Introduction

Good morning. Today, we examine 1 Corinthians, Chapter 8. The theme here is that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. I have observed that you are proactively analysing and understanding the scriptures before our bible study sessions, and you are getting better at grasping the key themes.

The Corinthians had a whole host of issues, from food to marriage, all tangled up with living. They brought these rather carnal questions to Paul, who saw that they might be lost if they failed to grasp a fundamental principle. Many get caught up in the minutiae and miss the forest for the trees. Take the issue of food; it is not something we ought to dwell on. Whether one eats or does not eat is of little consequence. The Corinthians may have developed this obsession because of their past in idol worship, where food was a significant concern.

Have you noticed that everyone has an opinion on food? Weddings, birthdays, even funerals—the living must feast where the dead cannot. It seems every occasion is an excuse for a meal. In my hometown, even a simple matter such as registering a property requires greasing palms with food. No wonder restaurants are packed, deals are sealed over meals, and eating has become ingrained in our very being. Eating and drinking, buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage, planting and building—and then the Lord comes, and the flood arrives.

Corinth was affected by worldly influences, leading them to think that food was important. Therefore, they sought Paul's counsel. Paul did not address it head-on. I, too, would find such questions tiresome. Can I eat this? Can I play video games? The answer is yes. I would even encourage them to eat and play with abandon. However, that would violate Paul’s core principle: only love builds up.

When answering questions on this issue, we must grasp the central thread that only love builds up, otherwise, the questions just become a tangled mess. Another possibility is that some individuals are suspect here. Peter, or Cephas, came to the Corinthian church and spoke voluminously, delivering several sermons. The same goes for Apollos who also spoke many times. We can only speculate as to whether they touched on these issues. Paul taught the Corinthians all this earlier but these people did differentiated marketing, peddling their version of events, cautioning against eating food sacrificed to idols, and creating confusion. Today, the church creates its own set of issues, with the result that knowledge puffs up.

1. Knowledge Puffs Up

Peter and Apollos both had knowledge, but ultimately confused people. This is what it means when we say that knowledge puffs up.

Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. And if any man think that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. (1 Corinthians 8:1-2)

The phrase if any man is significant, though no one is named. If someone thinks they know something, they know nothing yet as they ought to know. This refers to those who promote themselves and inflate their own importance. Do not think that by wearing a jersey with the number 23, one becomes Michael Jordan, or that wearing a Zhao Benshan hat makes one Zhao Benshan. These individuals misled the Corinthians by claiming to have superior knowledge.

The Corinthians were particularly fond of eating, a fact that I will illustrate with an example. Peter recounted that during the Last Supper, the food prepared by Mark’s family chef in the Upper Room was exceptionally delicious. They felt that they should emulate the Last Supper with a large loaf and a satisfying meal. As a result, the Corinthians began to skip dinner the night before communion, so they could eat roasted lamb and drink wine during the service. Paul had to correct their observance of the Holy Communion, as recorded in Chapter 11 of 1 Corinthians.

Knowledge puffs up and this refers to those who have knowledge, but who do not know as they ought to know. Speaking too much can sometimes offend. One may not know it but the Corinthians would know what it is being referred to. If I had written 1 Corinthians, I would have noted that Peter was illiterate for many years, but that too is boastful.

Brothers and sisters, we must understand that many things are based on knowledge, not on the love of God. Without the love of God as a foundation, it is all in vain. For example, many attempt to cast out demons from cancer patients, but when things go awry, they ask whether the demon jumped onto them. In the Spring in the Desert group, someone would ask me related questions. He had once cast out a demon, but was afflicted with illness afterward. Others say that demons should not be trifled with, that one should not lay hands on or touch the afflicted. Some even fear that public transport is filled with people possessed by demons, which can be transferred through casual contact.

Basing things on knowledge is corrupting. I ministered to a young lady who had been going to church with her parents since childhood. One day, she had a nightmare so vivid that she was covered in cold sweat. She asked her pastor for advice, but he did not provided very helpful suggestions. As a result, she lived in fear until she met me. I found the pastor to be irresponsible, filling naive believers up with concepts such as hearing God's voice, seeing visions and having dreams, and telling them that the nightmare was one of those things. Actually, that was not a vision, but a nightmare, but could anyone tell the difference?

