1 Corinthians Chapter 8, Verse 11
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11: και απολειται ο ασθενων αδελφος επι τη ση γνωσει δι ον χριστος απεθανεν
11: And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for
whom Christ died?
11: And through thy knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom
Christ hath died?
And through thy knowledge. Because you knew that an idol was nothing, and that there could be really no danger of falling into idolatry from partaking of these entertainments. You will thus be the means of deceiving and destroying him. The argument of the apostle here is, that if this was to be the result, the duty of those who had this knowledge was plain.
Shall the weak brother. The uninformed and ignorant Christian. That it means a real Christian there can be no doubt. For,
(1.) it is the usual term by which Christians are designated -- the endearing name of brother; and,
(2.) the scope of the passage requires it so to be understood. See "Rom 14:20".
Perish. Be destroyed; ruined; lost. See "Jn 10:28". So the word apoleitai properly and usually signifies. The sense is, that the tendency of this course would be, to lead the weak brother into sin, to apostasy, and to ruin.
For whom Christ died? This is urged as an argument why we should not do anything that would tend to destroy the souls of men. And no stronger argument could be used. The argument is, that we should not do anything that would tend to frustrate the work of Christ, that would render the shedding of his blood vain. The possibility of doing this is urged; and that bare possibility should deter us from a course of conduct that might have this tendency. It is an appeal drawn from the deep and tender love, the sufferings, and the dying groans of the Son of God. If he endured so much to save the soul, assuredly we should not pursue a course that would tend to destroy it. If he denied himself so much to redeem, we should not, assuredly, be so fond of self-gratification as to be unwilling to abandon anything that would tend to destroy.
