To eat or not to eat

To eat or not – 1 Cor 8:7-8

Vs 7 – Paul pointed out that many people in his day did not possess this knowledge.  This still goes on today.  They eat meat offered to idols because they do not know better.  Their conscience is weak and defiled.  Their ignorance causes them to sin and they do not even know it.  The god of this world has blinded them from the truth.  They are living like based beasts doing only that which is natural and not super natural.

Vs 8 – Paul makes it clear that food does not give us any special commendations with God.  Jesus had declared all food clean.  Paul was re-emphasizing this claim.  This is quite a step for Paul because at one time he was a Pharisee and dietary laws were a huge part of their teaching.  They confronted Jesus many times over this very issue.  Each time Jesus reminded the Pharisees that their laws were based on the teaching of men and not the teaching of God.  Paul said that we are not better off if we eat food or not.  Food has one function and that is to give the body the energy it needs to survive.