Jacob lay on a stone in Bethel, and God appeared to him in a dream, declaring blessings on a ladder. That is a vision. Some people dream of looking for a toilet, others dream of falling from a building or being murdered in cold blood—those are nightmares. Still others experience sleep paralysis, which is just that, a dream of sleep paralysis. Later, I clarified this with the young lady, and urged her not to fixate on visions and dreams. Her dream was merely a bad dream, nothing more, so it was without significance.

It turns out that visions and nightmares are very different. I made this concept very clear, and more importantly, I built up her faith. She went on to live a good life, and was fine after that. Therefore, offering sacrifices to idols is like distinguishing between a nightmare and a vision in life. Partaking of the Holy Communion is similar to Christians eating food offered to idols. The Corinthians thought they knew, but they did not, because they lacked a fundamental principle, that only love can build up, for the love of God.

2. If Anyone Loves God, He Is Known By God

But if any man love God, the same is known of him. (1 Corinthians 8:3)

Paul's words were pregnant with meaning. If any man love God, referring to that someone, whom if he loved God, would be known by God. As Paul wrote this, he knew about Peter's three denials.

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)

If anyone loves God, their love will be known by him. I love the Lord! I love the Lord! This does not have to be repeated several times. If one loves God, they will love God’s people. One day, a sister asked me what love is, and I sang about love being patient and kind. She laughed at my light-hearted singing. But that is the definition of love. Love is not mere sentiment. It's loving with a long-suffering spirit. Love requires patience, so if you aren't patient about things, you don't have love. Knowledge is useless; loving God is useful. Loving God means tending to God's flock. Where are the sheep that you are tending to? Peter went to the Corinthian church and nearly ruined it, and the sheep disappeared.

One might think he has knowledge, but in reality he does not. One may think he knows, but he still does not know as he ought to know—strong words. Many of us claim to love God, but do not know how to love, which I find very frustrating. That is because they still do not know. If one loves God, he will be known by God and God will be with him. This is the reason Paul needed to defend his apostleship, because some were saying that Paul was not an apostle, and that they were somehow greater. We must remember that only love builds up, therefore if one loves God, God will be with them, and His good will and power will be manifested in them.

How did the discussion on food offered to idols lead to the subject of loving God? Whether you are talking about buying a house, buying a car, or getting married, I will still say that if anyone loves God, he is known by God. This may seem strange because people do not want to love God, they want to love the world. If one loves God, he must tend to God's flock and bear their weaknesses. On this point, I must tell you that sometimes it is unbearable to watch people ruin themselves, and it makes me anxious. I have to resort to tricks and speak harshly. If I have hurt anyone with a sensitive conscience, I hope God will forgive me. If one loves God, God will be with him and truly know that all things come from God and return to God.

3. Knowing That All Things Come From God and Return to God

We are discussing food offered to idols, but the crops from the fields, the livestock from the farms, the eggs laid by chickens all come from God. Therefore, idols are nothing. We must know that all things come from God and return to God.

As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. (1 Corinthians 8:4-6)

Not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some of us are familiar with idol worship, but remain strangers to the all-knowing, all-powerful God. Know that all things come from God, and all things return to God, and that we also return to Him. Idols are nothing and were created by God. The evil spirits behind the idols cannot be more powerful than God. Do not think that branding oneself a god or lord makes one so, or claiming to be some great law, and somehow disappear from Canada by teleportation. I later found out that they flew there by plane, it would be more impressive if they could swim.

We must know that all things come from God and return to God. If everyone had this knowledge, they would know that eating food offered to idols does not matter, as it ends up in the latrine anyway. Some are troubled after consuming food sacrificed to idols, and their weak consciences cause them to be defiled. Cancer patients are particularly susceptible to this. Cancer is not so significant, but those who find out they have cancer become very vulnerable and feel like it is the end. In fact, most are scared to death, even if not literally, and the remainder are poisoned by chemotherapy.

Ultimately, people are preoccupied with gains and losses, leading to a life of constant anxiety, failing to recognize that all things originate from God and return to God. Christians are especially prone to this, constantly asking what to do in every situation. Over the past century, a segment of charismatic churches focusing on healing and exorcism emerged from traditional churches, resulting in many bizarre practices. My former pastor cautioned me to be careful when laying hands, lest demons transfer onto oneself, a belief echoed in Ye Guangming's books even today. Additionally, there's the notion of performing a cleansing prayer after ministering to seriously ill individuals, a practice nowhere found in the Bible. This stems from a lack of understanding that all things originate from God and return to God, exaggerating the power of demons and the spiritual realm. Their power is not so great; it is one's own conscience that is weak, similar to the reasoning behind contracting cancer.

