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1 Corinthians 8

Food Sacrificed to Idols

Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.

Be Sensitive to Conscience

Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge [a]puffs up, but love [b]edifies.

Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much.

And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.

But the person who loves God is the one whom God recognizes.a

But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.

So, what about eating meat that has been offered to idols? Well, we all know that an idol is not really a god and that there is only one God.

Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords.

For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),

But for us,
There is one God, the Father,
by whom all things were created,
and for whom we live.
And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,
through whom all things were created,
and through whom we live.

yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

However, not all believers know this. Some are accustomed to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are violated.

However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

It’s true that we can’t win God’s approval by what we eat. We don’t lose anything if we don’t eat it, and we don’t gain anything if we do.

But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.

But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a [c]stumbling block to those who are weak.

For if others see you — with your “superior knowledge” — eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol?

For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?

So because of your superior knowledge, a weak believerb for whom Christ died will be destroyed.

And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?

And when you sin against other believersc by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ.

But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live — for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble.

Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

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