Paul now moves on to another subject as he continues teaching the Corinthian holy-people (the sanctified-people, Christians, saints, children of the only true God).
I Corinthians 8:1-3:
8:1But concerning idol-sacrifices we knew2 that we all have knowledge - but knowledge puffs-up but love1 edifies: .2if someone considers to have known2 not-yet did he know according as it is necessary to know, .3but if someone loves1 this-person was known2.
Paul writes: we (you Corinthian holy-people and I) knew and we still know (perceive, see) that all of us have knowledge (a personal knowing, knowledgeable information) about idol-sacrifices.
Sacrifices which are offered to idols are in direct contradiction to that-which God has given mankind to believe regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because Christ was sacrificed on our behalf and the only true God accepted that sacrifice and so God accepts us (holy-people who have received His gift of holy spirit) within the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore any other sacrifice which is offered by mankind to God, or offering sacrifices to idols, is a rejection of the Christ. Idols are those-things which some people put in the place of the only true God, for example - themselves, statues, pictures, icons, computer-related programs, devil-spirits, the sun, moon or stars, a famous man or woman, the environment, television, etc! Some people were and are doing this in order to gain favor with that idol which they may have called "god" but this is contrary to the only true God. They are being influenced by the devil (satan himself), or by one or more of his devil-spirits (demons). In truth people who do this are sacrificing to the devil to gain the devil's favor - whether knowingly or unknowingly!
Paul and those to whom he was writing this letter, the church of God in Corinth, knew that they all had knowledge concerning idol-sacrifices – nobody could claim ignorance because it was so rampant in the city of Corinth at that time. Many of them had partaken in it before they believed what God has given to be believed regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and thereby became children of God by receiving holy spirit-life.
However, Paul adds that this knowledge (from the past lifestyle concerning idol-sacrifices) actively puffs-up, it inflates a person's thinking and attitude which affects his/her walk during the everyday living of life (things which are puffed-up or inflated are not truly made bigger but they can be burst like a bubble and reduced to almost nothing). But on the other hand, Godly-love builds-up, it edifies holy-people as a house is built up bit-by-bit and layer-by-layer. Things which are built-up or edified are truly made bigger and that solid building or house cannot be burst because it is firm from the foundation upwards.
The word "love1" or the verb "to love1" comes from the Greek word agape which is God's kind of love. To love with His love means to love the same way as God loves, to manifest God's love towards another, whether it is towards God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, yourself, your Christian neighbor, or towards anyone else. God tells His children today (all who have the spirit of Christ within us) how to Godly-love by means of His previously-revealed written Word and also via our holy spirit-life whereby we receive information from Him regarding how to love in different specific situations. It is the carrying out of God's commandments, His Word, which is the correct usage or way to manifest God's kind of love according to His will (refer to I Corinthians chapter 13 and I John 5:1-3). It is not the same as the brotherly or friendly kind of love, nor is it the same as the emotional/feelings/sexual kind of love.
Interestingly, there is a Greek word, oikos, from which many other Greek words come. These words, which all come from the same root-word, may be translated into English as: house, to build a house, household, householders, to build, building, to dwell, dwelling, to inhabit, habitation, to edify, edification, plus many other words in the English language, but we ought to understand that when reading any one of these words they all relate to each other even though in English it is difficult to consistently use the same basic word in every rendering of it to communicate the meaning. Also, it is used figuratively referring to the action or process of building upwards and establishing.
Paul wrote: But concerning idol-sacrifices we knew and continue to know that we all have knowledge - but knowledge puffs-up but love1 edifies. Next he continues to explain what he means:
[Reference: Acts 15:20 and 29; I Corinthians 13:2, 4, and 8-13; Galatians 4:8 and 9. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]
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