Knowledge Versus Love

“We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.” 1 Corinthians 8:1b-3 NIV

In these verses, Paul is addressing the issue of eating food sacrificed to idols. The Christians taking part in this knew that idols were not real and so they defended their actions as not being immoral because they were not worshiping other gods.
      This is a problem we still have today. Not everything in the Bible is black or white (obviously right or obviously wrong), but people act like it is. See, during these situations, people use knowledge of what they know rather than Who they know.
      When we have a relationship with God, we no longer judge the morality or rightness of something based off the rules we know. Instead, we are judging these things based off knowledge of God’s character.
      We gain this knowledge by seeking more of Him in love. He reveals Himself to us when we do because He knows that we truly desire more of Him. We are not seeking to justify ourselves, but simply to love more of Who He is and to act according to what we know through it.
      While it was not outright wrong, Paul discouraged Christians from eating food sacrificed to idols. He warned, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols?” (1 Corinthians 8:9-10).
      We are examples to people, so they look at what we do to decipher what is right or wrong. If people see us doing something, they will follow our lead, so we have to be careful what we do.
      Here’s an example of how chapter 8 can fit into our lives now: let’s say I go out to a club; if all I’m going to do there is dance (clean not dirty) then it’s not necessarily wrong. Now, let’s say someone found out I went to a club and did the same because they used my standard as an example for their own. But, instead of going home afterward, that person got tempted by the sexual environment and ended up falling prey to their lust (they had sex with someone from the club). Well, that sin is partially on me because I served as the example that person followed and instead of leading that person to a set apart lifestyle, I led them to the places of the world.
      God prefers love to knowledge. See, knowledge may build up what you know and who you are, but it is love that compels you to use what you learn to build others up in turn.