About things offered to idols

1Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.

2And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has come to know nothing yet as he ought to know. ¹⁰²

3But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him. ¹⁰³

Idols are really nothing

4Therefore, 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.

5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on the earth (since there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’),

6yet 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. ¹⁰⁴

Respect the other's conscience

7However, this knowledge is not in everyone; but some, with consciousness ¹⁰⁵of the idol, still eat it as offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.

8But 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. ¹⁰⁶

9But take care lest somehow this ‘right’ of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

10For 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?

11And so the weak brother, for whom Christ died, will be wasted because of your knowledge.

12But when you thus sin against the brothers and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

13So then, if food causes my brother to fall, I will never eat meat again, lest I cause my brother to fall. ¹⁰⁷