The Expositor's Bible Commentary, New Testament by Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III

Author:Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III [Barker, Kenneth L. & Kohlenberger III, John R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2017-05-02T00:00:00+00:00

c. Freedom to be exercised with care (8:7–13)

7 The knowledge Paul speaks of here is the previously mentioned knowledge regarding an idol and the existence and position of the “so-called gods.” Some may not fully realize the significance of these truths, because in their former unsaved state they had become so accustomed to idols and to the sacrificed meat that when they now eat such meat, they think of it only as something sacrificed to the idol, rather than as food provided by God. Their moral awareness—their conscience—is weak, being unable to discriminate in these matters, and so is defiled.

8 This next statement has a twofold thrust. First, as in v.1, we should know that there is nothing inherently wrong with sacrificial meat and that in itself food neither enhances nor minimizes our standing before God. Second, since the eating of meat is of no spiritual importance, the Corinthians should realize that to eat sacrificial meat is not a practice to be avoided or to be insisted on for maintaining Christian liberty.

9–12 Though Christians have the authority to act as Paul has just described, they must “be careful” (GK 1063) lest through the exercise of this authority they somehow cause the weak (in conscience) to stumble in living their Christian lives. By “stumbling block” (GK 4682) is meant causing the weak believer not only to have a sense of guilt (v.7), but to go beyond this into sin (v.13) by compromising with pagan idolatry.

So Paul depicts for the Corinthians what may well have been an actual scene (v.10): Suppose a brother who is weak in conscience sees you, who understand that an idol is nothing, reclining at table to eat in an idol temple; won’t he also be encouraged to eat and so do what his conscience forbids him to do? When you do such a thing, you are using your freedom and knowledge to bring your weak brother down the path toward spiritual weakness and destruction. Paul does not mean ultimate spiritual destruction, for he calls this man a “brother, for whom Christ died.” The stress is on weakening the faith and ruining the Christian life of a fellow believer.

Speaking to the strong brother (v.12), Paul says in effect, “If you cause the weak brother to stumble into sin, you yourselves are sinning in a twofold way: (1) against your brother and (2) against Christ, by wounding the conscience of those who belong to him.” The plurals in this verse imply that Paul has in mind a sizeable group at Corinth who were both the offenders and the offended.

13 In closing the discussion, the apostle includes himself. He may be indicating that when he was in Corinth, he had had to face this question and had, for the sake of the Christians there, refrained from eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. So he ends with the personal declaration: “Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall” (v.

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