Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 1 CORINTHIANS #9 - 8:1-13)
III. 8:1-11:34 A TREATISE ON APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY
A. 8:1-13 LAW CONCERNING IDOL MEAT
a. 8:1a Now concerning the thingssacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge.
PeRI de ton ei-do-loTHUton [1494]: OIda-men [1492]HOti PANtes GNOsin [1108]Echo-men.
b. 8:1b :Knowledge puffs up, but :love builds up.
heGNOsis phu-siOI [5448], hede aGApeoi-ko-doMEI [3618].
c. 8:2-3 KNOWLEDGE APART FROM LOVE - IS ALSO APART FROM GOD
EI tis doKEI [1380] eg-noKEnai ti [1492], OUpoEGnokaTHOS dei GNOnai [1097];
If any thinks he knows anything, he knows not yet as he ought to know;
ei DE tis a-gaPA ton TheON, HOUtos EGnos-tai hup' auTOU.
3but if any loves :God, the same is known by him.
d. 8:4 A TRUE RECOGNITION OF THE NATURE OF IDOLS
PeRI tes BROse-os [1035]oun ton ei-do-loTHUton [1494],
Concerning therefore the eating of things sacrificed to idols,
OIda-men HOti ouDEN EIdo-lon [1497]en KOSmo[2889], kai HOti ouDEIS TheOS ei meheis.
we know that no idol is anythingin the world, and that thereis no God but one.
e. 8:5-6 CONTRAST BETWEEN TRUEGOD AND SO-CALLED GODS
kai gar EIper ei-sin leGOme-noi TheOI, EIte en ou-raNOEIte ePI ges;
For though therebe so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth;
HOSper eiSIN TheOI polLOI, kai KUri-oi [2962]polLOI;
just as gods are many, and lords many;
all' huMIN heis TheOS, ho paTER [3962], ex hou ta PANta, kai huMEIS eis auTON;
6yet to us there isone God, the Father, of whom are :all things, and we unto him;
kai heis KUri-os, IeSOUS ChrisTOS, di' hou ta PANta, kai heMEIS di' auTOU.
and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom areall the things, and we through him.
f. 8:7 INADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE DEFILES THE CONSCIENCE
All' ouk en PAsin heGNOsis: tiNES de, tesu-neTHEIa [4893]HEos ARti tou eiDOlon,
But not in all is the knowledge: but some, :being used until now to the idol,
hos ei-doLOthu-ton ESthi-ou-sin [2068]; kai hesuNEIde-sis auTON as-theNES OUsa moLUne-tai [3435].
eat as of a thingsacrificed to idols;and their :conscience being weak is defiled.
g. 8:8 A CLEAR PRINCIPLE
BROma [1033]de heMAS ou pa-ra-STEsei [3936]toTheO:
But meat will not present us to :God:
OUte, eAN mePHAgo-men [5315], hus-teROUme-tha [4052]; OUte, eAN PHAgo-men, pe-ris-seuOmen [5302].
neither, if we eat not, do we lack; nor, if we eat, do we abound.
h. 8:9 YET - BALANCE IT WITH LOVE
BLEpe-te [992]de mepos hee-xouSIa [1849]huMON HAUtePROSkom-ma [4348]GEnetai tois as-theNEsin.
But look you lest by any means this :power of yoursbecome a stumbling-block to the weak.
i. 8:10 CONSCIENCE WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE
eAN GAR tis Idese ton Echon-ta GNOsin en ei-doLIo[1493]
For if one sees you who has knowledge sitting at meat
ka-taKEIme-non [2621], ouCHI hesuNEIde-sis [4893]auTOU, as-theNOUS [772]ONtos,
in an idol's temple, will not his :conscience, if he is weak,
oi-ko-do-meTHEse-tai [3618]eis to ta ei-doLOthu-ta [1494]esTHIein?
be emboldened to eat thingssacrificed to idols?
j. 8:11 For by your :knowledge the weak perishes,the brother for whom Christ died.
aPOLlu-tai [622]gar ho as-theNON [770]en teGNOsei, ho a-delPHOS di' hon ChrisTOS aPEtha-nen [599].
k. 8:12 THIS CAN CAUSE SINNING AGAINST CHRIST
HOUtos de, ha-marTAnon-tes [264]eis tous a-delPHOUS,
And thus, sinning against the brethren,
kai TUPton-tes [5180]auTON ten suNEIde-sin as-theNOUsan, eis ChrisTON ha-marTAne-te [599].
and smiting their :conscience whenweak, you sin against Christ.
l. 8:13 PAUL'S PERSONAL SOLUTION
diOper, ei BROma skan-daLIzei [4624]ton a-delPHON mou,
Wherefore, if meat stumbles my :brother,
ou mePHAgoKREa [2907]eis ton aiOna, HIna meton a-delPHON mou skan-daLIso.
I will eat no flesh unto the age, that I cause not my :brother to stumble.
NOTE: We can apply this same principle to the drinking of wine. The Salvation Army withdrew communion from their worship in the beginning, because of the number of believers who had been converted out of alcoholism. This we can understand, because it is the spirit of the Holy Spirit in Paul in this passage.
In Israel wine is served at the Passover supper and is greatly diluted for children, - but is used. Many believe alcoholism is at a minimum there because this seems to inoculate children from this later life bondage. In France most Protestant churches use wine in their communion service. In Messianic Jewish congregations a choice is offered of both wine and grape juice.
Each should receive one another in their respective choices without being judgmental. Yet when occasion arises such as faced the Salvation Army of England, then Paul's advice with meat in 8:13 should apply.
It is possible to become so legal in these decisions that we lose the freedom of the Gospel. And then on the other hand we can become so overbearing in our freedom that we stumble the weak! The love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) will always lead us aright!
Look again at 8:1b - “:Knowledge puffs up, but :love builds up.” O that we all would deeply meditate upon this truth, so that we could walk in it! How many problems would be solved! How then unbelievers on the outside of the church would look at us and exclaim, See how they loveone another!
In the book of Romans Paul deals with this matter more fully. - J. A. W.