I Corinthians 8:10
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For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
if any man--being weak. which hast knowledge--The very knowledge which thou pridest thyself on (Co1 8:1), will lead the weak after thy example to do that against his conscience, which thou doest without any scruple of conscience; namely, to eat meats offered to idols. conscience of him which is weak--rather, "His conscience, seeing he is weak" [ALFORD and others]. emboldened--literally, "built up." You ought to have built up your brother in good: but by your example your building him up is the emboldening him to violate his conscience.
Open source ↗The apostle, in this chapter, answers another case proposed to him by some of the Corinthians, about eating those things that had been sacrificed to idols. I. He hints at the occasion of this case, and gives a caution against too high an esteem of their knowledge (Co1 8:1-3). II. He asserts the vanity of idols, the unity of the Godhead, and the sole mediation of Christ between God and man (Co1 8:4-6). III. He tells them that upon supposition that it were lawful in itself to eat of things offered to idols (for that they themselves are nothing), yet regard must be had to the weakness of Christian brethren, and nothing done that would lay a stumbling block before them, and occasion their sin and destruction (Co1 8:7 to the end).
Open source ↗Cross-references
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But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin.
So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.
I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods.
They lie down beside every altar on garments taken in pledge. And in the house of their God, they drink wine obtained through fines.
And after they had gone out into the fields, gathered grapes from their vineyards, and trodden them, they held a festival and went into the house of their god; and as they ate and drank, they cursed Abimelech.
Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—