Love Builds Up

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Scripture: 1 Corinthians 8:1b-3 (ESV)

This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.

Devotion:

            Paul, in today’s scripture, treats a theme he will come back to later in this same letter. That is “the supremacy of love.” Paul has been talking about those who have knowledge of where the meat that is sold in the market comes from. Does it come from temple sacrifices? But we can generalize it to any type of knowledge that makes someone feel superior to someone else.

            Our society is crazy about knowledge. I must confess here that having recently earned my ThD this message may be as much for me as it is for anyone else. The point is that, at least in my case I have realized that although doing the research for my dissertation I gained a lot of what used to be called “book learning” but even as much as I invested into that process it made me realize how much more I have to learn.

            Knowledge certainly can come in handy when it is used properly. The right kind of knowledge can fix your car, do your taxes, etc., but some knowledge is not very practical. Knowing how to solve quadratic equations will help you get a good grade on an algebra exam but is useless knowledge when it comes to changing a flat tire.

            Love, the kind the Bible talks about agapao in the Greek. This love is always useful. See 1 Corinthians 13 for all the wonderful ways that it can function. It is never useless like some forms of knowledge. This kind of love always builds up while certain kinds of knowledge tend to tear others down. We must be careful when we use our knowledge, but we can love freely and generously without measure and without losing anything in the process. In fact, the more love we give away the more we have. (That’s God’s arithmetic, it will not help in math class.)

            Knowledge is not always a bad thing. Take what I said about the Greek term for love I used above. I had to learn Greek in order to learn about that word. I then used my knowledge to love my God and my neighbor better. In the process I obtained more knowledge about love and so on.

            All we have to ask ourselves is what is the use of learning this knowledge? Am I going to build up my friends and neighbors or tear down those around me? Use knowledge carefully but use agape love generously. You can know more than you need, but you can never love more than the world needs. Let us pray:

Prayer:

            Oh God, teach us to love others as you have loved us. We broke your commandment and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Things have never been the same since. Some people still enjoy the fruit of that tree. Help us to be balanced people when it comes to knowledge. But let us lavish your love on those around us. All glory to your holy name Jesus. Amen 

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