1 Corinthians 7:32-40; ; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 Do not worry about the things of the earth, have your heart occupied exclusively with the interests of the Lord seeking how to please Him, engage in his service without distraction, yes, that’s the advantage of the servant of God who is not married compared to the one who is. But we must, like Paul, having received it as a gift.
In ch. 8 Paul deals with butcher’s meats frequently offered on heathen altars before being sold in the market. This troubled the consciences of some believers (cf. Romans 14:1-23). In our countries this question no longer exists but these exhortations apply to every situation in which we run the risk of offending another believer.
How many things the Corinthians knew! "Know ye not . . .?" , the apostle continually asks them (see 1 Corinthians 6:2-3; 1 Corinthians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 6:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19 . . .). Alas! what use was this knowledge to them? It was only something in which to take foolish pride. We run this same risk, we who often know so many truths with our minds rather than with our hearts. In order to know "as he ought to know", a man must love God (v. 3). Loving Him means putting into practice what we have the privilege of knowing (John 14:21; John 14:23).
The example of the farmer comes again and again in the Scripture. First of all it emphasizes the hard work attached to cultivating the ground (Genesis 3:17); then the hope and faith which should encourage the farmer (v. 10; 2 Timothy 2:6); finally the patience with which he must wait for "the precious fruit of the earth" (James 5:7). Now the Corinthians were "God’s husbandry" (1 Corinthians 3:9) and the Lord’s faithful workman carried on his labours amongst them at the cost of sacrificing many things to which he was entitled in order to put no obstacles before the Gospel of Christ (how many less legitimate things often hinder our service!). Paul was engaged at this time with laborious weeding, pulling up as it were all the weeds which had grown in the field at Corinth.