1 Corinthians 8
Christian Standard Bible
Food Offered to Idols
8 Now about food sacrificed to idols:(A) We know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up,(B) but love(C) builds up. 2 If 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.
4 About eating food sacrificed to idols, then, we know that “an idol is nothing in the world,”[a] 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”— 6 yet 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)
7 However, 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. 8 Food will not bring us close to God.[b] 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. 10 For if someone sees you, the one who has knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, won’t his weak conscience be encouraged[c] to eat food offered to idols? 11 So the weak person, the brother or sister for whom Christ died,(N) is ruined[d](O) 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. 13 Therefore, 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.
1 Corinthians 8
New Testament for Everyone
Meat offered to idols
8 Now when it comes to meat offered to idols, we know that “We all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs you up, but love builds you up! 2 If anybody thinks they “know” something, they don’t yet “know” in the way they ought to know. 3 But if anybody loves God, they are “known”—by him.
4 So when it comes to food that has been offered to idols, we know that “idols are nothing in the world,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 Yes, indeed: there may be many so-called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many “gods” and many “lords.” 6 But for us
There is one God, the father,
from whom are all things, and we live to him and for him;
and one Lord, Jesus the Messiah,
through whom are all things, and we live through him.
Respecting weak consciences
7 The problem is that not everybody has this “knowledge.” Some have been accustomed up to now to eating idol-food with the assumption that it really does belong to the idol. This has left them with a weak conscience, and now that conscience will be polluted. 8 But the food we eat won’t recommend us to God. We won’t be any worse off if we don’t eat, and we won’t be any better off if we do.
9 But you must take care in case this official right of yours becomes a danger to the weak. 10 Look at it like this: if someone with a weak conscience sees you, a person with “knowledge,” sitting down to eat in an idol-house, that conscience of theirs is likely to make up its mind actually to eat idol-food, isn’t it? 11 And so, you see, the weak person—a brother or sister for whom the Messiah died!—is then destroyed by your “knowledge.” 12 That means you’ll be sinning against your brother or sister, and attacking their weak conscience; and in doing this you’ll be sinning against the Messiah. 13 So, for this reason, if food causes my brother or sister to stumble, I will never ever eat meat, so that I won’t make my brother or sister trip up.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
