1 Corinthians 8:3,4 - Whoever loves God is known by God

8:3

“But whoever loves God is known by God”. What does “known by God” mean here? It isn’t that God knows about us, God knows everything about everyone, whether or not they love Him. But if we love God then God knows us, in the sense that we are in a relationship with Him. There are things that are worth infinitely more than money, and infinitely more than any worldly prestige. In fact Jesus warns us about being thought well of by the world (Lk 6:26). Being known by God, counted by Him, is what we should seek. And if we love God we will love others as well, seeking to build them up.

8:4

Paul has begun by addressing the question of knowledge and love, and what puffs up, and what builds up. His hearers may have much preferred him to go directly to the question of food offered to idols, but this he does not do until this point. Those who thought themselves clever argued that idols were nothings, and eating food offered to these idols was not a problem at all, at least in some cases. Now idol worship and idols in general were ubiquitous in Corinthian society. Events involving the eating of food previously offered to idols need not have any obvious religious association. Moreover, some of the food offered to idols was then used for general consumption. This actually is not totally unlike sacrifices under the Law, some of the sacrifice could, subject to certain restrictions, be eaten by the Isrealites as food. Paul freely acknowledges that idols are nothing, and that there is only one God.