Christian liberty in a pagan world: (chap.8):
Knowledge and its dangers: (8:1-6):
In the days of Corinth, meat was available in two sources both in regular market and in the local temples. The meat sold at regular market was bit expensive than that sold in temples. One of the concern of Corinthian believers was whether to eat such meat purchased from the temples. Christians were divided on this issue.
- One group believed the spirits of pagan gods were absorbed into the meat that had been sacrificed to an idol, and that Christians could be possessed by demons if they ate it (Bertolini and Richards, 135).
- Others who had formerly been involved in pagan worship didn’t believe you could actually be possessed, but still didn’t want to do anything that reminded them of their lives before Christ.
- A third group looking strong in the faith felt that an idol was just a block of wood or stone and had no power over and therefore couldn’t contaminate the meat that had been sacrificed to it.
The strong members saved money by purchasing the cheaper meat available from the temples. Further more if unconverted friends invited to a feast, they would serve the sacrificial meat which was bought from the temples. This has
offended the weaker Christians. Many of them had been saved out of pagan idolatry and they could not understand why their fellow believers would want to have anything to do with meat sacrificed to idols. So there was a potential division in the church, so the leaders asked Paul for counsel. The weak Christians were upset with them when their position is so logical? Because we don’t always solve every problem with logic.
Ex. The little child who is afraid of the dark will not be assured by arguments, especially if the older ones adopt a superior attitude.
Knowledge can be a weapon to fight with or a tool to build with, depending on how it is used. If it puffs up then it cannot build up or edify. Knowledge must be given through love and should be used in love, then the stronger Christians can lead the weaker Christians and together they can enjoy the freedom in Christ. We cannot force-feed immature believers and transform them into giants. So knowledge must be balanced by love.
Christians serve the only real God. So there is only one God who is the master of all things. But of course, there are other powerful spirits even as there are other powerful people on earth. It is those spirits whom people call their ‘gods’ and their ‘masters.’ An evil spirit deserves no honour. It is wrong even to take the honour that God deserves and to give it to a good spirit (Rev.22:8-9). Only the real God has the right to be called ‘God’. And we know Him only through Jesus Christ.