1 Corinthians Chapter 8 Breakdown

1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

Paul starts this portion of his letter off with moving topics to “things offered to idols”. The Greek word used for this phrase is Strong's G1494 – eidōlothytos. This word means, “sacrificed to idols, the flesh left over from the heathen sacrifices” with an expanded description as “it was either eaten at the feasts or sold (by the poor and the miserly) in the market”. Paul says about this meat that has been sacrificed to false gods, these men have knowledge about the eating the meat offered to idols. But this is a difficult issue. These men were being taught not to eat meat offered to idols. Which seems to be mentioned in the old testament, but when looking closer, it seems much more likely that God was more concerned with His people partaking in the sacrifices, and bowing down to the idols, than He was with the actual eating of the meat. Shaming men with your knowledge only shows how proud a man is in his knowledge, but showing love enlightens others.

2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.

Here Paul is saying, if you think you know what youre talking about, in telling people not to eat this meat, you do not understand what is written.

3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.

If a man loves God, he understands this.

4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

Now, here is where Paul makes sense of what I said above. An idol is nothing, it is not a god, because there is no God but YHWH. If the idol is nothing, then it doesn’t matter if we eat meat sacrificed to it.

5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

But, even if there are gods, they are not our God.

7 However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

The problem is this, some people (possibly just coming out of the pagan religions) have a heavy conscience about eating food offered to false gods. They have been eating this meat as an offering to idols. This causes their conscience to be weak and defiled. Because they have been partaking in the sacrificial rituals, they are troubled by eating this meat.

8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

Paul then goes on and states it is not food that brings us close to God. It doesn’t matter if we eat the meat or not. We have to understand, as of yet there is no mention of this meat being unclean according to Torah. Therefore, we cannot assume Paul is referring to anything such as pork. We do not want to read into this message any “ear tickling” doctrine. Paul is only referring to meat that has been sacrificed to idols.

9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

Now, we have to understand taking this freedom to eat meat, say from the market, which may have been sacrificed to an idol could cause issues for those who struggle with this. This could cause them to stumble in their relationship with God.

10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?

If you are seen, as a believer, eating this meat in the temple of the idol by someone with a weak conscience could cause them to believe it is okay to partake in the practices of the ritualistic sacrifices.

11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

Just because you know not to partake in the sacrificial rituals, but eating the meat means nothing, do you think it is okay for your brothers to believe it is okay to do those things?

12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

If you are doing this, you are sinning against your brother, causing him to sin, and ultimately you are sinning against Christ.

13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

That being said, if eating this meat, (notice the Old Testament never considered pork or unclean animals to be food), makes a brother sin, it is better to give up meat forever.