Known by Him...

But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.” ~ 1 Corinthians 8:3, NKJV

Paul moves from the subject of marriage to the subject of things offered to idols. The Corinthian believers knew that "an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one." (vs. 4) Because of their knowledge, they could eat things offered to idols (eating an idol's sacrifice was widely considered part of the act of worship) and be neither better nor worse for doing so. What appears to have been troubling the Corinthians was not a lack of knowledge, but a lack of love. "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies," Paul reminds them (vs. 1). Focused on selfish ambition rather than on their relationship with the Lord, stronger believers were causing weaker believers to stumble. By eating meat sacrificed to idols they emboldened their weaker brethren to do the same, contrary to their conscience. Knowledge without love serves only to puff up the individual who has it. In the absence of love, pride swells to the point where it begins choking out the Spirit, producing spiritual barrenness and bringing reproach to Christ. Paul urges the Corinthians to remember the importance and priority of love, reminding them as incentive that the one who loves God is also known by Him. Being known by God is a very precious thing. God loves the whole world, and God the Son came to die for the world while we were all yet sinners; but God can only know (in the sense that we would think of as friendship or fellowship, or something even closer) those who love Him back. Without that reciprocation, there is no relationship and no salvation. God is not the one who pays the price for the absence of such things. We are. If you are not known by God, who is the source of all goodness and the giver of eternal life, then you have nothing worth having. Your existence is empty and purposeless. Your destination is the lake of fire and your portion is wrath. Your lack of love will quite literally kill you. This is the opposite of the result of returning God's love for you, which brings fulfillment, hope, joy, peace, and life - all consequences of a relationship with the glorious, all-powerful, all-loving Creator God who laid down His life for your sake. It's not enough to just know about Him - you have to love Him for His love to do you any good.

by Rebecca...