About Food Offered to Idols

8 Now ·I will write about [or concerning your question about; ^Lconcerning; see 7:1; 12:1; 16:1] meat that is sacrificed to idols. We know that “we all have knowledge [^Cprobably a slogan used by the Corinthians; see 6:12, 13; 7:1; 8:4; 10:23].” Knowledge puffs you up with pride, but love builds up. ² If you think you know something, you do not yet know as ·well as you should [^Lyou ought to know]. ³ But if any person loves God, that person is known by God.

⁴ So ·this is what I say about [^Lconcerning] eating meat sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is really nothing in the world, and we know there is ·only one God [no God but one; Deut. 4:35, 39; ^Cthese may be other slogans the church was using to justify their behavior; see v. 1]. ⁵ Even though there are things called gods, in heaven or on earth (and there are many “gods” and “lords”), ⁶ for us there is only one God—the Father. All things came from him, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord—Jesus Christ. All things were made through him, and we also ·were made [exist; live] through him.

⁷ But not all people know this. Some people are still so used to idols that when they eat meat, they still think of it as being sacrificed to an idol. Because their conscience is weak, when they eat it, ·they feel guilty [^Ltheir conscience is defiled]. ⁸ But food will not ·bring us closer [make us acceptable] to God. Refusing to eat does not make us ·less pleasing to God [any worse; ^Llacking], and eating does not make us ·better in God’s sight [any better; ^Labounding].

⁹ But be careful that ·your freedom [this right/authority of yours] does not ·cause those who are weak in faith to fall into sin [^Lbecome a stumbling block to the weak]. ¹⁰ Suppose one of you who has knowledge eats in an idol’s temple. Someone who ·is weak in faith [or has a weak conscience] might see you eating there and be ·encouraged [enboldened] to eat meat sacrificed to idols ·while thinking it is wrong to do so [or as a result of his weak conscience]. ¹¹ This weak ·believer [^Lbrother] for whom Christ died is ·ruined [destroyed] because of your “knowledge.” ¹² When you sin against your brothers and sisters in Christ like this and ·cause them to do what they feel is wrong [^Lwound their weak conscience], you are also sinning against Christ. ¹³ So if the food I eat causes them to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again so that I will not cause any of them to ·sin [stumble; fall into sin].

Paul Is like the Other Apostles

9 ·I am a free man [^LAm I not free?]. ·I am [^LAm I not…?] an apostle. ·I have [Haven’t I…?] seen Jesus our Lord. ·You people are all an example of [^LAre you not…?] my work in the Lord. ² If others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do, because you are ·proof that I am an apostle [^Lthe seal/verification of my apostleship] in the Lord.

³ This is the answer I give people who want to ·judge me [examine me; question my credentials]: ⁴ Do we not have the right to eat and drink [^Creceive hospitality and support for their missionary work]? ⁵ Do we not have the right to ·bring a believing wife with us when we travel [or be married to a believer; ^Ltake along a wife who is a sister] as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers [Matt. 13:55; Acts 1:14] and ·Peter [^LCephas; ^CPeter’s name in Aramaic; see 1:12]? ⁶ Are Barnabas [Acts 13—14] and I the only ones who ·must work to earn our living [^Ldon’t have the authority/right not to work]? ⁷ ·No soldier [^LWho…?] ever serves in the army and pays his own salary. ·No one [^LWho…?] ever plants a vineyard without eating some of the grapes. ·No person [^LWho…?] takes care of a flock without drinking some of the milk.

⁸ I do not say this ·by human authority [from human experience; ^Laccording to man]; God’s law also says the same thing. ⁹ [^LFor] It is written in the law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox when it is ·working in [treading; threshing] the grain [Deut. 25:4].” When God said this, was he ·thinking only [concerned] about oxen? No. ¹⁰ He was ·really [surely] talking ·about us [for our benefit]. Yes, that Scripture was written for us, because it goes on to say: “The one who plows and the one who ·works in the grain [threshes] should hope to get some of the grain for their work.” ¹¹ ·Since [If] we ·planted [sowed] spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we should harvest material things from you [^Creceive support for ministry]? ¹² If others have the right to get something from you, surely we have this right, ·too [or even more so]. But we ·do not use it [have not exercised this right]. No, we put up with everything ourselves so that we will not ·keep anyone from believing [^Lput up a hindrance to] the ·Good News [Gospel] of Christ. ¹³ ·Surely [^LDon’t…?] you know that those who ·work at the Temple [perform priestly temple service] get their food from the Temple, and those who serve at the altar get part of what is offered at the altar. ¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who ·tell the Good News [proclaim/preach the Gospel] should get their living from ·this work [^Lthe Gospel].

