SERMON: “Love and Liberty, Part 1” (1 Cor. 8:1–3)
“Love and Liberty, Part 1” (1 Cor. 8:1–3)
Series: “1 Cor: Holiness from Messes” #28 Text: 1
Corinthians 8:1–3
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: May
24, 2026
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion: AM Service
Introduction
Over a hundred years ago now, mainline denominations in our
country were rocked with the modernist-fundamentalist controversy. Institutions were beginning to allow doubt
the reliability of Scripture, questioning the truth of the Bible in several
points such as whether miracles took place.
In response, Christians began rallying around what they saw as the
fundamentals of the faith, such as inspiration of Scripture and the reality of
the virgin birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This was a good movement that identified what
God would not have any Christian doubt.
However, some fundamentalists over time began elevating all
personal convictions to this level.
Questions like whether Christians can use modern Bible translations or if
there were enough degrees of separation between certain churches became
evidence of ongoing liberal influence to some wary observers. This binding of convictions continued to
increasingly debatable matters such as hair length, listening to rock and roll,
women wearing pants, consuming alcohol, playing cards, going to the theater,
etc. As this went on, some who would
have considered themselves historically fundamentalist began joining the ranks
of evangelicals who didn’t want to major on the minors.
These are all issues theologians refer to as adiaphora,
issues of indifference. They are neither
commanded nor forbade by God. That’s
part of the reason Christians debate them!
There’s nothing new under the sun. There have always been Christians who have
developed well-meaning convictions about adiaphora, but they’ve taken
them too far. Sometimes, as in the
example of the American fundamentalists, they began going down a more
moralistic, legalistic route. Others,
however, developed convictions about liberty that they expected everyone around
them to follow. For instance, those
coming from a fundamentalist background are surprised to learn that the Bible
doesn’t condemn drinking, so they begin drinking in front of everyone,
disregarding any concern others might have.
This was the problem with a few of the Corinthian
believers. They knew that some of their
brethren had very strong feelings about eating meat sacrificed to idols. Yet, they realized that the act of eating it
wasn’t always idolatry, and they had liberty in Christ. Therefore, they began to eat without care of
others, and that was causing problems with some of the weaker brothers.
Christians should practice their liberty, but only when
considering others. This morning, we see
four ways in which to deal with indifferent issues. First, Christians should have knowledge
about issues (v. 1a). Second, Christians
should love one another through issues (v. 1b).
Third, Christians should have humility about issues (v. 2). Fourth, Christians should love God above the
issues (v. 3). Let’s consider how to
deal with these questions together.
First, Christians Should Have Knowledge About Issues (v. 1a)
Now concerning
things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge.
We’ll need to spend the longest time on this point so that
we can have knowledge. We must
understand the context of the issues that they were facing. Only then can we see what kind of knowledge
Paul is addressing here.
First, it’s worth repeating that Paul is addressing
questions about which the church asked him.
He began that back in 7:1, and he signals his shift to the next issue by
saying, “Now concerning.” The specific
issue was this meat that had been offered in sacrifice to pagan idols.
Now, that might not seem very relevant to Christians today,
but some Christians in other parts of the world still face this very
question. In fact, it is possible in
parts of this country to purchase discounted meat from a pagan temple. Even so, we should consider the historical
context of Corinth.
In that day, pagan temples were not just places of worship,
like churches are. They also functioned
as community centers, butcher shops, and banquet halls.[1] Animal sacrifices were common, and in that
superstitious society, meat was often sacrificed to an idol to prevent it from
becoming “infected” by an evil spirit.[2] The undesirable parts were burned on the
altar, while the choice cuts were eaten in temple feasts or sold in the
marketplace.[3]
Not all meat was sacrificed, but it was
expensive and relatively rare for most people, so temple meat was the best
option for Corinthian residents.
This created genuine dilemmas for Christians. To be clear, the dilemma wasn’t whether
Christians could bow down before an idol with the meat in front of everyone and
then go home. Rather, it was whether it
was ever right to buy meat in the market that might have come from a temple. Some Gentile Christians were converts from
this very idolatry, and they didn’t want anything more to do with it, sensitive
to their own sin. Some Jewish converts
were troubled by it. Moreover, all Christians
who had weaker consciences on this topic were also concerned whether they could
eat at a friend’s home, not knowing the source of the food they might be served.
What
was and wasn’t permissible?
