1 Corinthians 8

1 Corinthians 8 stands in the middle section of 1 Corinthians. In this part of the letter, Paul responds one by one to questions the church at Corinth had raised in writing. Following the discussion of marriage in 1 Corinthians 7, this chapter begins to address whether believers may eat food that has been offered to idols. The topic continues through chapter 10.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. The one who loves God is known by God.
• Verses 4–6 An idol is nothing in the world. Though there are many so-called gods, for us there is one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ.
• Verses 7–8 Not everyone, however, possesses this knowledge. Because the habits of idol worship linger, some who eat such food find their conscience weakened and defiled. Food does not commend a person to God.
• Verses 9–12 A weak brother who sees a person with knowledge eating in an idol's temple may follow his example and stumble. To wound a brother's conscience in this way is to sin against Christ.
• Verse 13 Paul declares that if food causes his brother to stumble, he will eat no meat while the world stands.

Key Verses

• 1 Corinthians 8:1, "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth": This verse makes love rather than knowledge the standard of judgment for the entire chapter.
• 1 Corinthians 8:6, "But to us there is but one God, the Father … and one Lord Jesus Christ": This verse is regarded as preserving an early Christian confession of faith and is frequently cited in discussions of Christology.
• 1 Corinthians 8:13, "I will eat no flesh while the world standeth": This verse illustrates a willingness to lay aside one's own freedom for the sake of a brother.

People and Places

• Jesus Christ: Confessed as the "one Lord," by whom are all things.
• The weak: Believers whose conscience is easily wounded because of their former habits of idol worship.
• The idol's temple: A pagan temple. Meals of sacrificial meat eaten in temples are known to have been common in Corinth at the time.

Points for Reflection

• Many interpreters understand "we all have knowledge" (verse 1) and "an idol is nothing" (verse 4) as slogans of the Corinthian believers that Paul is quoting.
• Some scholars read verse 6 as distributing the monotheistic confession of Deuteronomy 6:4 between the Father and the Lord Jesus.
• In this chapter Paul does not command abstention from eating but sets forth the principle of love. In the following chapter, 1 Corinthians 10, he distinguishes between taking part in idolatrous sacrifices and eating meat bought in the marketplace.
• This chapter is often read alongside the Jerusalem decree in Acts 15:28–29 and the exhortation in Romans 14 to show consideration for those who are weak in faith.