1 Now about “food sacrificed to idols.”* So “we all have knowledge” about this subject. Knowledge makes us proud, but love strengthens us. 2 If anyone thinks they know anything, they don't know as they really should know! 3 But whoever loves God is known by God…

4 So regarding eating food sacrificed to idols: we know that there are no such things as idols in the world, and that there is only one real God. 5 Even though there are some things called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth—in fact there are many “gods” and “lords.” 6 But for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom everything was made, and he is the goal of our existence; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom everything was made, and he is the means of our existence.†

7 But not everyone has this “knowledge.”‡ Some who up to now have been so used to idols as a reality that when they eat food sacrificed to an idol, their conscience (which is weak) tells them they have defiled themselves. 8 But food doesn't gain us God's approval! If we don't eat this food, we're not bad, and if we do eat this food, we're not good. 9 Just take care not to use this freedom you have to eat food sacrificed to idols to become offensive to those with a weaker attitude. 10 If another believer sees you who have such “better knowledge”§ eating food in an idol temple, won't his weak conscience be convinced to eat food sacrificed to idols?* 11 By your “better knowledge” the weaker believer is destroyed, a believer for whom Christ died. 12 In this way you sin against other believers, wounding their weaker consciences, and you sin against Christ. 13 So if eating food sacrificed to idols would cause my fellow believer to stumble, I will never eat such meat ever again, so that I don't offend any believer.