1 Corinthians 8 Devotional

The Brother for Whom Christ Died

“yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.”1 Corinthians 8:6 (BSB)

The Corinthians had asked whether believers could eat food that had been offered to idols. Paul agrees with their theology. An idol is nothing, and for believers there is one God, the Father, from whom all things come, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things come (8:4-6). Food does not bring anyone closer to God (8:8).

But Paul begins somewhere else. Knowledge can make a person proud, while love strengthens others, and what matters most is not what we know but that the one who loves God is known by him (8:1-3). Some believers still had a weak conscience about idols, and seeing others eat could lead them to act against it. Paul calls such a person a brother for whom Christ died (8:11). If Christ gave his life for that person, then those who have been loved that much can set aside a freedom for someone else's sake, just as Paul would give up meat for good rather than make a brother stumble (8:13).

To think about: Is there a freedom you enjoy that might be hurting a fellow believer, and what would love for that person look like?