1 Corinthians 8:4-6 says...
Today's verses are 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, which read,
v.4 - Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.
Our last time Paul gave us the new subject to be informed on along with the Christians in the Corinthian church, "things sacrificed to idols" in verse 1. He also gave us a Scriptural principle to follow when discussing and acting out in accordance to this subject and that is that knowledge without love can make one arrogant and edification is lost. You may win the battle with your knowledge but you have lost the war of that person being edified and knowing God through you in this situation.
The knowledge part of the equation is the fact that there really are no such things as idols to other gods because there is no other God than God Himself. All other false gods are just that false and something other than God.
v.5, 6 - For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things , and we exist through Him.
Paul gives more knowledge about God here and we will have to wait for the love part of the equation for tomorrow's passage. Paul clarifies that even if, and "if" is the big or key word here, there were other gods that had the position or definition of God as there are many false gods and many very important people that for the Christian there is but one God. The world can operate on the system of many gods but for the Christian there is but one God.
The Father God from whom all things come and we exist "for" Him and then the Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we exist "through" Him. Paul is giving a definition of God that is handling two parts of the Trinity. We exist for the glory of God the Father and we exist to give Him glory through the Lord Jesus Christ. All things come from God and the Lord Jesus Christ is the agent in which we have come to give God glory and have the ability to continue to exist to give glory to God.
This second part of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the acting agent for us to be in the existence of the first part of the Trinity, the Father God. You start to see how the Trinity starts to weave together so you see the one and the three eventually. It is not a contradiction for Paul to say there is one God but then say that one God is God the Father and God the Son. They are both God at the same time.
In marriage, the two shall become one, and with the Trinity the three are one. Stephanie and I are two persons of this one marriage. You may look at different roles that we may play but there is still just one marriage. God is one and we may look at different roles that God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit act out but there is still just one God.
This is the foundational knowledge that is needed when Paul approaches this subject of food sacrificed to idols. There is one and only one God in which we exist for and He provided within Himself a way for us to exist for Him, the Lord Jesus Christ. We will leave it at that and save the rest for tomorrow.
"Lord, when we clarify what a god is, then only one god emerges and that is You for the Christian. All other things that we thought were gods to not match up to the definition of God and therefore we have to address them as something else. We need to be reminded so many times that those things are something else and not deserving of our worship of You. We come to church this morning to glorify You and thank You for providing within You, Your Son, Jesus Christ as a sacrifice so that we can exist to give You glory now and forever more. Amen."
Pastor Adam
v.4 - Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one.
Our last time Paul gave us the new subject to be informed on along with the Christians in the Corinthian church, "things sacrificed to idols" in verse 1. He also gave us a Scriptural principle to follow when discussing and acting out in accordance to this subject and that is that knowledge without love can make one arrogant and edification is lost. You may win the battle with your knowledge but you have lost the war of that person being edified and knowing God through you in this situation.
The knowledge part of the equation is the fact that there really are no such things as idols to other gods because there is no other God than God Himself. All other false gods are just that false and something other than God.
v.5, 6 - For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things , and we exist through Him.
Paul gives more knowledge about God here and we will have to wait for the love part of the equation for tomorrow's passage. Paul clarifies that even if, and "if" is the big or key word here, there were other gods that had the position or definition of God as there are many false gods and many very important people that for the Christian there is but one God. The world can operate on the system of many gods but for the Christian there is but one God.
The Father God from whom all things come and we exist "for" Him and then the Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things and we exist "through" Him. Paul is giving a definition of God that is handling two parts of the Trinity. We exist for the glory of God the Father and we exist to give Him glory through the Lord Jesus Christ. All things come from God and the Lord Jesus Christ is the agent in which we have come to give God glory and have the ability to continue to exist to give glory to God.
This second part of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the acting agent for us to be in the existence of the first part of the Trinity, the Father God. You start to see how the Trinity starts to weave together so you see the one and the three eventually. It is not a contradiction for Paul to say there is one God but then say that one God is God the Father and God the Son. They are both God at the same time.
In marriage, the two shall become one, and with the Trinity the three are one. Stephanie and I are two persons of this one marriage. You may look at different roles that we may play but there is still just one marriage. God is one and we may look at different roles that God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit act out but there is still just one God.
This is the foundational knowledge that is needed when Paul approaches this subject of food sacrificed to idols. There is one and only one God in which we exist for and He provided within Himself a way for us to exist for Him, the Lord Jesus Christ. We will leave it at that and save the rest for tomorrow.
"Lord, when we clarify what a god is, then only one god emerges and that is You for the Christian. All other things that we thought were gods to not match up to the definition of God and therefore we have to address them as something else. We need to be reminded so many times that those things are something else and not deserving of our worship of You. We come to church this morning to glorify You and thank You for providing within You, Your Son, Jesus Christ as a sacrifice so that we can exist to give You glory now and forever more. Amen."
Pastor Adam
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