Let knowledge be the servant for love
美佳之窗 His Window 85（ Jan - Mar 2019 ）
Text by Rev Phan Wu Chung (Senior Pastor Mega CMC)
Translated by Jacob Lee
Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that ‘We all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. But whoever loves God is known by God. (1Cor. 8:1-3)
We live in the age when information abounds, and generally people are higher educated. It is much easier today to obtain information and knowledge in the internet age especially when almost everyone has a smartphone. But sometimes there can be many versions to a story and this ends up with great confusion. Thus, if you do not verify the message you received, and just take it as it is, you may be cheated because of your ignorance or worse, you may mislead others and cause people to suffer loss. Under such a situation, how do Christians apply the knowledge made available to them?
The Corinthian church in those days were located in a city which was prosperous, rich, multicultural and a place where knowledge intersects (quite similar to our context today). And this leads the church into various problems when believers brought with them worldly and carnal culture, philosophy and way of life. In 1 Corinthian chapter 8, Paul dealt with the issue of eating food which was offered to the idols. But Paul first dealt with the subject of ‘knowledge vs love’, as a result very possibly caused by the misuse of ‘knowledge’ by the Corinthian believers.
Rev. Phan Wu Chung
Perhaps we can see that some Corinthians emphasize on ‘knowledge’ above all. They thought they are ‘free’ to do anything they want since they possess the knowledge. (As a result, they were bold to act on the issue of eating the food sacrificed to the idols). But Paul’s concerns is that these people thought they were highly knowledgeable (this has always been the Corinthian problem, 1Cor 1:18-31), and knowledge had made them arrogant, and this will lead into the abuse of knowledge and freedom. This in no way means that Paul despises knowledge, in some degree, ‘knowledge’ is important. We need to survive with ‘knowledge’, but this does not mean that we accept ‘knowledge’ indiscriminately. To Paul, true ‘knowledge’ should operate in the principles of ‘love’, and only love will make us grow steadily in knowledge.
Paul continued to say that no one can claim they know everything. In other words, a more learned man will be more humble, because a person who is truly knowledgeable will realize his knowledge is only a minute fraction of all knowledge. Paul rebuked the Corinthian Christians for acting arrogantly, showing no consideration for the feelings of others.
Paul said it splendidly in verse 3. Generally most people will put it this way: ‘If one loves God, he will truly know God.’ But Paul puts it in another way: ‘If one loves God, he will be known by God.’ Obviously, Paul’s emphasis was on being ‘known’ by God, in other words, whatever we know is not important. This is not just a mockery to the Corinthians, it sheds light to a theological understanding, when we know we are known by God, when we know all that we know comes from God, we will be humble and we will edify one another with love.
If we consider our context from this perspective, the pressing concerns are not to pursue ‘knowledge’ (because we already have excess). We need more ‘love’, especially when we think we are very ‘knowledgeable’ (this includes knowledge of our faith). Can we humbly deploy this knowledge in the right place?
Finally, we do not despise the importance and value of ‘knowledge’; more importantly, the ‘knowledge’ we acquire must conform to the scriptural standard (on the basis of loving God and man), it should not be just hearsay, we must be discerning, we shouldn’t be proud and arrogant and causing harm to others and ourselves.
