Devotional 20 November 2025

1 Corinthians 8:1–3 shows how easily Christians can mistake information for maturity. The Corinthians ask Paul a technical question about whether believers may eat food that has been sacrificed to idols. Before Paul even touches that subject, he stops to expose the deeper problem behind their question: their boast, “all of us possess knowledge” (v. 1). In other words, “We all understand the real nature of things. We know the truth.” But Paul insists that knowledge, when cut off from love, becomes spiritual poison: “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (v. 1).

This is a profound warning. True Christian knowledge is never self-inflating. As Paul has already said, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7). And later he warns that even extraordinary spiritual insight, without love, amounts to nothing (1 Cor. 13:1–3). If our theology makes us proud, it has ceased to be Christian.

Paul then makes a sharp statement: “If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know” (v. 2). This is the humility of true wisdom. Jesus taught the same principle when the disciples rejoiced that demons obeyed them: “do not rejoice in this… but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). The point is not what you can do, nor what you understand, but Whose you are.

This leads to Paul’s astonishing conclusion: “If anyone loves God, he is known by God” (v. 3). The heart of Christian maturity is not how much we know about God, but that God knows us (cf. Gal. 4:9; 2 Tim. 2:19). This is covenant language, echoing how the Lord said to Moses, “I know you by name” (Ex. 33:17).

And here Paul follows the same logic Jesus used when asked, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). Jesus does not give a list of who qualifies as a neighbor; He reframes the question: “Who proved to be a neighbor?” (Luke 10:36). Likewise, Paul does not answer, “What am I allowed to do?” but rather, “Does this build up my brother?” (cf. 1 Cor. 10:23–24). Love for God is proven by love for neighbor (Matt. 22:37–40; John 13:34–35).

In the end, any action, no matter how theologically justified, that inflates our pride or harms another is spiritually empty. But whatever builds up others in love reflects the One who knows us, loves us, and calls us His own.