1 Corinthians 8; Proverbs 23:29-35

Friday's Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 8; Proverbs 23:29-35

Our small group Bible study last night was on 1 John 4, a chapter most famous for the statement "God is love," which it says twice:

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. . . . And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. —1 John 4:7-8, 16

So I shouldn't have been surprised (but I was) , when my Bible reading this morning expanded on the subject:

We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God. —1 Corinthians 8:1-3

Maybe God was afraid that a night of sleep would obliterate my memory. Or maybe I just needed to be reminded that knowledge alone is not enough. Knowledge without love is not knowledge; it's arrogance. If God only "knows" those who love him, perhaps that's a clue to what Jesus meant when he said: "Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:23)

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" —Matthew 7:22-23