lovingly.

In the context of the letter, Paul was specifically applying this concept to Christians who were laughing at other believers who still clung to laws that no longer applied to them. Some of the Christians in Corinth had come from idolatrous backgrounds. Meat offered to idols was problematic for them because of their former lives. If they saw their brethren doing what they rightfully could, eating that meat as if the idols meant nothing (which is correct and acceptable for Christians), it could cause them to stumble. So, in love, the other believers should refrain from eating meat sacrificed to idols, so as not to cause their brothers in Christ to fall.

I don't know about you, but I don't know many folks for whom meat sacrificed to idols is an issue.

I do, however, know people who have other stumbling blocks. Alcohol is a big one for some. If someone came to be a Christian from a life of partying and drunkenness, and gave up that life in order to serve God, going out to a bar and having a few drinks might be an issue for them. More so for someone who was addicted, a full-blown alcoholic. Drinking is completely acceptable for Christians, else Jesus would not have famously turned water into wine. However, we should not indulge ourselves at the expense of our weaker brothers and sisters.