This was related to the issue that concerned the Jerusalem Council. They wondered how to best address the Gentile
believers living in and near Jerusalem (Acts 15:20, 29). They decided, among other things, to urge
abstinence from consuming things contaminated by idols. Their motivation was concern for the larger
Jewish population in the area, not wanting Gentile Christians to become an
undue stumbling block for those coming to Christ or to recent Jewish
converts.
Yet, some Corinthian Christians had concluded that eating
such meat would be okay. They reasoned
that idols are not real gods, so there is no personal risk in accidentally
buying meat that was tainted by idolatry.
Moreover, they have freedom in Christ, meaning that the personal
convictions of others need not bind their consciences. So, they not only bought the meat, but they
also went to functions that might have had some associations with idolatry to
obtain meat. Their consciences were
clear,[4] and, as much as it
might surprise some of you, Paul doesn’t say that they were wrong.
They had knowledge.
In fact, Paul repeats their apparent slogan[5] — “we
all have knowledge.” These “mature”
believers rightly understood that there is only one true God (a point Paul will
develop in vv. 4–6) and that food itself is morally neutral (cf. 1 Tim. 4:3–5;
Mark 7:19). And Paul is thankful for
what they know, for earlier in the letter, he thanked God that they had been
“enriched in Him, in all word and all knowledge” (1 Cor. 1:5). They had knowledge, and knowledge is good
(we’ll talk more about this in a few minutes).
The issue here is that these Corinthians valued knowledge
too much, even to the detriment of others.
They thought that, if they simply stated their knowledge for others, the
“weaker” among them would be educated and okay.
That’s not how it works, but they thought that having knowledge meant
that they were more spiritual than others.
It’s that pride that Paul addresses next:
Second, Christians Should Love One Another Through Issues (v. 1b)
Knowledge puffs
up, but love builds up.
Knowledge is good, which is why Scripture commands us to
grow in it. Jesus prayed that His
disciples would know the truth (John 17:7–8), and Peter urged believers to
“grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet.
3:18). We must study the Scriptures
diligently so we can rightly divide the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). Ignorance is not a spiritual virtue.
However, knowledge alone can also inflate the ego. This can happen when people use their
supposed knowledge and wisdom to exceed what is written, as Paul noted a few
chapters ago (1 Cor 4:6). There can be
wrong motivations behind the obtaining of knowledge, which goes all the way back
to the Garden of Eden — there, the serpent tempted Eve with the promise of
godlike knowledge (Gen. 3:5). Sin can
twist any endeavor.
This is how knowledge can become destructive. Some treat theology like a competitive sport,
collecting doctrines to flaunt before others. Some use “knowledge” as a club to beat down
differing convictions on secondary matters.
Still others gather information to avoid truth and gather
converts to false religion. If the aim
isn’t to learn more about the Lord and truth from a place of worship and love,
then there is likely something amiss.
Paul doesn’t reject knowledge. Instead, he rejects knowledge without love. As one commentator notes, “Knowledge by itself brings arrogance, not
maturity.”[6] True biblical knowledge is never merely
intellectual; it must also be relational, both horizontally and vertically.
So, by contrast,
Paul says that “love builds up.” This is
agape love, which we learn from God, and practically applied, it will be
concerned about the building up of others.
The term means to construct or strengthen, like building a house.[7] Rather than tearing down weak consciences,
love strengthens faith and edifies.
This principle applies far beyond meat offered to idols. We may have strong personal convictions on
certain issues, and those convictions may even be biblically informed. Yet, if we wield them in a way that wounds a
brother or sister for whom Christ died, we are not walking in love. We should pursue peace and what builds up
(Rom 14:19).
We must let love govern our liberty. Some might bristle at that idea, though,
because of self-love and pride. That’s
part of what Paul addresses next.
Third, Christians Should Have Humility About Issues (v. 2)
If anyone thinks
that he has known anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know;
This is a humbling pronouncement. The
person who imagines he has arrived — who says, “I’ve got this figured out” — actually
demonstrates that he has not yet begun to know anything properly. The verb “thinks” carries the idea of
supposition or appearance, in this case, of knowledge. In other words, it’s possible to only look
like a person is knowledgeable.
A person can be self-deceived about his position and
knowledge, as Paul noted about their supposed wisdom in 1 Corinthians
3:18. Self-deception is not only
possible but also common. We worry about
being deceived by others, yet, we should be concerned with deceiving
ourselves! Scripture repeatedly warns
against this in places like Isaiah 5:21, which declares, “Woe to those who are
wise in their own eyes and understanding in their own sight!” He calls the Corinthians to humility.
