1 Corinthians 8

1 Corinthians 8
1 Corinthians 7:33-8:4 in Papyrus 15, written in the 3rd century.
Book First Epistle to the Corinthians
Bible part New Testament
Order in the Bible part 7
Category Pauline epistles

1 Corinthians 8 is the eighth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Sosthenes in Ephesus.[1][2] In this short chapter, Paul deals with an issue about food offered to idols.

Text

Structure

This chapter can be grouped:

Food offered to idols

At the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem, reported in Acts 15, following advice offered by Simon Peter (Acts 15:7–11 and Acts 15:14), Barnabas and Paul gave an account of their ministry among the gentiles (Acts 15:12), and the apostle James quoted from the words of the prophet Amos (Acts 15:16–17, quoting Amos 9:11–12). James added his own words [3] to the quotation: "Known to God from eternity are all His works" [4] and then submitted a proposal, which was accepted by the Church and became known as the Apostolic Decree:

It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.[5]

Here, Paul makes no reference to the Apostolic Decree, advising members of the Corinthian church that we all know that food offered to idols is a meaningless concept - "we know that an idol is nothing in the world" [6] - but its consumption is capable of leading to misunderstanding. Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer argues that this omission "is in keeping with [Paul's] consciousness of his own direct and independent apostolic dignity".[7]

Verse 9

New King James Version

But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.[8]
  • But beware lest somehow (KJV: But take heed lest by any means)

This is either a reply to the instance of such as argued in favour of eating things offered to idols; or a limitation and explanation of the apostle's own concession, that it made a man, with respect to the favour of God, neither better nor worse: yet care should be taken, lest[9]

  • this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak;

he owns they had a liberty, or a right, or power, as the word may be rendered, of eating, or not eating, as they pleased; but then they ought to be cautious, lest they should be the means of offending, or causing to offend, such who were weak in the faith, and had not that knowledge of Christian liberty they had: not the use of their power and liberty is here denied, but the abuse of it is guarded against; for though the action itself was indifferent, yet as it might be used, it might be sinful, being attended with very bad consequences, such as hereafter mentioned.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook: an Abbreviated Bible Commentary. 23rd edition. Zondervan Publishing House. 1962.
  2. ↑ Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.
  3. ↑ Gill, J., Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible on Acts 15, accessed 13 September 2015
  4. ↑ Acts 15:18
  5. ↑ Acts 15:19–21
  6. ↑ 1 Corinthians 8:4
  7. ↑ Meyer's NT Commentary on 1 Corinthians 8, accessed 29 March 2017
  8. ↑ 1 Corinthians 8:9
  9. 1 2 John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, - 1 Corinthians 8:9
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