Do not believe in what is not written in the Bible. If we truly know that all things originate from God and return to God, we should boast in our Lord Jesus, for through Him we have already overcome in this world. The Corinthians invented a series of knowledge, almost venturing into the realm of organic food, I dare say. Consuming organic food is acceptable, but genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are rejected, fearing they might cause infertility, preoccupied solely with the matter of living. Jesus had already stated that food cannot defile a person; it is the thoughts and intentions of the heart that defile. Some time ago, a sister hosted a renowned pastor who insisted that the food consumed must be organic, not genetically modified. In reality, whether organic or inorganic, it ends up in the latrine, nothing remarkable about it.

IV. On Eating Food Sacrificed to Idols

Regarding the consumption of food sacrificed to idols, there are two factions, a matter that took great effort, involving guesswork, for me to understand what Paul was trying to convey. I hope everyone can help assess whether my understanding is accurate. The first type fears that consuming food sacrificed to idols will attract demons, leading to nightmares and unease, worrying about inevitable misfortune. Consequently, a bird dropping lands on their head, followed by the sight of a crow, immediately feeling dejected, convinced of impending bad luck, and indeed, misfortune strikes along the way. It is easy to attract demons; having such thoughts fills one with misery, as this mindset attracts demons.

Once a person's conscience weakens, things go awry, failing to recognize that God reigns over all things in the universe. If God does not permit it, not a single hair will fall. Flying in an airplane can be as thrilling as riding a roller coaster, but that thrill is not for everyone. Looking out the window at the streaks of lightning piercing the sky, some sisters pray fervently in tongues, while some brothers sleep soundly. People are easily disturbed; brothers and sisters, there is no need to fear or worry. Of course, you can pray; God is still in control. If it is one's time to die, one will surely not live; if it is one's time to live, one will not die.

Regarding the consumption of food sacrificed to idols, many people have very weak consciences, believing that consuming it corrupts one's conscience and faith. They can certainly share very real stories to prove how potent that stuff is, how misfortune follows the very next day. For instance, a deal they had negotiated falls through. Linking these two events, even if they hadn't eaten it, the deal might still have fallen through, yet they exhaust themselves over it. Or, after consuming it, they wake up the next morning to a sour look from their wife, attributing it to having eaten food sacrificed to idols the day before. In reality, it's because his wife dreamed he was having an affair, hence the sour look, unrelated to what he ate.

However, not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are accustomed to idols and think of what they eat as food that has been offered to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. (1 Corinthians 8:7)

This is the first scenario.

For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food offered to idols? (1 Corinthians 8:10)

After reading this, you must be as puzzled as I am: why would someone with a weak conscience still eat it? Later, I understood that there are two types of weak faith here. The first type is constantly fearful and apprehensive after eating, while the second type thinks that the food is so delicious that not eating it would be a loss; at its root, it is still about eating, with the conscience weakening to the other extreme. Of course, I am speculating; Paul did not explicitly write it, so it's uncertain if it's accurate. Others are eating in the temple, but they are there preaching the gospel to the monks, incidentally having a bite. If you go and eat it as a matter of course, that is a weak conscience, feeling that not eating it would be a loss. I have reason to say this because they not only think this way about eating food from the temple, but also about partaking in the Lord’s Supper. Some feel that not eating more during communion would be a loss, some even taking extra portions.

They think that those with this knowledge can sit with others in the temple, eating a little is fine. However, it is not fine because people's consciences are weakened to the point of gluttony. So we must be cautious, not giving these people an excuse, eating buffet-style with abandon, going from one temple to another. If you want to eat, the temples in Taiwan offer free food. You can go and have a look if you want, but I say this not to cause you to stumble. I certainly won't go; I don't miss that meal. But if you want to go, I won't stop you.

So regarding eating food sacrificed to idols, whether a person has knowledge or not is not important; only love can edify. If someone truly eats food sacrificed to idols and comes to me trembling with fear, I can lead them in a prayer of renunciation, and it will be fine, no need to worry. Just like in Singapore's hawker centers, almost every food vendor has a shrine; you never know if the noodles you buy contain meat that has been offered in worship. We can only pretend not to know, and it's best if we don't know, lest we become paranoid and end up with diarrhea the next day. To find a restaurant in Singapore that definitely has no shrine, it would probably be McDonald's or KFC. If you want to eat Chinese food, even a plate of fried kway teow, it's still a challenge to find one without a shrine, ensuring the meat hasn't been used in worship. Actually, these are not important; don't be so uptight.

