Verse 1. “But concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know, (for we all have knowledge; knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” N. T.). There is a parenthesis, beginning in the first verse and ending with the third, which is not marked in the Authorized version.
This chapter establishes principles of wide application for the government of the children of God, and we shall do well to give earnest heed to what it contains. How admirable is the Word of God! Within its pages, the sacred volume holds the fullest instruction for the saints in their relations one with another, as well as for themselves individually in all the varied circumstances of life. Yet it is sadly true that almost all of the errors into which they fall, and have fallen with loss to themselves and dishonor to Christ, are very plainly the subjects of instruction in the Word of God that even a young child may understand. But when the conscience is not in due exercise before God, a believer, though he may be ever so familiar with the Scriptures, may allow the old nature to act as though it and all its doings were not condemned at the cross of Christ.
“And herein do I exercise myself, to have always (or, in everything) a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men.”
The apostle is going to say that we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and there is no other God save one, but first he must point out that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (edifies). How true! Let us not only remember this brief word from God’s Book, but also practice what it teaches.
Verse 2. In the first chapter we learned that the natural man, no matter what his qualifications may be, of wisdom, power, or high-birth, cannot boast before God. No flesh may glory in His presence. This verse deals another blow to the pride and self-sufficiency that are innate in us.
“If any man think that he knoweth” (has inward conscious knowledge of) “anything, he knoweth” (here a different word is used in the original, carrying the meaning of an acquaintance with; objective knowledge; knowledge in the ordinary sense) “nothing yet as he ought to know.”
But if any man love God, the same is known of Him (verse 3). This is precious knowledge indeed, and a happy conclusion of the discussion of knowledge which in us, apart from love, as we see from the first verse of our chapter, is worth nothing.
The Christian knows that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is but one God. The heathen have many gods, and many intermediate beings or lords, in their superstitions, but to us there is but one God, the Father, of Whom are all things, and we for (not “in”) Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him.” (verse 6).
There are three divine Persons, equally God, as other Scriptures tell: Matt. 28:1919Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (Matthew 28:19); Phil. 2:1111And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:11) (the Father); Rom. 9:55Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 9:5) and Heb. 1:88But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8) (the Son); 1 Cor. 2:1111For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:11); Acts 5:3,43But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. (Acts 5:3‑4) (the Holy Spirit); and other passages, among which chapter 12 of this Epistle may be referred to.
There, as here, it is not a question of nature, as to Who is God; but a setting forth of position. The Father remains in absolute deity; the Son took Manhood, and in that, has taken the place of Lord; the Holy Spirit, not named in our chapter, but in the 12Th, has also a special place in the work of God, as every Christian knows, and the four Gospels (and particularly John 14, 15 and 16), the Acts, and the Epistles and Revelation display.
Verses 7-13. To find and study all the passages of Scripture which deal with the weak, the “slow of heart” and the “lame”, the fainthearted and the poor, would be a lengthy though happy occupation. We may, however, compare, in this connection, the latter part of our chapter with Rom. 14 and the opening verse of the 15th chapter of that Epistle; or turn to Luke 24:13-3513And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 14And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 17And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 19And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. 22Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 24And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 28And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. 29But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 30And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? 33And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. (Luke 24:13‑35), and marvel at the Lord’s way of recovery for two spiritually sick saints. How tender His care is for His discouraged ones, we may see from Isa. 40:27-3127Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:27‑31), among many passages.
All the children of God should be growing in intelligence, in knowledge and in grace, through giving place to the desires of the new nature, which needs, daily food from the Word of God, and exercise too. But from one cause or another, some believers seems to grow very little, or very, very slowly; yet they may be quite conscientious. There were such at Corinth, where idolatry was almost, if not quite universal before the light of Christianity entered. They ought to have realized that an idol is nothing in the world, for there is but one God, the living and true one; but they are looked at here (verses 7-13) just as they were; and the approved course of the better taught, or more intelligent believers toward them is set out in divine wisdom.
“With conscience of the idol” and “their conscience being weak is defiled” (verse 7) mean that these believers, not being fully delivered from former things, were influenced to some extent by the thought of a real and powerful being, once an object of worship; and so they had a conscience about eating food that had been offered to an idol; to them it was evil. They must follow their consciences, or else defile them.
Meat does not commend us to God; neither if we should not eat do we come short, nor if we should eat have we an advantage; and we who have no conscience concerning the matter are enjoined to see that this liberty, or right to eat, shall not be in any way a stumbling block to the weak.
Better far would it be for the brother of superior knowledge to forego his right to eat meat in an idol house, knowing that the idol is nothing, than that a weak one should be injured through seeing him there. Would not his conscience, as a consequence, be emboldened to eat of the meat as an idol-offering, and thus he be estranged from God? Thus, as far as the act of the “strong” brother is concerned, the weak one- the brother for whose sake Christ died-will perish through the former’s knowledge. It is not that God will not interfere so that he shall not perish; from other Scriptures we are assured that He will; but what is pressed is the tendency of my conduct, using my liberty to the detriment of one for whom Christ died.
Thus sinning against the brethren and wounding their weak conscience, I sin against Christ. Injury to one of His weak ones is an injury to Himself, as Saul of Tarsus learned to his amazement near Damascus in Acts 9:4, 54And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. (Acts 9:4‑5).
“Therefore,” says he, now, Paul the apostle of Christ Jesus, “if meat be a fall-trap to my brother, I will eat no flesh forever, that I may not be a fall-trap to my brother.”
Dear young Christian, here is a lesson to learn, concerning the desire in us all to please ourselves, perhaps in what is right in itself; we ought to consider the effect of it on others who are also Christ’s.