1Corinthians 8
Outline:
I. \\#1:1-4:21\\ In Answer to Chloe’s Report
II. \\#5:1-6:20\\ In Answer to Common Reports
III. \\#7:1-16:4\\ In Answer to the Church’s Requests
A. \\#7:1-40\\ Counsel Concerning Marriage
1. \\#7:1-9\\ Principles for Married Life
2. \\#7:10-16\\ Principles for the Married Believer
a. \\#10-11\\ Saved to the Saved
b. \\#12-16\\ Saved to the Unsaved
3. \\#7:17-24\\ Principle of Abiding in God’s Call
4. \\#7:25-38\\ Principles for the Unmarried
5. \\#7:39, 40\\ Principles for Remarriage
B. \\#8:1-11:1\\ Meat Offered to Idols
1. \\#8:1-3\\ The Most Important Thing
2. \\#8:4-13\\ Right Truths Leading to Wrong Answers
At first glance, we might think this chapter has nothing to do with
us, but look again. While we may never have opportunity to eat meat
that has been offered to an idol, the principals Paul gave to that
contemporary issue will most certainly help guide us in our
contemporary issues.
1Cor 8:1 Now as touching things offered unto
idols, we know that we all have knowledge.
Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
I. \\#1\\ Topic - Things offered unto idols.
A. We need to understand the topic. (Paul will actually explain
all of this himself in \\#1Cor 10:20-22, 11:20-34\\.)
1. Some want to use some of what Paul said in these chapters
as a proof text that it is all right to do wrong things
for a good reason.
a. For example - To use worldly things to make the
unsaved feel comfortable around the gospel.
b. In this chapter, they see Paul making allowances for
those who are weak in their knowledge or faith.
2. However, they fail to read to the end (chapters 10-11) for
although Paul began with kindness and compassion toward
the mistaken and foolish, he will make it abundantly
clear that to eat meat offered to idols is to play with
demons and to insult God!
B. Let’s start with what we SHOULD understand from the Lord’s
Communion and build on it.
1. We understand that when we do partake of the Lord’s
Supper, we are fellowshipping with our Lord, not just
symbolically but spiritually.
2. In the Old Testament, Jews brought sacrifices to God.
When they did, the meat became God’s. It also became
holy and only those who were holy could eat of it
because it was God’s meat.
3. Even more, the meat offering as well, as a few others,
were not offerings for sin’s atonement but fellowship
offerings. When you offered those, the giver was
spiritually sharing a meal with God.
4. So our Communion and all of the Jews sacrifices, connected
the people to Jehovah through fellowship.
C. The pagans do the same thing with their sacrifices.
1. By offering meat to idols, they dedicate that meat to the
devil and his demons.
1Co 10:20 But I say, that the things which the
Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and
not to God: and I would not that ye should have
fellowship with devils.
2. In making their sacrifice, the giver might participate in
several ways.
a. All of them would involve the worship of an idol.
(1) The giver might make his sacrifice and leave.
Such is act is worship. It is giving a gift to
a false god and asking blessings from it.
(2) The giver might go a step further and eat some of
the meat in the temple dedicated to that idol.
(a) Like the Lord’s Supper, this would be an
additional act of fellowshipping with this
god.
(b) It would be a sign of love and devotion.
b. There was no way to make a sacrifice to an idol
without "worshipping" the idol.
3. Concerning the meat, several things might happen to it.
a. Anything done with the meat offered to an idol would
either be direct worship to that idol or would aid
in the worship of the idol.
(1) It could be eaten by the giver and priests as an
act of fellowship and worship.
(2) It could be eaten by the priests and their
families as a means of providing for them. The
priests and their families would praise and
thank their idol for providing the meat through
the sacrifices, thus using the meat to bolster
the false worship.
(3) The remainder could be sold at the marketplace
and the money given to priests of that temple
for their livelihood and the upkeep of the
temple.
b. Once the sacrifice is given to a false god, there is
nothing that would be done with it that does not in
some way profit the deity to whom it was given; and
that would be the devil.
