INTRODUCTION
In my recent Bible reading, I came across the passage of 1 Corinthians 8:1 (NASB95), which reads [emphasis added]:
1 Now, concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.
Some people proof-text a phrase from v. 1, i.e., “Knowledge makes arrogant,” to downplay the importance of Bible study. Their reasoning is: (1) Bible study results in “knowledge,” (2) 1 Corinthians 8:1 says that “Knowledge makes arrogant,” and (3) a believer does not want to be “arrogant.” Does this argument make any sense?
As a universal principle, it does not square with the Bible. In a situation where a believer uses what they learn through Bible study to cause another believer to stumble, the answer is in the affirmative. Allow me to explain.
THE CULTURAL CONTEXT
It is a good Bible study practice to consider the cultural context. Briefly, in their culture, these 1st Century believers could easily find themselves with food sacrificed to idols on their plates. Sometimes they would know it was a sacrifice, and other times not. Some believers had no problem eating food sacrificed to idols, and others had a significant problem with doing so.[i] The believers in Corinth raised this issue with Paul.[ii]
THE LITERARY CONTEXT
Verse 1 is within the pericope of vv. 1-3. Reading the passage in multiple translations can be a valuable exercise to gain an understanding of the passage.[iii] My takeaway from reading vv. 1-3 in the NASB95, the NIV, and the NLT[iv] is that Paul intended to stress the importance of love that builds up the church over knowledge about eating food sacrificed to idols per se.
The larger literary context is all of Chapter 8. My takeaways from reading 1 Corinthians 8 in the NASB95 are below. First, the theme throughout chapter 8 is eating food sacrificed to idols. Therefore, one must restrict the interpretation of v 1b to the subject of eating food sacrificed to idols.
Second, eating food sacrificed to idols is not per se wrong. See 1 Corinthians 8:4-6.[v]
Third, by eating food sacrificed to idols, some believers experience guilt. See 1 Corinthians 8:7.
Fourth, even though it may be acceptable for one believer to eat food sacrificed to idols, they should not do so if it will cause another believer to stumble. See 1 Corinthians 8:9-13. Verse 13 presents the principle when it reads (NIV):
13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
BRIEF WORD STUDY
Sometimes, a word study is helpful to better understanding a passage. Verse 1b reads:
1b Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies.
The NASB95 translates the Greek verb physioō as “makes arrogant” and it means to cause someone to be proud, arrogant, or haughty.[vi] The Logos 9 sense of the word is, “to make proud ⇔ puff up – to cause to become proud, conceived of as inflating something with air.” The NASB95 translates the Greek conjunction de as “but.” It is a contrastive conjunction that suggests an oppositional thought or relationship to the word, phrase, or clause to which it is connected.[vii]
The NASB95 translates the Greek noun agapē as “love,” which means having love for someone or something, based on sincere appreciation and high regard.[viii] The NASB95 translates the Greek verb oikodomei as “edifies,” which means to increase the potential of someone or something, focusing on the process involved.[ix]
In the context of the knowledge about food sacrificed to idols, knowledge per se can make a person arrogant or puffed up. In contrast, a person with this knowledge and love for other believers builds up other believers. There is a significant contrast between arrogance to the detriment of another believer and love that builds up.
OTHER PASSAGES THAT RELATE TO BIBLE STUDY
An analysis of a passage must factor in other pertinent passages from the Bible. Here, other passages prove that Paul did not intend to downplay Bible study as a universal principle. For example, 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NASB95) reads:
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
Another passage is 2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB95), which reads:
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
The positive characterization of the Bereans supports the universal principle that Bible study is good. Acts 17:11 (HCSB) reads:
11 The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
THE SOLE CORRECT INTERPRETATION
The interpretation of 1 Corinthians 8:1b reflects what Paul intended to say to his original audience. The single[x] correct interpretation of the phrase, “Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies” is below. By this phrase, Paul intended to instruct his audience not to use their knowledge about food sacrificed to idols that allowed them to eat guilt-free to cause another believer who felt differently to eat and feel guilty, i.e., “to stumble.” Believers with this knowledge must season it with love for believers who did not have this knowledge.
One crucial question to ask is, “does my interpretation square with others?” An examination of a couple of commentaries reveals that my interpretation is accurate. Tom Constable[xi] writes:
The apostle established at the beginning of his discussion of this important subject that knowledge by itself produces arrogance (cf. 1:5; 12:8). We have already seen that arrogance was one of the Corinthians’ major weaknesses (4:6, 18–19; 5:2). In contrast, love edifies. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (13:4). Paul did not mean his readers should abandon the knowledge that was foundational to their correct conduct. He meant that knowledge without love was incomplete and by itself would not lead them to correct conduct.
