Love Makes Knowledge Do

I was doing something I have never done before today: Listening to preachers on the radio. Why? I have no idea. But while driving through eastern Ohio, I caught one sermon where the preacher used the phrase “knowledge puffs up. And when we are full of knowledge we get prideful.”

Well that brought up an interesting line of thought in my head, and I had plenty of time to contemplate it too. (That’s what I love about my job.)

Frist I took what the preacher said, and evaluated it. Does knowledge puff up? Yeah I can agree to that. Does it make us prideful? As I sat there driving, thinking about this question, I came to the conclusion, yes, knowledge does make us prideful.

I’m a fairly smart person, and I know it. Now if I did nothing with this knowledge other than have it, I would eventually flaunt it. Because me, being so smart, would think, “Well I’m freaking smarter than all these people, I can tell by just the way they act. I have so much knowledge, I have to let them know. So I’m going to show them how much smarter I am than them by making them feel just how dumb they are. That’ll show them how smart I am.”

At this point, I am puffed up by my knowledge, thinking myself smarter than everyone else. I get so puffed up over the fact that I’m smart that I become prideful of my knowledge. I don’t really use my knowledge, just show that it does exist, there is a difference there. Knowledge does, generally, bring pride. When left alone.

After I mulled over all of that, I thought of the rest of the verse (1 Corinthians 8.1 if anyone was wondering) which says, “but love builds up.” Now since I was driving I couldn’t exactly take the time to look at the verse in context, which I will do in a minute, so I continued my train of thought, moving on from how knowledge puffs up and makes us prideful.

Well if knowledge puffs up, and love builds up, does that mean that love takes the knowledge and applies it as opposed to just showing that it exists?

At the time, about 10 this morning, this was a profound question. Does love take knowledge and use it as opposed to showing it?

Yes.

Knowledge is the understanding of things, knowing facts, figures, how to do different acts.

Love is a compelling force for action.

Love takes all our knowledge, and uses it to love on others, help others, be Christ in the world.

Love takes the knowledge that we have, and we use it to build the body of Christ, and build up those around us.

As Bob Goff would say, “Love does.”

BUT

There is a problem here. This is all just my musings on part of a verse spurred on by some nameless preacher I heard screaming at me about humility over the radio in Appalachia. And while these may be good thoughts, it is always important to look at scripture in its original context.

As mentioned above, this is 1 Corinthians 8, and I want to look at verses 1-3.

1 Cor. 8.1-3: Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

What’s being said here and further on, is that everyone has knowledge. And if we think we know something, we really don’t know like we should. But if we love God, we are known by God, and know what we should know.

As Paul continues on, he says that for some, they may eat food sacrificed to idols, because they are known by God, and know God, and know that the food isn’t really sacrificed to anything other than some sculpture. But those who only have knowledge, and not love, puff themselves up others saying, “Well I don’t eat food sacrificed to idols, I’m not some heathen like those people there. I’m a true Christian.” They say this, and they are puffing themselves up, know loving God and knowing that he doesn’t care as long as we don’t do it as worship of the idol.

But then it seems to come back to the point from earlier…

I have this knowledge, that idols are bad. So everything associated with idols is bad, so I will refine from all because I’m a better and smarter Christian than you.

Where as those with love say, “I’m loved by God, he knows me, he knows that by eating this I’m not worshiping this idol.”

Knowledge puffs up, while love builds up.

Take your smarts, and do with them.

Love makes knowledge do.

Be jealous of that grammar.