Wednesday after Trinity 7 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
The Corinthians asked Paul if it was acceptable to eat meat sacrificed to idols. Would eating the sacrifice make them partakers of the sacrifice to a pagan idol and make them idolaters? Paul responds that “an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.” Scripture at times calls other beings—usually leaders of the church—gods, such as in Psalm 82:6. The gentiles made their ancestors into gods and gave them divine honors and worship. But these are not gods in the true sense. There is only one God, the Father, His eternal Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit that proceeds from them. This is why “idols are nothing in the world.”
Paul sees that the real issue isn’t eating this meat but about the effect such eating could have on the consciences of Christians whose faith was weak. The weak in this instance are Corinthian Christians who were former idolaters and still had scruples that such meat was truly offered to another god. Their knowledge of the one God was frail. These Christians would see the more certain Christians eating meat previously sacrificed to idols and be scandalized, imagining that their brothers and sisters in Christ were partaking in idolatry.
Christian freedom is not always easy to understand and practice. Those who have understanding must be careful for those who are weak in understanding. If meat scandalized a brother Paul would never eat meat again. So we are to be careful not to use our freedom to scandalize others. However, neither are we to allow the weaker brother to remain in his weak state. Thus Paul can write that those with knowledge should temper their knowledge with love while those who are weak should consider that there is, in fact, only one God. Let us love the brethren so we neither scandalize them in free matters nor allow them to remain in their weak understanding.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, increase in our hearts our knowledge of the gospel as well as love for others, so that in all things we confess our faith and live in love. Amen.
