1 Corinthians 8

FOOD OFFERED TO IDOLS

8Now about food sacrificed to idols:^a We know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up,^b but love^c builds up. ²If anyone thinks he knows anything, he does not yet know it as he ought to know it.^{d 3}But if anyone loves God,^e he is known^f by him.

⁴About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,”^C and that “there is no God but one.”^{g 5}For even if there are so-called gods,^h whether in heaven or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”—⁶yet for us there is one God, the Father.ⁱ All things are from him,^j and we exist for him. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. All things are through him, and we exist through him.^k

⁷However, not everyone has this knowledge. Some have been so used to idolatry up until now that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol, their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ⁸Food will not bring us close to God.^D We are not worse off if we don’t eat, and we are not better if we do eat.^{l 9}But be careful that this right of yours in no way becomes a stumbling block^m to the weak. ¹⁰For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged^E to eat food offered to idols? ¹¹So the weak person, the brother or sister for whom Christ died,ⁿ is ruined^Ao by your knowledge.^{p 12}Now when you sin like this against brothers and sisters and wound their weak conscience, you are sinning against Christ. ¹³Therefore, if food causes my brother or sister to fall, I will never again eat meat,^q so that I won’t cause my brother or sister to fall.