1 Corinthians 8:1-6 (NIV 2010)
1 Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.

4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

Reflection:
Now there is a saying that strikes to the heart, “knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” The danger of ‘knowing much’ is that we can become dependent on what we know to get things done. Paul is not promoting a not knowing way of relating (i.e., just guessing at life); but rather, he is urging us to know love, this Christ-centered way of living together. We can know a lot about each other, but do we really know one another? This type of knowing is only gained through love, through the cross, which is foolishness to the world.

Responding to the Transmission:
This begs the question: the person who is close to you - do you really know him/her? As God’s people, let us pray that we will choose to know one another by choosing to love. This act of love will build up one another. It is about knowing from the heart, and thus shaping our knowledge about who we are and how we live together for God’s glory.