Beyond Belief

When Being Right Is Wrong

• Hardus Pretorius • Season 3 • Episode 20

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0:00 | 15:23

Have you ever “won” an argument… but lost something deeper? In this episode of Beyond Belief, we explore the surprising truth from 1 Corinthians 8: knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Discover why being right isn’t always the goal, and how true Christian maturity is measured not by facts or freedom, but by how much love we show others.

Through personal stories, cinematic illustrations, and practical application, we dive into:

  • How winning debates can hurt relationships
  • Why love should guide how we exercise freedom in Christ
  • Lessons from Paul and Jesus on sacrificial love
  • How to choose love over being right in conversations, family, and social media

Whether you’re navigating church disagreements, theological debates, or daily conversations, this episode will challenge you to live faith that builds people, not just proves points.

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💡 Key Takeaways:

  • Knowledge alone can inflate, but love builds lasting faith
  • True freedom in Christ is exercised with care for others
  • Spiritual maturity is about loving more, not knowing more

✨ Subscribe to Beyond Belief and explore faith beyond religion, beyond surface answers, and into the life-changing love of God.

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SPEAKER_00

Welcome to Beyond Belief, the place where we explore faith, not as a rule book, but as a journey. A journey through questions, through doubts, through those moments where belief collides with real life. Because sometimes the most powerful truths aren't the ones we memorize, they're the ones that change how we live. Here we go beyond religion, beyond surface answers, and discover the deepest story of God. So wherever you're listening from, driving to work, walking through a difficult season, or simply searching for something real, you belong here. Have you ever won an argument and immediately felt like you lost something? You proved your point, you had the facts, you even had the Bible verse ready. But when the conversation ended, the relationship felt colder, and a quiet thought crept in. Maybe winning wasn't the goal. Today we're talking about something uncomfortable. Because sometimes being right can still be wrong. And the apostle Paul explains why. Here we explore the deeper questions of faith and life, and today's episode centers on a simple but powerful truth. Knowledge wins arguments, but love builds people. And what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 8 turns our instincts upside down. He writes, Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Years ago, I was in a theological debate. One of those conversations Christians love to have. You know the type, someone raises a topic and suddenly everyone is quoting verses, pulling out arguments, trying to prove their point. And I remember thinking, I've got this. I had studied the topic, I knew the arguments, I had the verses memorized. So I explained my position clearly, logically, confidently. And one by one, I dismantle the other person's argument. When the conversation ended, I felt victorious. I had won. But later that evening, something kept bothering me. The look on the other person's face, not anger, not frustration, just hurt. And that's when the realization hit me. I won the argument, but I lost the moment. And the more I thought about it, the more uncomfortable the truth became. Because if I'm honest, I didn't just want to explain the truth, I wanted to win. I wanted to feel smarter, more prepared, more theologically correct. And somewhere along the way, my goal quietly shifted. It wasn't about helping someone grow, it was about proving I was right. And that's the subtle trap Paul is warning about. Because knowledge can do something dangerous to the human heart, it can make us feel superior, like we're standing a little higher, seeing a little clearer, understanding a little more. But love does the opposite. Love kneels down. Love listens. Love cares more about the person in front of us than the argument we're trying to win. Imagine this: a crowded dinner table, friends gathered, conversation flowing. Then someone raises a controversial topic. Suddenly the atmosphere shifts. Voices get louder, opinions sharpen, someone quotes scripture, someone else counters, and slowly the conversation becomes less about truth and more about winning. You've seen it. Maybe you've been in it. Maybe you've been me in that moment. And here's the uncomfortable question. What if Christianity was never meant to be about winning arguments? And honestly, our culture thrives on being right. Social media rewards it. Debates celebrate it. Comment sections amplify it. But really do we stop and ask, is this building anyone up? Because Jesus never said, They will know you are my disciples by your superior arguments. He said, They will know you by your love. And this is where 1 Corinthians chapter 8 gets fascinating. The argument in Corinth was about food. But to understand Paul's message, we need to understand the world the Corinthians were living in. Corinth was a city full of temples. Everywhere you went, there were altars to different gods. Sacrifices were made daily. And after those sacrifices, the meat didn't just disappear. It was sold in the marketplace, served at public meals, shared at community gatherings, which meant something interesting. A Christian sitting down to eat dinner might suddenly wonder wait, was this mead offered to an idol? For some believers, especially those who had recently left idol worship, that question mattered deeply. Because to them, eating the food felt like returning to the life God had rescued them from. But other Christians looked at the situation differently. They said, idols aren't real. There's only one God, so the food is just food. And theologically, they were correct. But Paul begins the chapter with a warning. