1 Corinthians 10:14–28

¹⁴So then, my dear friends, keep away from the worship of idols. ¹⁵I speak to you as sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ^16*The cup we use in the Lord’s Supper and for which we give thanks to God: when we drink from it, we are sharing in the blood of Christ. And the bread we break: when we eat it, we are sharing in the body of Christ. ¹⁷Because there is the one loaf of bread, all of us, though many, are one body, for we all share the same loaf.

^18*Consider the people of Israel; those who eat what is offered in sacrifice share in the altar’s service to God. ¹⁹Do I imply, then, that an idol or the food offered to it really amounts to anything? ^20*No! What I am saying is that what is sacrificed on pagan altars is offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be partners with demons. ²¹You cannot drink from the Lord’s cup and also from the cup of demons; you cannot eat at the Lord’s table and also at the table of demons. ^22*Or do we want to make the Lord jealous? Do we think that we are stronger than he?

^23*“We are allowed to do anything,” so they say. That is true, but not everything is good. “We are allowed to do anything”—but not everything is helpful. ²⁴None of you should be looking to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

²⁵You are free to eat anything sold in the meat market, without asking any questions because of your conscience. ^26*For, as the scripture says, “The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.”

²⁷If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you decide to go, eat what is set before you, without asking any questions because of your conscience. ²⁸But if someone says to you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat that food, for the sake of the one who told you and for conscience’ sake-