Commentary - 1 Corinthians 8:1-3

Bird's-eye view

In this opening section of chapter 8, the Apostle Paul begins to address a thorny pastoral issue in the Corinthian church: the propriety of eating meat that had been sacrificed to pagan idols. This was not a theoretical question for them; it was a matter of daily life in a thoroughly pagan city. The Corinthians, particularly a faction of them, were priding themselves on their "knowledge" that idols were nothing and that the meat was therefore harmless. Paul begins not by immediately answering the presenting question, but by reframing the entire debate. He confronts their intellectual arrogance head-on, establishing a foundational principle that will govern the rest of his argument. The central contrast is not between knowledge and ignorance, but between a knowledge that puffs up and a love that builds up. He teaches that true spiritual maturity is not measured by what you know, but by whether you love God and, consequently, your brother. The climax of this introduction is a profound theological reversal: the ultimate validation of a person's spiritual state is not that they know God, but that they are known by Him.

This passage serves as a crucial preamble to the practical instructions that follow. Paul is laying the groundwork, showing that questions of Christian liberty are never to be settled by an appeal to raw theological data alone. Right doctrine must always be applied in love. The Corinthians were using their knowledge as a club to beat the weaker brethren over the head. Paul takes the club out of their hands and reminds them that in the household of God, the strong are called to build up, not to tear down. The entire discussion is thus elevated from a debate about meat to a lesson on the very nature of Christian community and the heart of true spirituality.

Outline

Context In 1 Corinthians

First Corinthians is a letter of pastoral correction. The church in Corinth was a chaotic mess, gifted but deeply immature. They were plagued by divisions, arrogance, sexual immorality, lawsuits, and liturgical disorder. Chapter 8 is part of a larger section (chapters 8-10) where Paul addresses the specific problem of "things sacrificed to idols." This issue was a flashpoint for the conflict between the "strong" and the "weak." The strong, armed with correct theological knowledge (that an idol is nothing), were flaunting their liberty in a way that was causing the weak, those with tender consciences still troubled by their pagan past, to stumble. Paul's response here in chapter 8 sets the stage for his more detailed arguments, including his own example of surrendering his rights for the sake of the gospel in chapter 9, and his stark warnings against idolatry in chapter 10. This opening salvo is therefore strategic; before he discusses the meat, he must first diagnose the pride.

Key Issues

Knowledge That Inflates, Love That Builds

The Corinthians had gotten hold of a great deal of theological information. They had been taught well, at least in terms of the raw data. They knew that there was only one God. They knew that the idols cluttering up their city were nothing more than wood and stone. From this correct premise, they deduced that meat offered to a non-entity was just meat, and therefore they were free to eat it. The logic, in a sterile environment, is impeccable. But the church is not a sterile environment; it is a family, a body. And in a body, one member's actions affect all the others.

Their problem was not their knowledge, but what their knowledge was doing to them. It was making them arrogant. It was puffing them up like a balloon, all surface area and no substance. Paul contrasts this with love. Love, he says, builds up. The Greek word is oikodomeo, from which we get our word "edifice." Love is a master builder. It lays stone on stone, constructing a solid, habitable structure. Arrogant knowledge creates an inflatable, temporary party decoration. Love builds a permanent temple for the Holy Spirit. This is the fundamental choice Paul places before the Corinthians: do you want your church to be a bouncy castle or a cathedral?

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

Paul begins by quoting a slogan that was likely popular among the "strong" faction in Corinth: "we all have knowledge." He grants the premise, but only for the sake of argument. Of course, in one sense, they all possessed the basic facts about monotheism. But Paul immediately pivots to the effect of that knowledge. The verb for "puffs up" (physioo) is a favorite of Paul's in this letter, and it always carries the sense of arrogant, baseless pride. It describes a swelling caused by air, not by substance. This kind of knowledge is all about the self. It makes a man feel big. Love, in stark contrast, "builds up." It edifies. Love's focus is never on the self, but on the other. Love looks at a brother and asks, "How can I make him stronger? How can I contribute to the stability and health of the whole structure?" The Corinthians were using their knowledge to inflate their own egos, and in so doing, they were threatening to demolish the church.

2 If anyone thinks that he has known anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;

Here Paul deepens his critique of their intellectual pride. He moves from the effect of knowledge to its very nature. If a man is confident and cocky in his understanding, that very confidence is proof that he doesn't understand the first thing about true knowledge. To know "as he ought to know" is to know with humility. It is to recognize the vastness of God and the finitude of one's own mind. It is to understand that theological truth is not a set of abstract propositions to be mastered, but a reality to be lived under. The man who thinks he has arrived, who believes his theological system is airtight and complete, is a man who has just demonstrated his fundamental ignorance. True knowledge always comes with a sense of awe and a profound awareness of how much we still don't know. The Corinthian know-it-alls, by their very arrogance, were broadcasting their own spiritual immaturity.

3 but if anyone loves God, he has been known by Him.

This verse is the anchor and climax of the argument. Paul provides the alternative to the man who "thinks he knows." The true measure of a man is not his intellectual grasp of God, but his love for God. And then comes the stunning reversal. The ultimate ground of our assurance is not located in our activity at all, whether it is knowing or loving. The ultimate ground is in God's activity. "If anyone loves God...", that is the evidence, "...he has been known by Him", that is the foundation. The verb is in the perfect tense, indicating a past action with ongoing results. To be "known" by God in the biblical sense is not mere awareness. It is the language of covenant, of intimate, elective, saving relationship. God set His knowing, loving gaze upon His people before the foundation of the world. Our love for Him is merely the fruit of His prior knowledge of us. This completely demolishes all grounds for boasting. You don't boast in your knowledge, because your knowledge is imperfect and inflates your ego. And you don't even boast in your love for God, because that love is only a response to the glorious fact that He, in His sovereign grace, knew you first.

Application

This passage is a bucket of cold water for every Christian who is tempted to weaponize their theological knowledge. It is a constant temptation in Reformed circles, where we rightly value sound doctrine, to think that mastery of the system is the goal. We can become proud of our five points, our grasp of covenant theology, or our ability to articulate the nuances of the Trinity. But Paul reminds us that if our knowledge does not result in a greater love for God and a tangible, constructive love for our brothers and sisters, it is worse than useless. It is a cancerous growth.

The application is straightforward. When you are in a dispute over some matter of Christian liberty, be it food, drink, schooling, entertainment, or politics, the first question is not "What does the Bible say about the issue?" The first question is "Do I love the person I am talking to?" Is my goal to win an argument and prove my superior understanding, or is it to build them up in the faith? Am I more concerned with exercising my rights or with protecting my brother's conscience? Knowledge gives us the facts, but only love knows what to do with them.

And finally, we must ground our identity not in what we know, but in the glorious truth that we are known. When pride in your theological acumen begins to swell, remind yourself that your salvation does not depend on the quality of your thoughts about God, but on the tenacity of His thoughts about you. He knew you in Christ before time began. That is a truth that doesn't puff up; it humbles, it secures, and it is the only foundation upon which a life of genuine love can be built.