Oster[xii] writes:
This contrast between knowledge and love sets the stage for Paul’s treatment of the issue of deference to the believer with a weak conscience in this chapter. Since Paul contrasts knowledge and its fruit of “puffed-up-ness” with love and its fruit of encouragement and edification (οἰκοδομέω, oikodomeō), this clues the reader to the fact that Paul is focused on the proper treatment of one’s fellow Christian.
THE PERTINENT APPLICATION
Even though 1 Corinthians 8:1b pertains to knowledge about food sacrificed to idols, I believe it has an application to Bible study in general.
It is not a universal biblical truth that “knowledge makes arrogant.” It is wrong to say that a believer should not become knowledgeable about the Bible because such knowledge can make them arrogant or puff them up. It is an error to read v. 1b in a vacuum, thereby proof-text it to downplay the importance of Bible study. As a universal principle, v. 1b does not square with the Bible.
But, a believer must use their Bible knowledge for the building up of other believers. It is wrong for believers to use what they learn through Bible study to cause another believer to stumble.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, sometimes, people extract a phrase out of a passage and proof-text it to make a point contrary to what the Bible teaches. Some might use 1 Corinthians 8:1b to support the Hallmark card quote of “Beware of Diligent Bible Study. Knowledge Makes Arrogant.” However, to do so is wrong because 1 Corinthians 8:1b does not discourage diligent Bible study. Yet, v 1b mandates that the use of knowledge learned through diligent Bible study be seasoned with love to build up other believers and not cause them to stumble.
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[i] One commentary describes the cultural situation:
The idolatry of the Greeks and Romans pervaded their whole life. Their social contacts, their feasts, the administration of justice, public entertainment, the offices and honors of government were all more or less connected with religious services. Christians, therefore, were constantly exposed to the danger of being involved in some idolatrous homage without even knowing it. This gave rise to numerous perplexing questions of conscience, which were often decided differently by different groups of Christians.
One of the most perplexing of these questions related to the use of things sacrificed to idols. Some people had no scruples on this point; others thought it sinful to eat food from such sacrifices under any circumstances. This was a question that it was necessary to have authoritatively settled because it came up every day for decision. The victims offered in sacrifices were usually divided into three parts. One was consumed on the altar, another was given to the priest, and a third was kept by the offerer. The portion given to the priest, if not needed for himself, was sent to the market. The portion kept by the offerer was either eaten at his own table or within the precincts of the temple. The Christians, therefore, if they bought meat in the market, or if invited to the houses of their heathen friends or to the festivals in the temples, were liable to have these sacrifices placed before them.
Hodge, C. (1995). 1 Corinthians (p. 135). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
[ii] One commentary reads:
Perhaps no one problem was more perplexing to the first-century Christians than that relating to the use of things that had been offered to the idols by the pagans. They found them in the markets, at the public feasts, in their homes, and almost everywhere they went. Quite naturally the Corinthian Christians raised this question with Paul.
See Carter, C. W. (1966). The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. In Romans-Philemon (Vol. 5, p. 172). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[iii] Keep in mind that a more literal translation tries to maintain the literalness and a dynamic translation tries to express the meaning the author intended to convery to his audience. Each type of translation adds a valuable piece to the interpretation puzzle. Below are translations of vv. 1-3 from the NASB95 (more literal), the NIV (dynamic), and the NLT (more dynamic).
[iv] 1 Corinthians 8: 1-3 (NASB95) – 1 Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. 2 If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; 3 but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.
1 Corinthians 8:1–3 (NIV) – 1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
1 Corinthians 8:1-3 (NLT) – 1 Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church. 2 Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. 3 But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.
[v] 1 Corinthians 8:4–6 (NET) reads:
4 With regard then to eating food sacrificed to idols, we know that “an idol in this world is nothing,” and that “there is no God but one.”5 If after all there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we live, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we live.
[vi] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 764). New York: United Bible Societies.
[vii] Heiser, M. S., & Setterholm, V. M. (2013; 2013). Glossary of Morpho-Syntactic Database Terminology. Lexham Press.
[viii] Louw et al. supra at Vol. 1, p. 292.
[ix] Louw et al. supra at Vol. 1, p. 675.
[x] The Chicago Statement on Biblical Hermeneutics (1982) reads:
Article VII. WE AFFIRM that the meaning expressed in each biblical text is single, definite and fixed. WE DENY that the recognition of this single meaning eliminates the variety of its application.
[xi] Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (1 Co 8:1). Galaxie Software.
[xii] Oster, R. (1995). 1 Corinthians (1 Co 8:1). Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co.