“And the weak one, the brother for whose sake Christ died, will perish through your knowledge” (1 Cor. 8:11).
Children of God should be considerate of each other and not offend one another. The believers in Corinth paid no attention to this. Some of them, in their supposed freedom, went so far as to participate in sacrificial meals in an idol temple. They did not do this for religious reasons, but to have a good meal of meat. A weak brother, in whose eyes it was a sin to enter an idol temple at all, for whatever reason, could be influenced to imitate this and be drawn into something that his conscience forbade him to do, because he saw in it a connection with idolatry. Thus, knowledge without love leads to action without a sense of responsibility for others, especially weak believers. These are thereby tempted to do something that they consider sinful.
Despite the harsh wording, the question here is not whether a child of God can be lost, but the seriousness of the responsibility borne by someone who tempts a spiritually weak believer to sin. Anyone who puts poison in another’s food is considered a murderer, even if the other person does not die from it! This is the meaning of the words: “And the weak one, the brother for whose sake Christ died, will perish through your knowledge” (1 Cor. 8:11). The fact that the Lord will restore such a believer is not mentioned here, so as not to diminish the responsibility of the other.
Causing the weak to perish (1 Cor. 8:11)
“And the weak one, the brother for whose sake Christ died, will perish through your knowledge” (1 Cor. 8:11).
Children of God should be considerate of each other and not offend one another. The believers in Corinth paid no attention to this. Some of them, in their supposed freedom, went so far as to participate in sacrificial meals in an idol temple. They did not do this for religious reasons, but to have a good meal of meat. A weak brother, in whose eyes it was a sin to enter an idol temple at all, for whatever reason, could be influenced to imitate this and be drawn into something that his conscience forbade him to do, because he saw in it a connection with idolatry. Thus, knowledge without love leads to action without a sense of responsibility for others, especially weak believers. These are thereby tempted to do something that they consider sinful.
Despite the harsh wording, the question here is not whether a child of God can be lost, but the seriousness of the responsibility borne by someone who tempts a spiritually weak believer to sin. Anyone who puts poison in another’s food is considered a murderer, even if the other person does not die from it! This is the meaning of the words: “And the weak one, the brother for whose sake Christ died, will perish through your knowledge” (1 Cor. 8:11). The fact that the Lord will restore such a believer is not mentioned here, so as not to diminish the responsibility of the other.
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