Again, Paul is not saying obtaining knowledge is impossible
or worthless. He’s telling us about a
defective knowledge. One commentator
notes, “Some Corinthian believers assumed that knowledge was the true sign of
spirituality. They did not understand
that knowledge without love indicates a lack of knowledge.”[8] Another says, “The truly edified person has
some idea of what he has yet to learn. …
Ignorance does not know that it does not know. True knowledge does not know and knows it.”[9] The more we genuinely know of God and His
Word, the more we realize the depths we have not yet plumbed.
True knowledge recognizes the limitations of finite minds
and the supreme value of other believers.
When we approach disputable matters with arrogance, we divide the
church. When we approach them with
humility, however, we create space for differing convictions while maintaining
the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). This
humility is essential for Christian unity and should be desired by those who
love God, leading to the final point:
Fourth, Christians Should Love God Above the Issues (v. 3)
but if anyone
loves God, he has been known by Him.
Here, Paul gets to a positive counterpart. Knowledge that puffs up focuses on self. Instead, the self-deceived, self-important
“knower” of things should focus on loving God. Love for God shifts the focus upward and then outward
toward others.
Anyone who claims to really know the truth of Scripture
should understand the importance of this.
Loving God is the first and greatest commandment (Matt. 22:37–38; Deut.
6:4–5). This should be the priority of
every Christian — certainly more important than demonstrating specialized
knowledge.
Of course, some might say that loving God is elementary,
that they are moving on to greater issues in their lives. Yet, those who truly love God will love their
brothers and sisters. God’s love
motivates us to love the saints, meaning that those showing contempt for their
“weaker,” less-educated brothers are in sin and may even evidence
unregeneration (1 John 4:19–21). They
will not carelessly exercise liberty in a way that endangers another’s faith. Some Christians need to get back to basics.
Given that, we might expect Paul to say that “if anyone
loves God, he should love the brethren” or, at least, “if anyone loves God, God
loves him.” But, notice the passive
construction Paul uses to describe the one who loves God: “he has been known by
Him.” Paul contrasts the fact that some
Christians are self-satisfied in what they know with what God knows.
And Paul communicates it in the most comforting and profound
way — the one who loves can be assured of God’s full knowledge. Paul uses the perfect tense again in the
original language, indicating a settled reality. This knowledge echoes the language of
covenant relationship (cf. Psa. 1:6; Jer. 1:5).[10] To be known by God is to be loved, chosen, and
kept by Him. It is relational intimacy,
not mere intellectual awareness.
This knowledge from God is the foundation of our security
and the motivation for holy living. It
delivers us from the need to prove our superiority through knowledge, for we
find our fulfillment in God. We rest in
being known by the One who matters most.
Conclusion
Paul’s overriding principle is clear: Knowledge must be
balanced by the love of God and the love of the saints. As we continue in this series, Paul will
develop these themes further — giving up rights for the sake of others (ch. 9),
fleeing idolatry (ch. 10), and doing all to the glory of God (10:31). He gave the example and teaching for us to
follow.
This means that those who were proud about their specialist
knowledge on a disputable matter had missed the mark and were not building up
the church. In fact, Paul says that it
is not the simple act of sharing knowledge that edifies believers, but love is.
When Christians share knowledge through
love, patiently waiting for others and being sensitive to their concerns,
however, it demonstrates that we know God and are known by Him.
This has massive implications for us today. When the church begins to feel polarized on disputable
matters, ask: Am I using my knowledge to puff myself up or to build others up? Am I more concerned about winning arguments or
my brothers and sisters themselves? Do
my convictions lead me to humility and love, or to pride and division? Are my actions leading people closer to God?
May the Lord grant us the grace to strive more for the love
of God and the building up of His church than our own interests.
[1] J. I. Packer, Wayne
Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, Eds., ESV
Global Study Bible, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 1615.
[2] John MacArthur Jr.,
Ed., The MacArthur Study Bible,
electronic ed., (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 1740.
[3] David K. Lowery, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An
Exposition of the Scriptures, 1985, 2, 521.
[4] John F. MacArthur
Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New
Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 191.
[5] John D. Barry,
Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot
Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar, Faithlife Study Bible, (Bellingham, WA:
Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Co 8:1.
[6] MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, 192.
[7] Roy E. Ciampa and
Brian S. Rosner, The First Letter to the
Corinthians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI;
Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010), 375–376.
[8] Barry, et. al., 1 Co
8:2.
[9] MacArthur, 1 Corinthians.
[10] Ciampa and Rosner, 378.