¹⁵ But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this now to get anything from you. I would rather die than to have my reason for ·bragging [boasting] taken away. ¹⁶ ·Telling the Good News [Preaching the Gospel] does not give me any reason for ·bragging [boasting]. Telling the Good News is my duty—something I must do. And ·how terrible it will be for [^Lwoe to] me if I do not ·tell the Good News [preach the Gospel]. ¹⁷ If I preach ·because it is my own choice [voluntarily], I have a reward. But if I preach ·and it is not my choice to do so [without volunteering], I am ·only doing the duty that was given to me [^Lentrusted with a stewardship/responsibility]. ¹⁸ So what ·reward [payment; wages] do I get? Only this: that when I tell the ·Good News [Gospel] I can offer it ·freely [free of charge]. I do not ·use [take advantage of; or misuse] my full rights in ·my work of preaching the Good News [^Lthe Gospel].

¹⁹ I am free and belong to no one. But I make myself a slave to all people to win as many as I can. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews. I myself am not ·ruled by [subject to; ^Lunder] the law. But to those who are ·ruled by [subject to; ^Lunder] the law I became like a person who is ·ruled by [subject to; ^Lunder] the law. I did this to win those who are ·ruled by [subject to; ^Lunder] the law. ²¹ To those who are without the law [^CGentiles] I became like a person who is without the law. I did this to win those people who are without the law. (But really, I am not without God’s law—I am ·ruled by [^Lunder] Christ’s law.) ²² To those who are weak [^Cin faith; 8:7–13], I became weak so I could win the weak. I have become all things to all people so I could save some of them in any way possible. ²³ I do all this because of the ·Good News [Gospel] and so I can ·share in its blessings [or be a participant in it].

²⁴ ·You [^LDon’t you…?] know that in a ·race [^Lstadium] all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win! ²⁵ All those who compete in the games ·use self-control [train with strict discipline] so they can win a ·crown [victor’s wreath]. That ·crown [victor’s wreath] is ·an earthly thing that lasts only a short time [^Lperishable], but our crown ·will never be destroyed [^Lis imperishable]. ²⁶ So I do not run ·without a goal [aimlessly]. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air. ²⁷ I ·treat my body hard [discipline/subdue/pummel my body] and ·make it my slave [subdue it] so that I myself will not be disqualified after I have preached to others.

Warnings from Israel’s Past

10 Brothers and sisters, I ·want you to know [^Ldon’t want you to be ignorant of] what happened to our ancestors. They were all under the cloud [^Cthe Israelites were guided in the wilderness by a cloud, a symbol of God’s presence; Ex. 13:21; Num. 9:15–23] and all went through the sea [^Cthe miraculous passage through the Red Sea; Ex. 14:22]. ² They were all baptized ·as followers of [^Linto] Moses in the cloud and in the sea [^Cjust as believers are baptized “into Christ” (Rom. 6:3), so the Israelites were “baptized” into Moses, their leader-redeemer]. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food [^Cthe manna God provided from heaven; Ex. 16:15, 35], ⁴ and all drank the same spiritual drink [^Cthe water miraculously provided from a rock; Ex. 17:6; Num. 20:7–13]. They drank from that spiritual rock that followed them [^Cin Jewish tradition, the rock travelled with the Israelites, providing continual refreshment], and that rock was Christ [^Ca type of Christ, who provides spiritual sustenance]. ⁵ But God was not pleased with most of them, so they ·died [or were struck down; or (their bodies) were scattered] in the desert [^Cas judgment for unbelief and refusing to enter the Promised Land; Num. 13—14].

