1 Corinthians 8

Take Care with Your Liberty

1Now concerning 1things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have 2knowledge. Knowledge 34makes arrogant, but love 5edifies. 26If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet 7known as he ought to know; 3but if anyone loves God, he 8is known by Him.

4Therefore concerning the eating of 9things sacrificed to idols, we know that 10there is 11no such thing as an idol in the world, and that 12there is no God but one. 5For even if 13there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6yet for us 14there is but one God, 15the Father, 16from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and 17one Lord, Jesus Christ, 18by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

7However not all men 19have this knowledge; but 20some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. 8But 21food will not 22commend us to God; we are neither 23the worse if we do not eat, nor 24the better if we do eat. 9But 25take care that this 26liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the 27weak. 10For if someone sees you, who have 28knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat 29things sacrificed to idols? 11For through 30your knowledge he who is weak 31is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. 1232And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin 33against Christ. 13Therefore, 34if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.