8
About things offered to idols
1 Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has come to know nothing yet as he ought to know.* 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.†
Idols are really nothing
4 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 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on the earth (since there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), 6 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.‡
Respect the other's conscience
7 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 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 But take care lest somehow this ‘right’ of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 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 And so the weak brother, for whom Christ died, will be wasted because of your knowledge. 12 But when you thus sin against the brothers and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 So then, if food causes my brother to fall, I will never eat meat again, lest I cause my brother to fall.†
* 8:2 It is probably true that none of us has complete knowledge on any subject. I follows that we should refrain from acting as if we did! † 8:3 That is one way to make sure God knows who you are! ‡ 8:6 Everything starts with the Father, including the possibility that we become His children. Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:10 and John 1:10 make clear that the Son was the principal agent in the Creation (although the Trinity was doubtless involved), which includes our own existence. § 8:7 Instead of “with consciousness of”, less than 5% of the Greek manuscripts have ‘accustomed to’, to be followed by NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.—clearly an inferior proceeding. * 8:8 Spiritually speaking. † 8:13 The ‘fall’ here is serious, including the possibility that he may not get up again. This is sometimes called the ‘law of love’, giving up a right for the sake of a brother.