In chapter 8, Paul begins a three-chapter discussion of food offered to idols. And that seems about as irrelevant to modern church life as can be.
Except this is, in fact, a passage the speaks immediately and importantly to the 21st Century church — especially the Church of Christ, because Paul is dealing with the “weak” and the “strong” and how they should get along in a single church.
You see, in the early church, separate congregations didnt exist for every slight difference on divorce and remarriage or whether instruments may be used in a wedding. There was one congregation per town, under one eldership, meeting in multiple houses — meeting all together by a river or the like, except when a synagogue or pagan official might look the other way and let them gather in a large enough building.
And it wasn’t easy. In fact, it was so hard that most of Paul’s writings address how Jews and Gentiles, weak and strong, slave and master, must but can meet and be together in the same church, same kingdom, serving the same Lord. As Paul saw it, love provides no other option.
We love our opinions much more than we love each other. Therefore, we insist on meeting only with those who share our opinions. After all, it’s uncomfortable to be around people who disagree with us. And the result of our self-segregation is that some of us come to feel nearly inspired having not been contradicted since high school.
It could hardly be more unhealthy for the church and its members, and Paul offers us the cure.
(1Co 8:1-3 ESV) Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
Now, in Corinth, just as in the modern Churches of Christ, the members were dividing over the excellence of their knowledge — and in both cases, it’s the kind of knowledge that “puffs up.” We claim to know so much, and yet we don’t know enough to figure out how to get along.
Paul contrasts knowledge with love. Love builds up, whereas the supposed knowledge of the Corinthians was tearing the church down. Knowledge without humility is just a very special kind of ignorance.
The goal is not so much to know things as to love others, and “if we love God … .”
Well, at this point we expect Paul to say something like “we’ll know God,” but he turns the tables and declares that God will know us — because that’s even better. It’s great to know something about God, but even better to be known by God (Exo 33:12-13; Amos 3:2; 2 Tim 2:19; Gal 4:9). Why?
Well, to the Jews, to “know” is not to merely to have knowledge. It’s to be in relationship. Hence, for a man “to know” a woman often means, in the Old Testament, to have sexual relations. It means very nearly “to be married.” True knowledge is intimate and only comes to those who love.
I cannot truly know God’s creation unless I love the creation well enough to truly understand. It’s not enough to look. I have to care. In caring about the creation, I can begin to apprehend the creation.
Just so, I cannot know God unless I seek to love God. God is no mere abstraction, and just like your sister, child, or friend, cannot be truly known except by those who love him.
Therefore, to be known by God is the greatest of blessings. It’s for God to so love us that he comes to understand us through and through — and still love us despite the ugliness and brokenness he finds.
Jesus says,
(Mat 10:29-31 ESV) 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
God knows us — not merely because he’s omniscient and knows everything. That’s not the point Jesus is making. God knows us because he loves us. For the same reason I can spend hours staring at my granddaughter, God can spend eternity counting the hairs on my head. (Although it does take him much less time than it used to.)
And so, Paul says, the starting point of love and wisdom and even intelligence is not knowledge. It’s love of God. Until we get the starting point right, all is futility. But if we love God truly, then not only will he know us and so love us, we just might find our way to the kind of knowledge that God wants us to have.
If there was one congregation per town, then where does that leave the congregations “church’s” that met in the homes? We place a dichotomy upon the congregation that didn’t exist in the first century & that is where we believe that there were multiple congregations as opposed to one congregation in multiple places.I think the view of the congregation is much simpler and more foreign than we can admit to. The body of Christ was the congregation of the Lord & consisted of all of the saved. These people were addressed within the city that they lived due to issues that they had to deal with and it is these people that assembled into smaller groups at different times for different reasons.
In Cor.8 these people were putting themselves above others due to their knowledge, whereas love would do just the opposite and make them servants and humble. But this knowledge wasn’t tearing the church apart as the church is beyond thier reach in doing so. They were though tearing themselves from others & from God in thier pride. The first shall be last and the last first.
Please excuse any dripping sarcasm :). I am, after 40 years in the church, the weaker brother, and you, who are “stronger” must in love bear my weakness, which is my viewpoint toward issue A,B,C and the resulting “behavior”; then we can have fellowship. Otherwise, I cannot “bear” to be with you or allow you to be with me, because in spite of my weakness, I have POWER.
How sad I am to have experienced the “weaker brother” ploy in the attempt to control a congregation. Even sadder than “knowledge without humility” is “refusal of knowledge” without humility. Sing with me now, “Oh Lord, it’s hard to be humble . . . . When you’re perfect in so many ways.”
May we learn to love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly.