1 Corinthians 8:1-13: Baal Burgers and Pagan Paninis

Rev. Phillip Fischaber, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Walnut, IL, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study 1 Corinthians 8. “Well, actually...” You can just hear the mature Christian lecturing a recent convert that he’s foolish for avoiding the foods in the marketplace sacrificed to idols. “You know idols aren’t real, right?,” the more knowledgeable Christian lectures. In this part of his letter, St. Paul notes that although this is true, knowledge can “puff up, but love builds up.” (v. 1) Were Christians permitted to purchase and eat meat sacrificed to false pagan gods? Sure, but if it might have caused a brother who still struggled with the association to stumble, it would have been better to act out of love than so-called superior knowledge. In this episode, Pastors Booe and Fischaber unpack what was going on at Corinth and look at ways this message still resonates in our time.