In 1st Corinthians 8:1-3 there are four things Paul wanted the church to know about knowledge:
1Vs. 1b Universal: “We know that we all have knowledge.” No matter which side these believers were on, both had knowledge. Very seldom is a person’s position based upon ignorance. Most of the time, we believe what we believe because we have felt certain that we were on the side of truth and logic. “Where a person stands on a position depends upon where they sit!”These two opposing positions were both made by Christians and both made valid arguments. Yet doing what is right is not always a matter of knowledge or the lack of it. It is very possible to sit down with someone who is just as passionate as you are on an issue and win the argument but not convince the person with whom you are arguing. Pastor Chuck said something years ago that has stuck in my heart, “If what you say is truth, let me see the fruit of it in your life; then you won’t have to convince me I need it, I’ll ask you for it!” Most of the time, we unintentionally invalidate what we are trying to convince others the importance of because of how they see it portrayed during our argument!
2Vs. 1c Limitations: “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” Knowledge has an internal flaw, and that is the effect it has upon those who possess it. Knowledge has a tendency to inflate the person who possesses it. The more we know, the more we start to think that we are better than the person who doesn’t know what we know. Christians are not immune to this problem with pride and thinking ourselves superior to our fellow Christians. Many a time, I’m afraid that we come off as uncaring in our truth. In fact, I typed the word “fundamentalist” in the Webster dictionary thesaurus and the synonym came out “bitter-ender” which is a word that describes a person as “harsh and marked by cynicism, rancor and intensely unpleasant to be around.” Ouch! It is not knowledge that is the problem; rather, it is our failure to allow that knowledge to change us. It has well been said, “Knowledge is the accumulation of facts, while wisdom is the application of facts!” No wonder Solomon wrote, “Get wisdom.” Knowledge “inflates”; love on the other hand “builds.” The truth that we have gained through the Word of God by the Spirit of God will either cause us to grow or just swell!
3Vs. 2 Change: “And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.” Someone once wrote that, “Knowledge is the process of passing from the state of unconscious ignorance to the state of conscious ignorance.” Ignorance doesn’t know that it doesn’t know, whereas knowledge knows that it does not know! The truth about knowledge is that we are on a constant learning curve and what we are certain about today, we will most likely be questioning tomorrow. By the way, this is what I love about Christianity. We can continue to question what we believe. I have grown more in love with the Lord and His Word simply because I have always continued to investigate what I believe and why I believe it. My friend, Tom says, “If you can’t question what you believe, question why you believe it!” The longer I live life, the more I realize I have so much more to learn. So yes, we may have knowledge in a certain area, but the truth is, at best, that knowledge is still yet incomplete.
4 Vs. 3 Test: “But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.” Our knowledge must be put to the test, and the truest test for what we know is seen in a deepening love for God and the things of God. There is yet another truth in this verse as it relates to all born-again believers and that is based upon our mutual love for God by which we have a relationship with Him. Our inability to get along with those who differ in non-salvation issues is silly. You see, the truth of the matter was both groups (those that ate meat and those that didn’t) had a love for God and, in some way, it was this love for God that motivated their individual stance on the issue. So why make it an issue? We need not oppose other believers positions, only the divisions that they cause that separate us from fellowship with the body of Christ.