1 Corinthians 8

Idolatry

Christian Liberty

Love, not knowledge should govern Christian liberty.

A specific issue (8:1-13)

The context

• Before getting too far into the passage we first need to understand the culture in which the Corinthians Christians would have found themselves.

Pagan temples at the time functioned similar to restaurants today.

However, invited guests would eat the food that had first been offered to an idol

The Problem

• What question can we infer existed in church from the equation Paul seems to be answering in verses 4-6?

The obvious question is "Can a Christian eat food that had been sacrificed to idols?"

However, there are deeper questions that Paul is addressing. How should a Christian handle their knowledge that pagan worship practices are false?

In chapter 10 Paul will outright forbid the practice. However, Paul first wants to establish a means of reasoning through Christian liberty.

The contrast: love vs knowledge (1-3) What contrast does Paul make between love and knowledge? The content of knowledge (4-6) What knowledge did the Corinthians possess? Was their knowledge accurate? How does this passage indicate that just having knowledge is not enough? The importance of love over knowledge (7-13) How should we apply this concept to our own life?