The Bible Study New Testament

1 Corinthians 8:1

Food offered to idols. The temple of an idol (1 Corinthians 8:10) was a meeting-place for feasting. Constant sacrifices on the idol's altars provided a source of meat. Much of the meat sold in markets and found on the dinner-tables of ordinary citizens, came from the idol's temple. And unless you were told, you could not know the source of the meat (1 Corinthians 10:25-29). But, can a Christian eat such meat without sinning? In theory, Paul is for freedom, based on the TRUTH that there is only the one God. In practice, he is for severely restricting the use of meat sacrificed to idols, because of the weak brother who did not understand. [Holy water may have grown out of an attempt to make clean meat sacrificed to an idol; the idea being that the holy water would remove the ritual impurity of the idol from the meat.] "All of us have knowledge." He says this in irony. Compare 1 Corinthians 8:7. The Corinthians were proud of their knowledge. Puffs a man up with pride. When they boast about their knowledge, it leads them to despise others (compare Romans 14:3-4). But love builds up. Love is the mortar which holds the "living stones" together to build God's temple (Ephesians 2:19-22).

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The Bible Study New Testament

1 Corinthians 8:1

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