Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash
In 1 Corinthians 8 Apostle Paul argues that love within the Christian community trumps knowledge. He presents the example of the eating of meat (a precious high value food at the time) that had been used in pagan religious sacrifice. For the Christian, if the idols were not really gods, then eating the meat which is still useful as food, was a non-issue.
However, some believers were reluctant to eat, seeing the practice as a compromise with paganism, which they had left behind. Paul counsels those who felt free to eat whatever they liked because they had been liberated in Christ, still to defer to those whose conscience would not permit them to partake for fear of sin.
Here is a relevant section; 'Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that ‘all of us possess knowledge.’ Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.' (v1-3)
So for Paul the love of God trumps human knowledge, even true biblical knowledge. It seems that for Paul, love is the highest form of spiritual knowledge. So let us seek to apply that as a principle to some knowledge structure we have currently, or even hold dearly.
May I encourage you to hold the perspective of another human being quite different to yourself even for a short while? In our congregation we have old and young, Pakeha and Asian, rich and poor, brand new Kiwis and Kiwis from birth way back in the mid 20th century.
In our congregation I have experienced and observed prayerful, spiritual attitudes leading to prophetic actions and words that can only come from listening to God's Spirit. I have experienced Christian love, generosity and conversations that have moved me and blessed my life and the lives of my family.
In our congregation I have experienced ingrained attitudes that seem immovable, ears that seem largely decorative, perspectives that seem quite unbiblical, and views of the world that seem set in granite. So in other words we are a normal Presbyterian congregation...
I was smiling as I typed that last paragraph, and the one before. They were not written to offend, but to stir up self-reflection and earnest prayer. That is actually my job. So I repeat, can we hold the perspective of the other for even a moment, and use that as an imaginative aid to pray for them? We are called to the love of God and neighbour, and to remember 'Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.' Peace to you all this Advent.