V. Attitude toward Food

But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. (1 Corinthians 8:8)

In reality, the attitude towards many things is the same. First of all, food does not make us esteemed by God. Do not go to the temple and grab free meals to save a meal's worth of money, feeling that you've gained an advantage if you eat, and feeling that you've lost out if you don't. Actually, we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. This matter is not important; God will absolutely not do anything because you ate something, or go to God and boast that you have fasted and prayed for 80 days. You may not even get a chance to say that; I personally saw someone who fasted and prayed for 43 days, and truly died in the prayer retreat.

Regarding our attitude toward food, Jesus told us long ago that food is created by God and cannot corrupt a person, but the thoughts and intentions that come from the heart defile a person. Don't take eating and drinking so seriously; in reality, there are not many things in life that we need to take seriously, among which only love can edify. People take eating and drinking very seriously; some must eat organic food. I once hosted a sick sister who was recommended a type of packaged health supplement, pouring bag after bag into her cup every morning. Health supplements cannot guarantee health; what people need to train is not the physical body, but godliness. People with faith will be physically strong, not paranoid, and will be prosperous in their endeavors. People with faith are righteous in God's eyes because God cares about this.

Our attitude towards food needs to be readjusted today, not being so indulgent of the flesh. Using the logic of indulging the flesh will lead to ruin in everything, because that ultimately leads to enmity with God. I have seen many nutritionists, health experts, etc., who constantly promote how to maintain health, but who died in their fifties. I am the type who doesn't get enough sleep, nor beauty sleep. I don't focus on health preservation, nor do I have any health management, but looking at it, I'm doing quite well, and should be qualified to be a true health expert. Because I rely on God to nourish my body, according to the God I serve. Actually, I don't care about nourishing the body; I don't give it any thought at all.

VI. Bearing with Those Who Are Weak in Faith

People's growth is a process; in the beginning, they are weak. One does not become someone with three heads and six arms just because they believe in the Lord; that would be becoming a demon. No one comes up with faith like John the Baptist was born; we must bear with those who are weak in faith. Pastors and ministry leaders among us must be able to bear with those who are weak in faith. These people are not strong enough; we must bear with them a little. We know that this person has bad habits; to deal with their bad habits, we must communicate well with them. For example, to deal with the bad habit of busyness, we must think of ways to love them because of our love for God, for only love can edify.

Our entire goal is to pastor and edify people, but some of our small pastors begin to judge between good and evil among those they serve, or those they serve judge between good and evil of their pastors. Everyone grabs each other by the collar and starts tearing at each other, which cannot edify people. Everyone knows that person is weak in faith, so they must learn to bear with them. If you are tearing at others, I am also bearing with you; I know you cannot serve, so I will teach you how to do it. But our motive today must be correct; only love can edify. Everything we do is for edification, not for corruption.

So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall. (1 Corinthians 8:11-13)

For me, eating or not eating is fine, but if eating will cause someone to stumble, then I will not eat. Actually, this statement, from my personal point of view, I don't particularly agree with, but the principle that only love can edify, I have grasped. Otherwise, if I were to say it, those who are meant to fall should just fall; if you don't cause them to fall, someone else will. But because of our love for God, we bear with these people who are weak in faith, and we pastor them well, whether they are very weak sheep or very large sheep, we must pastor them well. If they are a goat, with a goatee and two horns, and two eyes rolling around, if we cannot pastor them, we hand them over to God, do you all understand?

VII. Only Love Can Edify

I truly thank God that many pastors among us still inherit many of the essences of Chinese Mingding Destiny, edifying and pastoring people with a heart of love for God. Today's chapter is actually not about eating; after talking about it, it doesn't answer the questions of the Corinthians, but still draws them back to the fact that only love can edify. We may not fully understand this statement, but it doesn't matter; we must still serve people because of our love for God, because service is grace.

God places a weak brother or sister under you; are you able to serve according to God's will? If you serve according to God's will, God will add more grace to you according to the attitude with which you serve. We will share to this point today; only love can edify.