1 Corinthians 8:1 Meaning and Explanation
“Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul takes up the question of food offered to idols and warns that knowledge alone inflates a person, while love builds others up.
What Does 1 Corinthians 8:1 Mean?
The Corinthians had written to Paul with questions, and here he turns to one of them: whether believers may eat meat that had been sacrificed in pagan temples. He begins not with a ruling but with a principle, granting that they share a certain knowledge about idols while gently exposing its limits.
Knowledge, Paul says, can swell a person with self-importance, but love does the quiet work of strengthening others. The contrast sets the whole chapter in motion: being right is not the same as being loving. What matters is not merely what we understand but whether our understanding serves the good of those around us, after the pattern of Christ, who used His own greatness to lift the weak.
1 Corinthians 8:1 in the Original Language
agape (ἀγάπη), 'charity' -- self-giving love that seeks another's good.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Corinthians 8:1
What does 1 Corinthians 8:1 mean?
Paul takes up the question of food offered to idols and warns that knowledge alone inflates a person, while love builds others up.