D. Understanding that:
1. Is there any way that you can see Paul condoning a
Christian eating meat offered to an idol?
2. I find it interesting that Paul will use meat offered to
idols as a way to teach the Corinthians what the Lord’s
Supper is while Christians today use the Lord’s Supper
to teach themselves about the meat offered to idols.
a. That is because we SHOULD know more about God’s things
today than the devil’s.
b. I hope that is so.
II. \\#1-3\\ To all - The Most Important Thing - Don’t let
pride/anger rule you.
1Cor 8:1 Now as touching things offered unto
idols, we know that we all have knowledge.
Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
2 And if any man think that he knoweth any
thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to
know.
3 But if any man love God, the same is known
of him.
A. Paul did not start by addressing what was right or wrong, but
how we deal with right or wrong.
B. \\#1\\ "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity builds up. "
Paul was speaking of the attitude we have. Regardless of
whether we are right or wrong, if we do not speak the truth
with love and kindness, we cannot edify or help others see
the truth.
C. \\#2\\ "he knoweth nothing at all" - Even if we are right
doctrinally or morally, if we do not share in love, we do not
know anything at all.
D. \\#3\\ But if we love, we know God even if our doctrine may
not be perfect.
III. \\#4-13\\ Right truths can lead to the wrong answer.
A. \\#4-6\\ The premise was that eating meat offered to idols
means nothing since there is only one God.
1Cor 8:4 As concerning therefore the eating of
those things that are offered in sacrifice unto
idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the
world, and that there is none other God but one.
5 For though there be that are called gods,
whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods
many, and lords many,)
6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of
whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by
him.
1. Right truths:
a. \\#4\\ "an idol is nothing"
b. "there is none other God but one."
c. \\#5\\ Although the world calls many things gods….
d. \\#6\\ We know there is one God and one Christ.
2. False conclusion:
a. Based on the truths that Paul was putting forth, it
would be logical to suppose Paul was going to say,
"Go ahead. Eat the meat. It is nothing!"
b. And that is what some believe, but HE DID NOT.
c. At this point, Paul was playing the "devil’s advocate"
by laying out the arguments those who eat the meat
offered to idols would use.
d. These are not HIS arguments, and they do not lead to
HIS conclusion.
B. \\#7\\ Think More:
1Cor 8:7 Howbeit there is not in every man that
knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol
unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an
idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
1. "Howbeit" - A contrasting connector.
a. Paul wanted those who were putting those arguments
forth to think more about it.
b. They should consider that not everyone else knows that
truth.
2. By eating the meat offered to idols, either in a pagan
temple or by purchasing it and taking it home, you might
cause someone else’s "conscience… to be defiled."
a. The "someone else" Paul was thinking of would be a
lost person or perhaps even a newborn Christian.
b. Their conscience being defiled means that when they
saw YOU offering or eating meat offered to an idol,
they might think YOU, a known and grown Christian,
were worshipping/fellowshipping with the idol.
c. The end result being they think less of you; or worse,
they might think Jesus would not care if you
worshipped more than one god; or worse still, they
might think Christianity is a religion made up of
hypocrites and walk away from Christ all together!
C. \\#8\\ Another right truth
1Cor 8:8 But meat commendeth us not to God: for
neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither,
if we eat not, are we the worse.
1. Meat is just food. It neither makes us better for God or
worse. It is an ‘inanimate" thing. It’s just what we
eat.
2. I have heard the same argument presented concerning
listening to and using worldly music in worship.
a. "It is just notes," they say. "Just inanimate,
lifeless sounds that have no meaning except what we
assign to it."
b. First, that is not true.
(1) Notes are like letters of the alphabet.
(a) Alone they may be inanimate; but combined
together, they produce a message.
(b) The message can be for good or evil,
depending on HOW the letters—and the
notes—are arranged.
(2) Music effects humans and music invites spirits,
both God’s and the devil’s.
(a) The effect on the spirit world may not be so
obvious to the eye of the unspiritual.