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Because being correct is not the highest goal of the Christian life. Love is. Faith is not just about what we understand, it's about how we care for the people around us. Picture two construction sites. On one side, a man is inflating a balloon, bigger and bigger and bigger. Everyone watching says, Wow, that's impressive. But one tiny pin, and the whole thing disappears. On the other side, someone is laying bricks, slowly, patiently, one brick at a time. It doesn't look impressive at first, but years later, one structure still stands and the other is gone. Paul says, knowledge can inflate, but love builds. Paul then writes something incredibly important. Be careful that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block for the weak. Think about the humility in that statement. Paul is essentially saying, your freedom might be real, but it's not the most important thing. In modern Christianity, we often talk about freedom. Freedom in Christ, freedom from legalism, freedom from rules. And those things are true. But Paul adds an important balance. Freedom without love becomes selfish. Knowledge without love becomes pride. Truth without love becomes a weapon. But when truth and love come together, something beautiful happens. Truth guides us, love shapes us. And suddenly faith stops being about proving something and starts becoming about becoming someone. Imagine walking across a narrow mountain bridge. Behind you are people who trust you. Now you know the bridge is safe. You know there's nothing to fear. But the people behind you aren't as confident. Suddenly, your choices affect more than just you. Because leadership means this: someone is always watching your steps. Then Paul says something shocking. Think about that. Paul says, if exercising my freedom harms someone's faith, I'll give it up. Not because I must, but because love chooses sacrifice. And suddenly we realize something powerful. This principle is exactly what Jesus did. Jesus had all knowledge, all authority, all power. If anyone had the right to win every argument, it was Him. But He didn't come to win debates. He came to rescue people. He didn't shame sinners, He restored them. He didn't crush the weak, He lifted them. And the ultimate expression of that love was the cross. The cross is where truth and love meet, where justice is satisfied and mercy is poured out. Jesus had every right to walk away from the cross, every right to stop the suffering, every right to call down angels. But instead, he chose love. He surrendered his rights for us, for redemption. And suddenly, 1 Corinthians chapter 8 becomes crystal clear. The highest form of spiritual maturity is not knowing more, it's loving more. So here's a question for today. Not, am I allowed to do this, but will this build someone up? Because mature faith isn't measured by how much freedom we exercise, it's measured by how much love we express. Maybe it shows up in church disagreements, music styles, worship preference, theology debates, where people stop seeing each other as brothers and sisters and start seeing each other as opponents. Maybe it shows up in family conversations, where someone asks a difficult question about faith, and instead of listening, we immediately prepare our defense. Maybe it shows up on social media. You know you're right. You know you could destroy the argument, but you also know it will start a fight that helps no one. Love sometimes asks, is proving my point worth hurting this person? So remember these truths. Knowledge makes a point, but love makes a difference. Being right impresses people, but being loving transforms people. Knowledge can make you sound impressive, but love is what makes you look like Jesus. Christian maturity isn't measured by how much you know, it's measured by how much you love. Imagine a church like this, where people care less about proving themselves right and more about lifting others up. Imagine conversations filled with grace, disagreements filled with humility, a community where love is louder than opinion. That kind of faith would change the world. Before your next argument, before your next post, before your next response, ask one question. Will this build someone up? This week, choose love over being right. One conversation, one disagreement, one moment. Because that's where the heart of Jesus lives. Sometimes the greatest act of spiritual maturity is not speaking the final word, it's choosing the better one. Love. So may your knowledge grow deep, but may your love grow deeper. May your words build bridges, not walls, and may your life reflect the sacrificial love of Jesus. Thank you for listening to Beyond the Leaf. If this episode encouraged you, share it with someone who needs it. Because sometimes the most powerful faith is the faith that chooses love first. The world doesn't need more Christians who win debates. It needs Christians who love like Jesus. Christ didn't come to prove points, he came to rescue hearts. And that's our call, too. So before your next argument, before your next reply, before your next Facebook comment, ask one question. Will this build someone up? Because sometimes, the morical act of faith is choosing love over being right. And when you do, you don't just teach truth, you show it, you live it, you become it. God bless.