Love Leans out
One of the passages of Scripture that got thrown out a lot while I was being formed in ministry, especially in the Youth Ministry circles I was in, was 1 Corinthians 8:1
“Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.”
Generally this was thrown around talking about those who were older than us. Their knowledge puffs them up while the focus on the passion of Youth was really the most necessary thing in leadership.
While this take is quite naive, simplistic and at the time filled with pride, it is not far off from the heart of what Paul was advocating for. Knowledge cannot be the end goal of spiritual vitality. We must ask what is the purpose of knowledge?
Knowledge = Bulking
Over the past few years, I’ve learned quite a bit about physical fitness, dieting, and exercise. One of the unique things that I discovered was something called bulking.
Bulking is the process by which you increase your calorie intake in order to fuel your body in producing muscle. Wait, you eat more calories and it is for the purpose of overall health? Well yes in a way. You see this increase in calories is a temporary increase. It should also be teamed with high intensity weight training.
Extra Calories + Intense Training = Muscle growth
Applied to Knowledge
Paul speaks of knowledge as puffing up. The word gives the picture of bellows meant to feed air to a fire in order to keep it burning. False breath.
Paul goes on to say that “love builds up” or as the CSB presents it “it is love that strengthens the church”.
If we are prone to learning and gathering knowledge, it must not a be an end, but rather a means to an end. Knowledge rightly gained must have love as its goal and aim.
So how can we make sure that our knowledge results in loving action?
Here are a few practicals:
Love must be the goal
If we are to be people that seek to honor God with our lives, we should aim our goals of acquiring knowledge to have an end in love for others. A question to guide you is, “How is what I am learning going to translate into actionable love to others?”
Love leads to Humility
Loving others should lead towards a growing sense of understanding of who we are in the sight of God. Paul speaks about this later in chapter 8. We are to not cause others to stumble, but instead to build them up and look out for them. How is my growth in knowledge helping to assist my service towards others? How am I bringing others alongside me in my growth, humbly?
Love leans out
I think when we take all of chapter 8, the idea of physical training is a great picture. Knowledge is the calorie add we sometimes need. But without the intense application of that knowledge through love, we just add weight. But love keeps us leaned out in our seasons of growth in knowledge.
So keep going! Find ways to add knowledge in ways that will truly assist the building up of the church.