(b) However, the effect of music on humans is
obvious.
i. Hips sway and fingers snap because
music affects us.
ii. If you do not believe it, try watching
your favorite movies without the
music. Horror movies will not be
nearly as scary and love movies will
not be nearly as romantic.
c. But Paul will use the argument that even the meaning
we assign to the things that are inanimate and
lifeless are still important.
3. \\#9-12\\ Think More:
a. An inanimate thing like meat is important if it causes
someone else to stumble.
1Cor 8:9 But take heed lest by any means this
liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them
that are weak.
(1) Note the word "liberty."
(2) It means "freedom."
(3) So even if eating meat is nothing more than a
freedom available to you, if it becomes a
liberty that could trip another, you should
"take heed concerning it (think more about it.)
(a) Question - Would Paul be discussing this is
there was nothing wrong with eating meats
offered to idols?
i. No.
ii. Christians are ENCOURAGED to do those
things that are RIGHT no matter what
the public’s opinion.
iii. Even though Paul had not yet declared
that eating meats offered to idols
was wrong, it was.
(b) Implication - The implication was that you
should NOT exercise any liberty if it will
cause another to stumble. (Although we
I have already pointed out, eating meat
offered to idols IS more than just a
liberty!?
b. Why should I sacrifice for another’s wellbeing?
(1) Our actions might encourage another to do
something they do not know is right.
(a) I did not say, "They might do something they
think is wrong."
(b) That was not Paul’s point.
(c) His point was that seeing another Christian
do something, they might follow their
example and do something they did not know
was RIGHT.
i. Our behavior should not be guided by
the rule, "I did not know it was
wrong."
ii. Our behavior should be guided by the
rule, "I know it is right."
1Cor 8:10 For if any man see thee which hast
knowledge sit at meat in the idol’s temple,
shall not the conscience of him which is weak
be emboldened to eat those things which are
offered to idols;
(2) Having guided a brother onto a path of doing the
questionable, they might continue on that road
until they "perish."
(a) "Perish" does not mean "to be damned."
(b) It means to die.
(c) Putting people on the wrong road can produce
some permanent damage.
1Cor 8:11 And through thy knowledge shall the
weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
(3) And having done such harm to a brother, we have
sinned against Christ.
1Cor 8:12 But when ye sin so against the
brethren, and wound their weak conscience, ye
sin against Christ.
c. Paul’s Conclusion
1Cor 8:13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to
offend, I will eat no flesh while the world
standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
(1) So IF eating meats offered to idols DID NOT:
(a) have a Christian coming into fellowship with
demons…
(b) or have in any way promote or provide for
the upkeep and worship of a false god…
(2) Paul said he would never do it because of what it
might do to a weaker brother.
4. The "weaker" brother:
a. Those who advocate sinful behavior then attempt to
excuse it on the grounds of grace and liberty, like
to refer to those who refuse to accept their behavior
as being the weaker brother.
(1) For example, they will suppose they are the
"mature" brother because they KNOW there is
nothing wrong with immodest dress or worldly
music—just like those at Corinth knew an idol
was nothing at all.
(2) But we pesky immature brothers are hindering them
from their liberty by refusing to accept it as
righteous behavior.
b. NOTE:
(1) Paul never associated the person eating the meat
offered to idols as the "mature" brother or the
one not eating the meat as the "immature"
brother.
(a) His point was that by doing WRONG behavior,
you could cause a weaker Christian to
follow you and perish.
(b) If the behavior were not WRONG, it could not
cause a weaker brother to perish.
(c) Paul stated in \\#13\\ that HE did not eat
meat offered to idols and will be far more
adamant about it in the chapters to come.
(d) Would you call Paul a "weaker" brother?
(2) Even if the one NOT eating the meats were the
weaker brother (which is not the case),
according to Paul, it would be the obligation of
the stronger brother to abstain from eating for
the weaker brother’s sake.
c. RESULT - Calling the one who does not eat meat offered
to idols the "weaker brother" does not advance the
right to do the questionable. It obligates him to
surrender it.
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