God's New Revelations

The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians

Unlocked Dynamic Bible :: World English Bible Catholic

- Chapter 8 -

(Ezekiel 14:1–11; Romans 14:13–23)
1
Now, about the question you asked regarding eating food that was offered to idols: We know that people say, “We all have knowledge.” But if you think you know a lot, you can become very proud of yourself. If, however, when you love others, you help them grow strong in their faith.
2
The truth is that if someone assumes he knows something, he has not yet learned the humbleness he needs to know.
3
When you love God, God knows you.
4
Now about eating food sacrificed to idols: Let us begin with this principle: Just as some say, “Idols in this world do not actually exist,” and, as Moses taught, “There is only one God.” So idols are not real gods; they are not living gods at all.
5
But I know that some people say that many gods and lords exist in the heavens or on the earth, after all, there are many supernatural beings who have real power.
6
Yet even so, we say, “There is one God, the Father, from him come all things, and for him we live. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ; he made everything there is, and he is the one who gives us life.”
7
But not everyone knows this. Some worshiped an idol in earlier times, and, now, if they eat food sacrificed to an idol, they worry that they are still worshiping a god. They are torn between two opinions, and they are weak in their faith in Messiah, so they feel they are honoring an idol when they eat food that has been offered to it.
8
We know that the food we eat does not make us better or worse before God.
9
But what is important is your brothers and sisters in Messiah. You are free to eat that food, but you should not cause people to fall down in their faith because you have the freedom to eat it.
10
You know that idols were never alive, nor were they gods at all. But if brothers and sisters who do not know the difference between right and wrong see you eating in an idol’s temple, they would think you were encouraging them to turn back to their idolatry.
11
As a result, if your weaker brother or sister sees you eat meat offered to idols because you have freedom in your mind to eat that food but they did not have the same freedom, you by acting as a free person could destroy your fellow believer for whom Messiah died.
12
So, you sin against your weaker brothers and sisters when you encourage them to do something that their sense of right and wrong tells them not to do. This is sinning against Messiah.
13
Therefore, if my brother or sister are unable to serve God well because they have seen me eat something, I will never eat meat again! I do not want to do anything that causes them to fall.
(Ezekiel 14:1–11; Romans 14:13–23)
1
Now concerning things sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
2
But if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he doesn’t yet know as he ought to know.
3
But anyone who loves God is known by him.
4
Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one.
5
For though there are things that are calledgods”, whether in the heavens or on earthas there are manygodsand manylords”—
6
yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him.
7
However, that knowledge isn’t in all men. But some, with consciousness of an idol until now, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
8
But food will not commend us to God. For neither, if we don’t eat are we the worse, nor if we eat are we the better.
9
But be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak.
10
For if a man sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idols temple, won’t his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols?
11
And through your knowledge, he who is weak perishes, the brother for whose sake Christ died.
12
Thus, sinning against the brothers, and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.
13
Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forever more, that I don’t cause my brother to stumble.