10-30-25 – 1 Corinthians 8

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Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.

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Today brings us to 1 Corinthians chapter 8. It’s a short chapter, only 13 verses. So let’s listen to our guest reader, Dr. Michael Elliott, pastor at Regency Christian Center in Parker, Colorado, as he reads 1 Corinthians chapter 8.

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1 Corinthians 8. Now concerning food offered to idols, we know that all of us possesses knowledge. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that an idol has no real existence and that there is no God but one. For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” However, not all possess this knowledge, but some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged? If his conscience is weak to eat food offered to idols, and so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died.” Thus sinning against your own brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

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Chapter 8 starts out like chapter 7 did. It starts out with Paul’s words saying, Now concerning, which means that this was another matter that the 1 Corinthians wrote to Paul about. This time, it’s about food offered to idols. We don’t have this matter today in our Christianity, but we have behaviors or matters very much like it. So let’s look at my journals to see what I mean. In 1994, on 1 Corinthians chapter 8, I wrote, “‘Knowledge makes arrogant.'” Then I wrote, there is but one God. I continued writing, take care lest this liberty of yours somehow becomes a stumbling block to the weak. This is the key. We need to watch what we do even though we are free. To drink, eat, smoke, does it hinder the weak? If we weaken someone by our actions, we sin against Christ. In 2015, I was reading more than one chapter a day, so I read 1 Corinthians 8 and 9 on this day, but I did have some things concerning chapter 8. I wrote, Love builds up, knowledge puffs up. Idols are not real, therefore they have no power. And then finally, what we eat as Christians really doesn’t matter unless it weakens someone else. So drinking or not drinking alcohol is not Christian. It’s a matter of creating a stumbling block for others. So I mentioned earlier that we may not be faced with the issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols, but we do have similar things in our Christianity that we argue about and discuss and whether or not we should do or not do these behaviors. And I think Paul gives us some great advice here. Let’s look at the first opening verses of this chapter, and not necessarily related to food worship to idols, but to us in our possession of knowledge. It says, “…we know that all of us possess knowledge. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.” So all of us possess knowledge, and we all do possess some level of knowledge. But is it puffing us up? Is it building us up? Is it creating some kind of arrogance in our spiritual life? Verse 2, I think, is actually kind of funny. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. So I think these verses really tell us to be very careful about our spiritual arrogance. Paul gives us the answer, doesn’t he? He says knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone loves God, he is known by God. Yes, I think it’s good to be thankful for the knowledge that we have been gifted with, but let’s not let it puff us up. Let us not become spiritually arrogant. The next section Paul talks about is idols. I have had the privilege, the opportunity to travel the world and see people worshiping idols. They have a zeal for God without knowledge. Paul says as much in verse 7. He says, So if an idol has no existence, what difference does it make whether food is sacrificed to idols or not? I think that’s the crux of Paul’s argument here. Paul is saying what we eat or what we don’t eat isn’t the issue. And what we think about what we eat or don’t eat isn’t really the issue either. It’s what others think about what we’re doing. So let’s change the word food here to drinking. For example, in verse 8, instead of food, we’ll put drinking and it says, drinking will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not drink and no better off if we do. But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. So let’s jump down to verse 13 where Paul concludes the matter. Again, we’ll substitute drinking for food. And it says, Paul is more concerned with our behavior causing a weak brother to stumble. rather than the behavior itself. Paul says it this way in verse 12, Thus sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. So again, it’s not a matter of what we think about our knowledge about these issues. It’s a matter of how it affects those who watch our Christian behavior. People are more important than our behavior. Paul is willing to modify his behavior so that a brother would not stumble. Are we? In other words, regardless of what we think about the matter of whether Christians should drink or not drink, if it causes a brother to stumble, are we willing to give it up? I’ll conclude the matter as Paul did in verse 13, again substituting drinking for food and saying, therefore, if drinking