1 Corinthians 8

Today's passage starts out talking about eating food sacrificed to idols. It tells us "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." Been puffed up lately? Could it be knowledge is getting a foot hold over what love wants to build in your life? verse2 explains: "The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God." What does this have to do about eating sacrificed food? First since idols are not real then it doesn't matter. The food isn't defiled because it is to a God that is not real. So where is the problem? This is a great passage that pertains to our freedom in Christ. Our activities can be a help or cause others to stumble and fall. Co 8:9 "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ."
This passage can be applied to any of our activities that cause others to change their thoughts and behaviors. If I start smoking or drinking it will give others permission to do that. If I start staying out of church or engaging in other activities that have not been specifically prohibited in scripture, I may be sinning against my brother and Christ by exercising freedom through the knowledge I have obtained, So I must go back to verse 3 and understand the relationship with God will cause me to be more concerned about my fellow man than my desires. Love wins again over knowledge. Love has kept me from sinning against my brother and God and letting knowledge have the victory. Practicing love will always bring us together as the desires of the father prevails over our desires.