“Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that ‘we all have knowledge.’ Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” (v. 1)

Have you ever heard the phrase, “I know just enough about that to be dangerous”?

Why is knowledge dangerous? Because, with a little bit of it, we can make some messes. We can be strident, over-confident, and self-assured. Ultimately, we can be unloving.

That’s what’s at stake in 1 Corinthians 8: The young church is feeling pretty confident in its approach to Christian freedom. Who cares if the meat on the plate was part of a pagan ritual? All of that is a not-true nothing. And, because of that knowledge, Christians should be free to partake without guilt.

But the problem isn’t about what we know. It’s about the person sitting next to us.

If all we have is knowledge, we’ll keep on insisting on freedom, while forgetting the ones we’re supposed to love. We’ll compromise their hearts as they wrestle old sins and lingering lures. We’ll be puffed up in our preferences, but the church won’t be built up.

So maybe let’s listen to Paul (inspired). Let’s love enough to reexamine our freedoms. Let’s put a check in knowledge, so far as knowledge creates controversy. Instead of being puffed up, let’s build each other up.

— Tyler