Now concerning ^afood sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have ^bknowledge. Knowledge ^1cmakes one conceited, but love ^dedifies people. 2 ^aIf anyone thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet ^bknown as he ought to know; 3 but if anyone loves God, he ^ais known by Him.

4 Therefore, concerning the eating of ^afood sacrificed to idols, we know that an ^bidol is ¹nothing at all in the world, and that ^cthere is no God but one. 5 For even if ^athere are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, 6 yet for us ^athere is only one God, ^bthe Father, ^cfrom whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and ^done Lord, Jesus Christ, ^eby whom are all things, and we exist through Him.

7 However, not all people ^ahave this knowledge; but ^bsome, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 Now ^afood will not bring us ¹close to God; we are neither ²the worse if we do not eat, nor ³the better if we do eat. 9 But ^atake care that this ¹freedom of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the ^bweak. 10 For if someone sees you, the one who has ^aknowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will his conscience, if he is weak, not be strengthened to eat ^bthings sacrificed to idols? 11 For through ^ayour knowledge the one who is weak ^bis ruined, the brother or sister for whose sake Christ died. 12 ^aAnd so, by sinning against the brothers and sisters and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin ^bagainst Christ. 13 Therefore, ^aif food causes my brother to sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to sin.