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 sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

2 If anyone thinks they know anything, they don't know as they really should know!

But if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he doesn’t yet know as he ought to know.

3 But whoever loves God is known by God…

But anyone who loves God 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 sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but 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 though there are things that are called “gods”, whether in the heavens or on earth—as 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 to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Yeshua the Messiah, through whom are all things, and we live 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, that knowledge isn’t in all men. But some, with consciousness of an idol until now, eat as of a thing sacrificed 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 will not commend us to God. For neither, if we don’t eat are we the worse, nor if we eat are we the better.

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 be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the 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 a man sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idol’s temple, won’t his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols?

11 By your “better knowledge” the weaker believer is destroyed, a believer for whom Christ died.

And through your knowledge, he who is weak perishes, the brother for whose sake Messiah died.

12 In this way you sin against other believers, wounding their weaker consciences, and you sin against Christ.

Thus, sinning against the brothers, and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Messiah.

13 So if eating food sacrificed to idols would cause my fellow believer to stumble, I will never eat such meat ever again, so that I don't offend any believer. (aiōn g165)

Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forever more, that I don’t cause my brother to stumble. (aiōn g165)