First Corinthians Chapter 8
Originally posted
First Corinthians Chapter
8:1-13 Food Offered to Idols
The
background of this passage is in Romans 14 in which dietary differences over
what was clean and unclean had led to one group scoffing at another
and passing judgment. Paul was direct in his charging those whose faith
was more mature and ate without such restrictions with being sensitive to those
who were weak and thought it sinful to eat certain types of meat. The strong
have the responsibility of caution in their practices so that the
weak will not be led astray.
The
Corinthians have a similar problem with regard to eating meat. The
distinguishing feature is not the kind of meat or the rejection of all
meat by the "weak in understanding," but whether or not it has
been sacrificed to one of the deities worshipped in Corinth's many temples
(Egyptian, Roman and Greek). There are those in Corinth who believe that
meat purchased at the temple butcher shops is somehow tainted by its
association with and sacrifice to a pagan deity. Their concern is that eating
such meat pays honor, even though indirectly, to that deity and so they will
not eat it. Because they fear it is a form of worship they regard eating
the meat as a sin if not a blasphemy against God.
As
in 7:1 Paul starts by
repeating the maxim: "all of us possess knowledge," included as
part of the letter he has received from Corinth. While he cannot discount the
value of knowledge - he has preached about the Christian spiritual knowledge
which leads to a mature faith, he adds an addendum: "knowledge puffs up,
but love build us." Knowledge can be incomplete and should be examined in
light of one's devotion to God. As far as eating food offered to idols, Paul
declares that no idol has any existence in itself as an object shaped by human
hands. Further, whatever the idol supposedly represents as
a heavenly deity, it has no existence. He invites the
Corinthians to consider the many "so-called gods and lords of
heaven and on earth (Emperor)," There is but one God (Deut. 6:4) the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ. We should notice
the distinction Paul makes between God and Christ. All things (creation) are
"from" God and all things are "through" Christ (including
the Christian life). This theology is very close to John's understanding of the
Word: "All things that came into being came into being through him."
(In many respects Paul and John share a tradition of the "High
Christology" of Christ.)
Not
everyone in the church has reached a maturity that rejects the existence
of these pagan deities. Idols have been such a common part of their
entire lives it is difficult for them to disassociate themselves from
the last vestiges of belief. Rather than take any chances they have
considered it prudent not to tempt fate. As a consequence, Paul
characterizes their understanding as weak and, therefore, defiled by the very
possibility of other gods, goddesses and lords they harbor.
Paul
adds his own adage: "food will not bring us close to God." This can
apply to the Jews who worry about the Levitical standards or the Gentiles
who worry they are sinning even by indirectly associating themselves with idols
through the food they eat. They are, Paul writes, no better off if they eat or
do not eat such food. However, as Paul warned the Roman church (Rom. 14:13-15), the more mature still
have a responsibility not to become a stumbling block to the weak by what they
eat. The knowledge of the mature must not lead to the ruin of the weak who may
see them eating meat in the temple and do the same. In their own minds, they
would have deliberately sinned and, by guilt, feel fallen as a
Christian. Paul is emphatic in his warning to those of mature knowledge in such
matters, that should a fellow member (of "your family") be so tempted
and fall, the one whose action is the source of that temptation has himself
sinned against Christ to whom all belong. As for Paul, he would rather not eat
meat at all if there were a chance of causing another to fall.
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Note
1) In vs. 5 Paul makes the interesting
statement "there are many gods and many lords" but only one God
of all creation, and one Lord, Jesus Christ. Of course, in Corinth there is a
temple to the cult of the Roman Emperor who holds the titles divine,
lord and savior. Paul would reject as blasphemy any worship of or
sacrifice to the Emperor as either a god or a lord. Some scholars see Paul's
comment about one God and one Lord as a deliberate and provocative challenge to
Roman Imperial theology. Were Paul writing at the end of the first or
beginning of the second century when persecution of Christians was more
systematic and sacrificing to the Emperor became a test of one's Christian
faith. In Paul's time, as he has written, there were many gods and lords,
Roman, Greek and foreign. One more would not matter or be a threat. At the
time Paul was writing Christianity was still considered a sect of the Jews and
the Jews were exempt from honoring or sacrificing to the Emperor as
divine. God was their one God and daily sacrifices were offered to
the Emperor's well being in Jerusalem.
2) As Paul notes in vs. 10 he has such disregard for
the reality of any other deity but God, even eating at a temple is
irrelevant to one's closeness to God. The issue is to whom does one give one's
complete and undivided devotion?
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