1 Corinthians 8:1-3
8 Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. 3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.[a]
Do you ever read a verse in and feel like it is a direct rebuke written just for you? That is how I feel about this passage. Knowledge makes us feel important but love strengthens the church. Ouch. I spend so much time reading books, studying scripture and learning things. And the question Paul is challenging me with is, ”is all that studying making me appear more important or helping me to better love others?”
This is one of the most powerful and wonderful parts of Christianity, it is all about relationships. That does not mean that facts are not important. It is important to know what truth is and how we have a robust faith. However, there is so much in our faith that is a mystery and we will never understand.
Truth is about facts. However, facts need to be interpreted. This is why two people can go through the same events and come through differently. When it comes to life, trust is an extension of trustworthiness. It is who or what we have faith in that will define how we interpret the life that lies before us.
The central energy of our faith is therefore not about being correct, but being connected. Our proximity to Jesus is the key.
