Flee Sexual Immorality

^12 (A)“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

Do All to the Glory of God

^23 (A)“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. ^24 (B)Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. ^25 (C)Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁶ For ^(D)“the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” ²⁷ If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, ^(E)eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— ²⁹ I do not mean ^(F)your conscience, but his. For ^(G)why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? ³⁰ If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that ^(H)for which I give thanks?

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink, or ^(I)whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ^32 (J)Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to ^(K)the church of God, ³³ just as ^(L)I try to please everyone in everything I do, ^(M)not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

¹⁵ See to it that no one ^(A)fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ^(B)“root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; ¹⁶ that no one is ^(C)sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.

²⁷ But I discipline my body and ^(A)keep it under control,^[a] lest after preaching to others ^(B)I myself should be ^(C)disqualified.

¹⁴ I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus ^(A)that nothing is unclean in itself, ^(B)but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. ¹⁵ For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, ^(C)you are no longer walking in love. ^(D)By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. ^16 (E)So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. ^17 (F)For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but ^(G)of righteousness and ^(H)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Whoever thus serves Christ is ^(I)acceptable to God and approved by men. ¹⁹ So then let us ^(J)pursue what makes for peace and for ^(K)mutual upbuilding.

^20 (L)Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. ^(M)Everything is indeed clean, but ^(N)it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. ^21 (O)It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.^{[a] 22} The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. ^(P)Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. ²³ But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.^[b]

⁷ However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, ^(A)through former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and ^(B)their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ^8 (C)Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. ⁹ But take care ^(D)that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block ^(E)to the weak. ¹⁰ For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating^[a] in an idol's temple, will he not be encouraged,^[b] if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? ¹¹ And so by your knowledge this weak person is ^(F)destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. ¹² Thus, sinning against your brothers^[c] and ^(G)wounding their conscience when it is weak, ^(H)you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, ^(I)if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

⁹ It was ^(A)not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves ^(B)an example to imitate.

¹² These are hidden reefs^{[a] (A)}at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, ^(B)shepherds feeding themselves; ^(C)waterless clouds, ^(D)swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, ^(E)uprooted;

⁴ Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ^(A)“an idol has no real existence,” and that ^(B)“there is no God but one.”