makes my brother stumble, I will never drink lest I make my brother stumble. Father, we don’t read scripture just for knowledge for knowledge’s sake. Knowledge, as we’re told at the beginning of this chapter, can puff us up. We read scripture so we can gain knowledge so that it can modify our behavior. Paul was willing to modify his behavior so that a brother would not stumble. Holy Spirit, cause me to think about these things from 1 Corinthians 8. And Lord, help me decide whether I need to modify my behavior so that I don’t cause a brother to stumble. Thank you for your word that challenges how we live our lives. We give you thanks for it. In Jesus’ name, amen. You’ve been listening to AdBible, audio daily devotions from the Ezra Project. To learn more about where these podcasts come from, visit EzraProject.net. Check out information about AdBible. Learn more about the Ezra Project. And if these podcasts are spiritually beneficial to you, consider joining Club 365 right there at EzraProject.net. Club 365 is our way of being able to continue these podcasts on a daily basis. Your financial partnership will help allow that to happen. Thanks for listening to AdBible. Enjoy your visit to EzraProject.net. According to a recent Barna research study entitled Bible Reading, A New Year’s Resolution, most Americans are not satisfied with their current level of Scripture reading. A majority express a desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. Born-again and practicing Christians are the most likely to desire more Bible reading in their day-to-day lives. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read Scripture more than they do, says Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group. After all, two-thirds of Americans agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often? The study continues. However, like other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s the goal that for most people probably doesn’t feel necessary to survive and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life. Scripture reading takes time and focus, two things that feel like scarcities in today’s fast-paced and on-demand culture. Like exercise, like dieting, regular Bible reading does not offer instant payoff. It’s a discipline whose rewards are reaped over the long haul. And the study continues, when people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible more, they find the time. Access to the Bible is not the issue in the USA, is it? We all have Bibles. According to another study done a few years ago, 88% of Americans own a Bible. We have 3.5 Bibles in our homes. And this is amazing. 59% of people who have no faith or are atheists even own a Bible, probably just in case. So if you have a smartphone, you have access to the Word of God. My Gideon Bible app has over 2,100 languages. Access to the Bible is not the issue. The issue is changing our beliefs about the Bible to behavior with the Bible. So where are Christians with the Bible today? Christians are well-intentioned when it comes to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe, we just don’t behave. Our belief in the Bible and our behavior with the Bible are inconsistent. The middle ground related to the Bible seems to be disappearing. The decrease of Bible-neutral and Bible-friendly people and the increase of Bible antagonists suggests that more people are picking a side. Which side are you on? Are you a Bible antagonist questioning the Bible? Are you Bible-neutral? I just don’t know. Or are you Bible-friendly? I love the Bible. Wherever you are, pick a side. Because of our neglect of God’s Word, we are becoming biblically illiterate. For example, in a private religious elementary school, kids were asked about the Old and New Testaments. Here are some funny things that they had to say. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat that apple. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day but a ball of fire by night. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? Ruthless. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. Christians have only one spouse. That’s called monotony. So, if we think about Bible literacy or illiteracy, we think about it this way. If God decided to come down from his throne in heaven, become an author here on earth, you’d think his book would be on the bestseller list. And the fact is, the Bible is the number one bestselling book of all time. 2.5 to 5 billion, according to research. It’s also the most read book of all time. Praise the Lord, that alone might be evidence that the Bible, not any other so-called writing, is God’s Word. According to a weekly World News report, here are a few other Bible facts. About 50 Bibles are sold every minute. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It’s also the world’s most shoplifted book. That’s interesting. And that doesn’t even count all the Gideon Bibles stolen out of those hotels. So I encourage you to enjoy a portion of God’s Word every day. Make it a daily spiritual habit. And so until next time, I’m Alan J. Huth, and this program is sponsored by The Ezra Project, with support from listeners like you. Visit EzraProject.net to keep AdBible, connecting God’s people to God’s Word, on the air. I know you’re going to like it and want to share it with others.