Scriptures Mostly Misunderstood/Misinterpreted Part 4.
Knowledge Puffeth Up (1 Corinthians 8:1)
We often hear people quote a thread in the first verse of 1 Corinthians 8 which says "knowledge puffeth up" but it behoves us as students of the word of God to ask "what knowledge? What does the scripture in the context of 1 Corinthians 8 mean by knowledge puffeth up?
It also behoves us to seek related scriptures that speak of the same for further confirmation of the contextual meaning, comparing scripture with scripture and spiritual with spiritual.
Jeremiah 9
23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
1 Corinthians 1
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 8:1, that knowlege puffeth up, it is always important for us to understand the context in which things are said/written in scriptures else we will wrongly apply & not rightly divide the word of truth.
The context as clearly stated in vs 1 is "as touching things offered unto idols" and the knowledge which puffeth up as clearly stated in vs 4 is "we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one."
From the beginning of the chapter Paul started by saying to the Corinthian saints "we know that we all have knowledge". Now these are the same saints he had spoken to as unto carnal and not as unto spiritual, these are the same saints whose ignorance in other issues he had rebuked severally by asking "know ye not", "do you not know", the book of Corinthians is full of such questions.
However, when Paul came to chapter 8 in dealing with things offered unto idols he said we know that we all have knowledge and that knowledge is the basest of the knowledge of God being the premise of the first commandment which yet not all men have knowledge of and the people of God possessing it are even warned of the tendency of being puffed up by it, puffed up by the air of importance of possessing an exclusive knowledge and becoming high-minded which in effect hinders progress/growth in the knowledge of God as he who is high-minded by thinking that he knows, knows nothing/receives nothing more in the knowledge of God.
It is a knowledge that all Israel knew/had as the people of God, chosen out of the nations.
33 Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?34 Or hath God assayed to goand take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him.
Deuteronomy 6
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Mark 12
29 And Jesus answered him,
The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
*This knowledge of the Lord our God as the One Lord which is the premise of the first commandment is a knowledge that should command undivided & unreserved love & affection for the Lord only thus is the knowledge complete and whole.Thus if any man stops at the premise which is the knowledge of the one Lord without going on unto the obedience of the great commandment to love the Lord God, he knows nothing yet as he ought to "but if any man love God, the same is known of him."(1 Corinthians 8:2-3). His knowledge is complete and not just an empty theme of knowledge which puffs up.
This is thus the emphasis of James in chapter 2:18-22, that our faith in or knowledge of the one Lord is not complete but empty/dead until it practically provokes us to obedience in loving that one Lord unreservedly.
He points out the fact that even devils have/believe this knowledge that there is one God and he is the one Lord. They believe but not unto obedience of submitting in love but unto trembling among their ranks in awe of the prospect of a certain judgment.
To men however, they make a false presentation/impression of God thus not all men have this knowledge of the absolute & unquestionable sovereignty of God yet the devils in their ranks know it.
James 2
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
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