Idol Worship
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the name of Jesus.
Today we step forth into 1 Corinthians chapter 8 with a discussion of knowledge verses love. The age old argument of man’s ability to understand reality verses the incomprehensible truth of God’s love for us in Christ.
For the first time in our text, Paul speaks of idols in the city of Corinth. Let us diverge for a moment and understand life in ancient Corinth and in this seek to understand Paul’s message.
Now concerning food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes one conceited, but love edifies people. If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.
1 Corinthians 8:1-3
In the ancient world, while Rome was the capital of the empire, the ancient city of Athens was still the center of philosophy and education. While Rome aspired to be great, Athens was viewed as great because of the history tied to it. This along with the idea of Mt. Olympus and the home of the gods. The ancient gods of Greece were simply renamed and adopted by the new empire when Rome came to power. As such, there were centuries of unbroken belief systems in the ancient European world.
While Athens was great, Corinth aspired to be a rival city. As a center of international trade, Corinth boasted of great wealth, numerous temples, centers of learning, and a sophistication unparalleled in the days of Paul. The two patron gods of Corinth were Apollo & Aphrodite. While both gods were worshiped in numerous ways, Aphrodite was the goddess of sexuality and her female priests were available to worshipers. To engage in sexual intercourse with a priestess of Aphrodite was the greatest form of worship.
Alongside the numerous forms of immorality present in the worship of the ancient gods, the use of sacrificial animals was plentiful. But there is a catch! Almost all livestock were offered to the gods in sacrifice and the meat was then sold to the people of the city. In other words, the butcher markets were located in the temples. So, if you ate meat, it was meat which had been sacrificed at a pagan temple in honor of whichever god and temple it came from.
The entirety of 1 Corinthians 8 is dealing with this issue, meat sacrificed to idols, but Paul is framing this argument in the context of love. If the people of Corinth boasted of anything, it was their temples and their schools of philosophy! Again, wanting to rival Athens. To claim to have knowledge was right up their alley. Unfortunately, when a person first becomes a Christian, their ego is not checked at the door. Many young Christians still cling to their pride in worldly accomplishments when they first come to Christ. At the same time, Christian knowledge and understanding can be a source of pride for some believers. A greater understanding of Biblical truth can make a person believe they are spiritually superior to someone with less understanding. This is the exact issue which we see in our text today.
There are those who have knowledge. Paul is speaking of Christians who have a clear understanding concerning idols and idol worship. They know the truth of Scripture but their knowledge is not tempered with love. Knowledge puffs up (conceited) but love builds up.
Paul’s point is to set in contrast the reality of knowledge which in itself is good but when it leads to conceit, stands in opposition to love. Listen again to what Paul says, If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know. You may have knowledge and because of this you have understanding of truth, but you do not yet know what it means to live in relation to your fellow Christians. It is not knowledge which elevates you but love. When a person can set aside esteeming themselves because of what they know and humble themselves to truly love others and do what is best for them, then that person understands what it means to love God.
Chapter 8 is a short chapter but an important one. In Christ we are given freedom, but we should not use our freedom in such a way to cause other Christians to stumble or to present a negative witness to the world. We will explore these and more issues in the weeks to come. Until then, blessings!
Pastor Russ
Today we step forth into 1 Corinthians chapter 8 with a discussion of knowledge verses love. The age old argument of man’s ability to understand reality verses the incomprehensible truth of God’s love for us in Christ.
For the first time in our text, Paul speaks of idols in the city of Corinth. Let us diverge for a moment and understand life in ancient Corinth and in this seek to understand Paul’s message.
Now concerning food sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes one conceited, but love edifies people. If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.
1 Corinthians 8:1-3
In the ancient world, while Rome was the capital of the empire, the ancient city of Athens was still the center of philosophy and education. While Rome aspired to be great, Athens was viewed as great because of the history tied to it. This along with the idea of Mt. Olympus and the home of the gods. The ancient gods of Greece were simply renamed and adopted by the new empire when Rome came to power. As such, there were centuries of unbroken belief systems in the ancient European world.
While Athens was great, Corinth aspired to be a rival city. As a center of international trade, Corinth boasted of great wealth, numerous temples, centers of learning, and a sophistication unparalleled in the days of Paul. The two patron gods of Corinth were Apollo & Aphrodite. While both gods were worshiped in numerous ways, Aphrodite was the goddess of sexuality and her female priests were available to worshipers. To engage in sexual intercourse with a priestess of Aphrodite was the greatest form of worship.
Alongside the numerous forms of immorality present in the worship of the ancient gods, the use of sacrificial animals was plentiful. But there is a catch! Almost all livestock were offered to the gods in sacrifice and the meat was then sold to the people of the city. In other words, the butcher markets were located in the temples. So, if you ate meat, it was meat which had been sacrificed at a pagan temple in honor of whichever god and temple it came from.
The entirety of 1 Corinthians 8 is dealing with this issue, meat sacrificed to idols, but Paul is framing this argument in the context of love. If the people of Corinth boasted of anything, it was their temples and their schools of philosophy! Again, wanting to rival Athens. To claim to have knowledge was right up their alley. Unfortunately, when a person first becomes a Christian, their ego is not checked at the door. Many young Christians still cling to their pride in worldly accomplishments when they first come to Christ. At the same time, Christian knowledge and understanding can be a source of pride for some believers. A greater understanding of Biblical truth can make a person believe they are spiritually superior to someone with less understanding. This is the exact issue which we see in our text today.
There are those who have knowledge. Paul is speaking of Christians who have a clear understanding concerning idols and idol worship. They know the truth of Scripture but their knowledge is not tempered with love. Knowledge puffs up (conceited) but love builds up.
Paul’s point is to set in contrast the reality of knowledge which in itself is good but when it leads to conceit, stands in opposition to love. Listen again to what Paul says, If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know. You may have knowledge and because of this you have understanding of truth, but you do not yet know what it means to live in relation to your fellow Christians. It is not knowledge which elevates you but love. When a person can set aside esteeming themselves because of what they know and humble themselves to truly love others and do what is best for them, then that person understands what it means to love God.
Chapter 8 is a short chapter but an important one. In Christ we are given freedom, but we should not use our freedom in such a way to cause other Christians to stumble or to present a negative witness to the world. We will explore these and more issues in the weeks to come. Until then, blessings!
Pastor Russ
Recent
Archive
2024
February
May
2023
January
March
May
June
July
August
October
November
2022
December
Categories
no categories
No Comments