1 Corinthians 8
1 Now about “food sacrificed to idols.” So “we all have knowledge” about this subject. Knowledge makes us proud, but love strengthens us.
Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
2 If anyone thinks they know anything, they don't know as they really should know!
And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has come to know nothing yet as he ought to know.
3 But whoever loves God is known by God…
But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.
4 So regarding eating food sacrificed to idols: we know that there are no such things as idols in the world, and that there is only one real God.
Therefore, concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and no one else is God except the One.
5 Even though there are some things called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth—in fact there are many “gods” and “lords.”
For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on the earth (since there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’),
6 But for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything was made, and he is the goal of our existence; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything was made, and he is the means of our existence.
yet for us there is one God, the Father, out of whom are all things and we into Him, and one Sovereign Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and we through Him.
7 But not everyone has this “knowledge.” Some who up to now have been so used to idols as a reality that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol, their conscience (which is weak) tells them they have defiled themselves.
However, this knowledge is not in everyone; but some, with consciousness of the idol, still eat it as offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
8 But food doesn't gain us God's approval! If we don't eat this food, we're not bad, and if we do eat this food, we're not good.
But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we better off, nor if we do not eat are we worse off.
9 Just take care not to use this freedom you have to eat food sacrificed to idols to become offensive to those with a weaker attitude.
But take care lest somehow this ‘right’ of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
10 If another believer sees you who have such “better knowledge” eating food in an idol temple, won't his weak conscience be convinced to eat food sacrificed to idols?
For if someone who is weak sees you with your knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not his conscience be emboldened to eat things offered to idols?
11 By your “better knowledge” the weaker believer is destroyed, a believer for whom Christ died.
And so the weak brother, for whom Christ died, will be wasted because of your knowledge.
12 In this way you sin against other believers, wounding their weaker consciences, and you sin against Christ.
But when you thus sin against the brothers and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.
