I Corinthians Chapter 8
Paul addresses an issue that at first glance does not appear to apply to the modern church but when looking at the teaching behind it we realize that it is something very important for us to ingest. Paul teaches the believers at Corinth to be mindful of the weaker brother in Christ. While it is true that the follower of Jesus Christ is free from the law and free from religious legalism, the believer must possess love for his fellow brother who may be weaker and not fully understand yet that freedom.
The weaker brother in this particular case might stumble into sin because he sees his fellow brother eating meat that had once been offered to idols and suddenly the worship of idols becomes a stumbling block to the weaker brother. The common practice when an animal was sacrificed to one of the many gods of the Corinthians, a portion of the meat was “for the gods” and a portion given to the priest(s). The leftover meat that the priest(s) did not consume was sold at the temple market and usually for a lessor price than other meats. The Corinthians thought that since they had newfound freedom, they should just take advantage of the sale.
Let's Reflect
1. In the very first verse Paul is asking the believers at Corinth to weigh what is most important. What are the two topics they should weigh?
2. As we think about how God calls the body of believers a family, we need to make love of our fellow brother a high priority. This type of love says that my brother is more important to me than my knowledge and my self-indulgence. Knowledge puffs up self. What does love do?
3. When we show love to our fellow man it is the same as loving God. This love expressed, is ____________ by God.
4. In verse 4 what is the knowledge that the believers had about idols or about gods?
5. To further expound on this truth Paul teaches what about God and Jesus?
6. The weaker brother may have been someone who just got saved and previously he participated in idol worship and ate the meat offered to idols. Now he is confused seeing his fellow Christians purchasing meat that had been offered to idols. The weaker brother (the new Christian) slips back into idol worship because of this confusion. What does Paul say about this, what does it do to the weaker brother? See verse 11.
7. Paul’s expresses that because he loves his fellow brother so much, that when it comes to those grey areas (like eating food offered to idols), it is better to do what?
Devotionals
