1 Corinthians Chapter 8

Meat Offered to Idols

¹ About things offered to idols. We all have knowledge. Knowledge tends to make a person proud; love builds other people up. ² If anybody thinks he knows, he doesn’t know like he should. ³ If anybody loves God, God knows it. ⁴ So, as to eating things offered to idols, we know idols aren’t real and there’s no God but one. ⁵ There are lots of so-called gods and lords in the sky and on earth. ⁶ But for us

            there’s one God, the Father—

                  from whom everything has come and

                  for whom we live—and

            there’s one Lord, Jesus Christ—

                  by whom everything has come

                  and by whom we live.                                                                          

1 Cor 8:1-6

⁷ But not everybody knows that. Some people were used to idols before. They were used to eating food as an offering to them. Eating that kind of food grates on their conscience now. Their conscience is weak, and it bothers them. ⁸ Food doesn’t make us acceptable to God: if we don’t eat, we’re not worse; if we do, we’re not better. ⁹ But be careful that your^pl freedom doesn’t make weak people stumble. ¹⁰ If someone sees you^pl that have knowledge reclining at table in an idol’s temple, won’t their weak conscience be inclined to eat to the idol the things offered to the idol? ¹¹ Your^pl knowledge is destroying a weak Christian Christ died for. ¹² When you sin that way against members of Christ’s body and grate on their tender conscience, you’re^pl sinning against Christ. ¹³ So if what I eat makes my fellow Christians stumble, I’ll never eat meat because I don’t want to make them stumble.                                                                                                      

1 Cor 8:7-13