1 Corinthians 8:3 kjv
But if any man love God, the same is known of him.
1 Corinthians 8:3 nkjv
But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
1 Corinthians 8:3 niv
But whoever loves God is known by God.
1 Corinthians 8:3 esv
But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
1 Corinthians 8:3 nlt
But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.
1 Corinthians 8 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Cor 8:1 | ...knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. | Strong connection (theme contrast) |
| 1 Cor 13:2 | ...If I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge...but have no love, I am nothing. | Direct fulfillment (love's supremacy) |
| 1 John 4:7-8 | ...Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. | Strong connection (knowing God = love) |
| Gal 5:22-23 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. | Strong connection (love as Spirit’s fruit) |
| John 13:35 | By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. | Direct fulfillment (love as identification) |
| John 17:3 | And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. | Strong connection (knowing God = life) |
| 1 John 2:4 | Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. | Strong connection (knowledge and obedience) |
| Romans 1:20 | For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. Thus they are without excuse. | Strong connection (knowing God through creation) |
| 2 Pet 1:2-3 | May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence. | Strong connection (knowledge and godliness) |
| Col 1:9-10 | And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him. | Strong connection (knowledge and right living) |
| Eph 4:11-13 | And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. | Strong connection (knowledge leading to maturity) |
| Acts 2:42 | And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. | Normal connection (fellowship and teaching) |
| Prov 3:5-6 | Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. | Strong connection (acknowledging God) |
| Jer 31:33-34 | But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. | Strong connection (true knowledge from God) |
| Phil 3:8-10 | Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— having come to know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the sharing of his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, | Strong connection (knowing Christ, its value) |
| Heb 8:10-11 | For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they will not need to teach each neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know me, from the least and to the greatest. | Strong connection (New Covenant knowledge) |
| Matt 11:27 | All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. | Strong connection (exclusive divine revelation) |
| 1 Cor 2:10 | ...these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. | Strong connection (Spirit's role in revelation) |
| Rom 15:1 | We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. | Strong connection (obligation arising from knowledge) |
| Eph 3:17-19 | ...so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. | Strong connection (love enabling understanding of Christ) |
1 Corinthians 8 verses
1 Corinthians 8 3 Meaning
If anyone is taught by the Spirit and claims to know God, that person must also acknowledge love. This acknowledges that true knowledge of God comes through divine revelation and is inseparable from demonstrating love towards fellow believers. Knowing God leads to loving Him and others.
1 Corinthians 8 3 Context
In 1 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul is addressing the issue of eating food sacrificed to idols. Some believers in Corinth, possessing "knowledge" about the irrelevance of idols, felt free to eat this food. However, this could have been a stumbling block to weaker believers who still felt a lingering attachment to idolatry or who were newly converted.
Chapter 8 begins by stating that knowledge "puffs up," while love "builds up." This verse (verse 3) is a direct continuation and amplification of that thought. It emphasizes that genuine understanding of God is not merely intellectual but also moral and relational. True spiritual knowledge should naturally lead to loving conduct. Paul's argument is that a believer truly "known by God" (as the original phrasing might suggest, depending on textual variations) or one who truly knows God through the Spirit will invariably be characterized by love for others, especially fellow believers.
The historical and cultural context in Corinth was steeped in polytheism and idol worship. The question of eating sacrificed meats was significant because these meats were often sold in the marketplace or served at pagan banquets, bringing Christians into direct contact with pagan practices. Some in Corinth were exploiting their newfound "freedom in Christ" in a way that undermined the unity and spiritual well-being of the church. Paul prioritizes the unity and purity of the church, mediated through love, over an unchecked assertion of individual knowledge.
1 Corinthians 8 3 Word Analysis
- εἰ δὲ τις (ei de tis): "but if anyone" (Greek: εἰ - if; δὲ - but, and; τις - anyone, someone). This introduces a hypothetical condition, a contrast to the previous statement about knowledge puffing up.
- δοκεῖ (dokei): "thinks," "supposes," "seems" (Greek: δοκέω). In this context, it signifies a claim or belief held by someone, often about their own spiritual state or understanding. It can imply a self-assessment.
- εἰδέναι (eidenai): "to know," "to have knowledge" (Greek: οἶδα - to know). This is the infinitive form of the verb "to know." It refers to possession of knowledge, which Paul contrasts with true knowing that is accompanied by love.
- τὸν αὐτὸν (ton auton): "that same one" (Greek: ὁ - the; αὐτός - selfsame, same). It points back to the subject introduced by "anyone."
- ἀγαπᾷ (agapa): "loves" (Greek: ἀγαπάω - to love, specifically a deeper, volitional, or affectionate love, often used of God's love or the love Christians are to have). This is the crucial verb Paul introduces.
- οἶδεν (oiden): "he knows" (Greek: οἶδα - to know). This is the perfect tense of "to know," emphasizing a state of knowing or recognized knowledge. It stands in contrast to mere intellectual assent.
- Language Significance: The contrast between dokei (seems/thinks) and oida (knows) is significant. Paul implies that the self-perception of knowledge is insufficient if not accompanied by the disposition of agapao.
- Word-Group Analysis (Knowledge and Love): The core of this verse contrasts perceived intellectual knowledge ("thinks he knows") with genuine, Spirit-wrought understanding evidenced by love ("loves" ... "he knows"). The argument is that the latter is the authentic mark of being known by God or truly knowing God. The presence of agapao is presented as the indispensable criterion.
1 Corinthians 8 3 Bonus Section
The structure of this verse reflects an apologetic stance against an overly Gnostic-like emphasis on esoteric knowledge that could be found in the wider Greco-Roman world. Paul counters this by grounding true knowledge in love, a distinctly Christian virtue. Furthermore, the phrase "knows God" often carries the connotation of being "known by God" in the Old Testament (e.g., Amos 3:2). Paul's use here could subtly suggest that only those truly acknowledged by God, those He has chosen and called, will possess this Spirit-enabled knowledge which is intrinsically linked to love. This links spiritual discernment directly to moral formation, a cornerstone of Pauline theology. The Greek perfect tense for "knows" (οἶδεν) can imply a completed action that results in a present state of true, recognized knowledge.
1 Corinthians 8 3 Commentary
This verse provides a crucial corrective to overconfidence derived from mere intellectual grasp of Christian doctrines. The Corinthians' emphasis on "knowledge" about the autonomy from idols was leading to pride and potential harm to others. Paul asserts that genuine insight into God, imparted by the Holy Spirit, is not abstract or isolating. Instead, it inherently transforms the person into one who reflects God's character, the essence of which is love. This love is not a secondary bonus but a direct indicator of authentic knowledge. If a believer’s understanding doesn’t foster love and concern for fellow believers, especially the weaker ones, their knowledge is superficial or, worse, detrimental. The true measure of spiritual maturity isn't the extent of one's theological learning but the degree to which Christ’s love is manifested in one’s life.
- Practical Example: A believer might know that dietary laws from the Old Testament are not binding for Christians (like knowing eating meat sacrificed to idols is permissible in principle). However, if they flaunt this knowledge before a new convert who struggles with idol worship's lingering influence, causing the convert to stumble back into sin or feel condemnation, then that believer demonstrates a lack of love and therefore does not truly know God's heart regarding the weak. Authentic knowledge would prompt the strong believer to be sensitive and patient, rather than insistent on their "rights" or "knowledge."