"Knowledge puffs up"

A lot of Christians have heard this phrase before "Knowledge puffs up", whether they hear it from other Christians or they are familiar with 1 Cor. 8:1 -Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.
The people who are quoting this phrase are using out of context most of time because when they quote it, they are not using it in a context other than Paul gave.
So what does this phrase actually mean?
I order to determine this, I think we need find out a little more about the Church of Corinth.
According to Henrietta Mears, the believers at the church of Corinth had come because the believers failed to recognize Jesus Christ as Lord. Corinth attracted great crowds of foreigners who worshipped gods of pleasure and lust. There were still some upright Jews here but most of the city itself was the of a debased form of the worship of Venus.
So there is a lot of worldly things going on in Corinth. Let's read the whole into passage.

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.
4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

In verses 4-7 we get a clear picture of what this passage is about. It's about people who do not have the knowledge that there is one God, but they have knowledge of idols and other false gods. And then Paul speaks about the food sacrificed to idols, whether or not believers should eat of it or not.


It is clear that the "knowledge" Paul is referring to in this passage is worldly knowledge, people who have a knowledge of the world but not of God.
Many Christians use this phrase "knowledge puffs up" in relation to learning about God. But that is not what it means in this context. And learning about God does not puff up. Learning about God equips people and gives them the confidence to do His work.
So do not use this as an excuse to not learn about God, use this as an excuse to not learn the ways of the world.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Co 8:1–13.