To Know and to Love 1 Corinthians 8:1–13 

Grace, mercy and peace to you, from God, our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who knows us and loves us.

Our sermon theme is: To Know and to Love. 

We’re going to talk about the relationship between knowing and loving, and how in bringing these two together, there’s wisdom.

This is based on our Epistle, verses 1-3:  We know that “all of us possess knowledge.” 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...

And he knows God… as we say in our mission statement, to know Christ and to make Him known.

It’s been said that knowledge is power, and to some extent it is. But it’s not necessarily benevolent power.

Knowledge can be used to help, and to destroy.

The infamous Nazi doctor, Josef Mengele, who performed surgical experiments on the prisoners at Auschwitz, in the name of science, supposedly to gain scientific knowledge, that was clearly malevolent, not benevolent knowledge… it was hateful, for an evil purpose, and not for a loving, just, godly purpose.

Knowledge can be used to heal, and to hurt. So knowledge must be combined with love, and guided by grace and godly truth.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says, If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal… just making noise… 

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge… and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing… Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in truth. 

Knowledge must be guided by love, and that’s when knowledge becomes wisdom, true, godly, eternal wisdom. 

Psalm 111:10 says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding… true knowledge.

For the Lord gives wisdom, Proverbs 2:6 says, from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Last Sunday we celebrated and thanked God for the Sanctity of Life. Medical technology and knowledge have given us a better understanding than ever of the development of the child in the womb, and how early in the pregnancy the child can feel and think.

And yet, without wisdom and love, and without common sense, I would say, the humanity of that child is denied by those who wish to have the civil right to terminate the life of an unborn child.

Love considers that child a miracle from God… secular self-centeredness may consider the child unwanted, and to be discarded, or as an inconvenience to be eliminated, rather a gift to be treasured.

That’s knowledge without love; such worldly knowledge always leads humanity to a bad place, with bad laws and bad choices.

Godly knowledge leads people to a good place, a place where there are deeds of love, and righteousness, and justice.

So may the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with love from above, and fill our minds with knowledge and wisdom from His Word. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus spoke to the people in the synagogue in Capernaum, and He spoke with goldy knowledge and wisdom. 

Mark says, 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority… He knew what He was talking about, because He knew and understood the Word of God completely, because He’s the Son of God.

And He confirmed that right after He spoke, as a man with an evil spirit, cried out to Him and identifies Him. 

And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. 

And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 

There were people who doubted Jesus, that He was truly from God, and is God… some still deny it today, but who has never denied is the devil and demons. 

The devil tried to stop Him right away in the wilderness, by tempting Him in to renounce His role as the Messiah, and to claim His rule over all before He had died to redeem all, in which case all would have been lost.

Jesus was far too wise, and too faithful to His Father, and too loving to humanity to fall or cave for that.

Other times demons identified Jesus as the Son of God, too. They knew who He was, they had knowledge about Him, but didn’t have love for Him. 

Knowledge by itself isn’t enough. Anyone can know, but only the chosen believe, and that by the Holy Spirit… 

… and the power from Him to believe, is to power to love, and obey, and truly understand and embrace the Gospel, not just with the mind, but also with heart.

Our Epistle teaches us that it’s wrong to use the knowledge we’ve gained to unnecessarily offend people. 

In this case it was eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols, and then sold in the marketplace. Paul knew that eating such meat was not worshipping idols by extension. 

But he also knew some might be offended by it, and see it as guilt by association, and so he said if that’s the case, then don’t buy or eat it. 

Now personally, I’m a meat-lover. I grew up on a farm. We always fattened a steer, and ended up with a lot of delicious beef, more than one family could eat, it was always shared. 

On occasion, I remember having steak and eggs for breakfast, after having done the morning milking and the chores, before heading back out to do more.

Still, a delicious steak, and a tasty meal, is less important than a loving family, and healthy, godly relationships, which is what Paul is saying.

A delicious meal isn’t worth giving the wrong impression, that you believe in and approve of worldly ways, when you don’t. That’s what Paul was telling them.

Although you know nothing is wrong with it, you have that knowledge, others might not, and might misinterpret your actions, and weaken your witness of the Gospel.

And so we’re called to be considerate in how we relate to others, to be wise and loving in our relationships, and in the way that we use our knowledge, to use all we’ve learned for good, in a way that honors God and respects others.

Let us always keep in mind that, as our Epistles says, knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

The more we know, the more arrogant we can become. That’s knowledge without wisdom, guided by sin rather than love.

Knowledge accompanied by wisdom makes us more humble.

As we learn more, and gain, not just knowledge, but wisdom, we boast less, and realize how little we really do know, as compared to our Creator and Savior, who knows all, and is mistaken in nothing.

And because of His love He uses all His knowledge, all His wisdom, all His power, for us, to save and redeem and care for and watch over and bless us. 

True wisdom and knowledge looks to Him, and trusts Him, and loves Him, and grows to be more like Him… and so is more loving and respectful and considerate of our neighbor.

May we never lose the joy of learning about our Lord and His ways, and getting to know Him better and better, and becoming wiser and wiser, more just and benevolent and loving, as He is.

And as we grow in godly wisdom, His peace, which passes understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our all-wise God and Savior. Amen.