⁶ And these things happened as examples for us, to stop us from ·wanting [desiring; craving] evil things as those people did. ⁷ Do not worship idols, as some of them did. Just as it is written in the Scriptures: “The people sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up and ·sinned sexually [^Lplayed; ^Ca euphemism for immoral revelry; Ex. 32:6].” ⁸ We must not take part in sexual sins, as some of them did. In one day twenty-three thousand of them ·died because of their sins [^Lfell; Num 25:1–9]. ⁹ We must not test Christ as some of them did; they were ·killed [destroyed] by snakes. ¹⁰ Do not ·complain [grumble] as some of them did; they were killed by the ·angel that destroys [^Ldestroyer; Num. 16:41–50; Ex. 12:23].

¹¹ The things that happened to those people are examples. They were written down to ·teach [instruct; warn] us ·who live in the final days of this age [^Lfor whom the end/climax/culmination of the ages has come]. ¹² [^LSo; Therefore] If you think you are ·strong [^Lstanding (firm)], you should be careful not to fall. ¹³ The only ·temptation [or trials] that has come to you is ·that which everyone has [^L(common to) human life]. But ·you can trust God [God is faithful], who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to ·stand [endure] it.

¹⁴ So, my ·dear friends [beloved], ·run away from [flee; stay away from] the worship of idols. ¹⁵ I am speaking to you as to ·reasonable [sensible; discerning] people; ·judge [consider] for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ We give thanks for the cup of blessing [^Cused in the Lord’s Supper], ·which is [^Lis this not…?] a ·sharing [participation; fellowship] in the blood of Christ. And the bread that we break ·is [^Lis it not…?] a ·sharing [participation; fellowship] in the body of Christ. ¹⁷ Because there is one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body, because we all share that one loaf.

¹⁸ Think about ·the Israelites [^LIsrael according to the flesh]: Do not those who eat the sacrifices ·share [participate] in the altar [^Cby eating the sacrificial food, priests in the Jerusalem temple participate in the worship of God]? ¹⁹ ·I do not mean [^LWhat, then, am I saying…?] that the food sacrificed to an idol is important or that an idol is anything at all. ²⁰ But I say that what is sacrificed to idols is offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to ·share anything [be participants; share fellowship] with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons also. You cannot ·share in [partake of] the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ²² Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? We are not stronger than he is, are we?

How to Use Christian Freedom

²³ “·We are allowed to do all things [^LAll things are lawful/permissible],” but not all things are ·good for us to do [profitable; beneficial]. “·We are allowed to do all things [^LAll things are lawful/permissible],” but not all things ·help others grow stronger [^Lbuild up; ^Cthe quotations were probably slogans the Corinthians used; 6:12, 13; 7:1; 8:1, 4]. ²⁴ Do not look out only for yourselves. Look out for the good of others.

²⁵ Eat any meat that is sold in the meat market. Do not ask questions ·about it [^Lfor conscience’s sake]. ²⁶ You may eat it, “because the earth belongs to the Lord, and ·everything in it [its fullness/abundance/bounty; Ps. 24:1; 50:12; 89:11].”

²⁷ Those who are not believers may invite you to eat with them. If you want to go, eat anything that is put before you. Do not ask questions ·about it [^Lfor conscience’s sake]. ²⁸ But if anyone says to you, “That food was offered to idols,” do not eat it. Do not eat it because of that person who told you and ·because eating it might be thought to be wrong [^Lfor conscience’s sake]. ²⁹ I don’t mean ·you think it is wrong [your conscience], but the ·other person might [the concience of the other person]. ·But why, you ask, [or For why] should my freedom be judged by someone else’s conscience? ³⁰ If I eat the meal with thankfulness, why am I criticized because of something for which I thank God?

³¹ ·The answer is [or Therefore; In summary], if you eat or drink, or if you do anything, do it all for the glory of God. ³² Never do anything that might hurt others—Jews, Greeks, or God’s church— ³³ just as I, also, try to please everybody in every way. I am not trying to do what is ·good [advantageous] for me but what is ·good [advantageous] for most people so they can be saved.