All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor. Eat anything that is sold in the meat market, without asking questions for conscience' sake; for the earth is the Lord's, and ALL IT CONTAINS. If one of the unbelievers invites you, and you wish to go, eat anything that is set before you, without asking questions for conscience' sake. But if anyone should say to you, "This is meat sacrificed to idols," do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for conscience' sake; I mean not your own conscience, but the other man's; for why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks? Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of the many, that they may be saved.

This scripture is often misunderstood and misapplied. This is caused, in part, because most translations are not very clear in the translation, plus a desire on the part of many to retain the idols of the heathen in worship, as idols often lend comfort and a mistaken feeling of spirituality to the flesh. Paul's discussion here is also often mistakenly confused with his discussion concerning food and drink in Romans 14, which is a different matter altogether. Thus some have produced studies in these verses wherein they conclude almost the opposite of Paul's intent: "Flee from idolatry." -- 1 Corinthians 10:14.

The apostle is pointing out that it is fine for us to eat food sacrificed to idols as long as we not informed that the food is sacrificed to an idol, for we know that the food itself is not polluted by the offering made to the idol, and we also know that an idol is nothing of itself. -- 1 Corinthians 8:4

Some have read into this that we should not eat food sacrificed to an idol if the believer feels he is violating his own conscience by eating or if another thinks in his conscience that it is wrong to eat food sacrificed to an idol and thus our eating would be offensive to such a person. While we should certainly do nothing that violates our conscience, nor should we seek to do willfully do things unneccessarily to offend others' consciences, this is almost the opposite of what Paul is stating in this instance.

The apostle explains that not all understand that an idol is nothing and therefore if food is presented to us, and the person giving us the food states that it has been offered to an idol, that person's conscience is weak (not fully trained to discern good and evil -- Hebrews 5:14) and defiled, thinking and falsely believing with all good conscience that offering food to an idol is the right thing to do. (1 Corinthians 8:7) If we partake of the food that is presented as being offered to an idol, we give credence to the belief that the idol is something, and the person who believes the idol is something is emboldened by our actions to actually eat the food as an offering to an idol, which, in effect, would make us participators in that offering. (1 Corinthians 8:10; 10:18-23) The eating of such food in the presence of a weak one might seem to them to be an endorsement of the idol worship; and thus they might be misled into a partial endorsement of idolatry. -- See ZWT 10/15/1893, Reprints 1586.

If that person is a brother, we may by our actions give cause for that brother to commit sin (offend - Strong's #4624; 1 Corinthians 8:13), and not only that, we also sin toward that brother -- we may become sharers in the sin of idolatry that that brother commits as a result. (1 Corinthians 8:12; 10:16-23)

The word "offend" in modern English most often means to "to cause dislike, anger, or vexation." Thus the popular notion derived from these verses is that we might cause a brother to violate his own conscience. However, that is not the meaning in 1 Corinthians 8-10, although many often read that meaning into the word. In these chapters it has the meaning of "to transgress the moral or divine law", or "to entice to sin." -- http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Greek/grk.cgi?number=4624

The Mosaic Law Covenant does not forbid eating of the food itself, but it does forbid making any kind of offering or service to an idol. (Exodus 20:4,5; Deuteronomy 4:15-19; 5:8,9) The apostle appeals to the Hebrew Scriptures to this effect: "The things that the heathen sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God." "For the earth is Yahweh's, and all that is in it." (1 Corinthians 10:20,26; Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 24:1; 50:12; 106:37) Thus the apostles states that all these things are lawful, that is, the law does not forbid partaking of anything even though it has been offered to an idol. (1 Corinthians 10:23) Some have thought that the apostle refers to the liberty we have in Christ, which the Jews do not have. Actually, it appears from the context that Paul is speaking of the Law itself. Thus, the apostle could state that it is lawful to eat these things sacrficed to idols, since there is no law against such. And while we could eat the food that has been sacrificed to idols, and we personally do not participate in the actual offering of the food to the idol, we do not directly break the law on idolatry, yet on the other hand we could be participating in the offering by seemingly giving approval to the sin of the other person who views the food as offered to an idol. This is Paul's argument from 1 Corinthians 10:16-23. Therefore he tells us not to use the liberty that knowledge brings to us to cause another person to sin. He says we may eat the food (that has been offered to an idol) as long as we are not told by the giver: This is offered in sacrifice to idols. (1 Corinthians 10:25-28) If we are told that the food is offered to an idol, we need to regard, not our own conscience in the matter, but the other person's, by not partaking of the food, lest our liberty be judged by another person's conscience.

We want to emphasize that Paul is not speaking of violating our conscience, or that we might cause someone else to violate their conscience, as many have assumed. He is speaking of one whose conscience is weak - undeveloped - whose conscience would approve of sin -- that food should be offered to idols -- and that we might appear to such a person as approving of his conscience in that matter. Likewise, if that person should be a brother in Christ, and we, by our actions, should lead such a brother whose conscience sees nothing wrong with offering foods to idols, to appear that we approve of such offerings by partaking of the food after being told that it has been offered to idol, our liberty could come into judgment because of our seeming approval of the idolatrous sin of our brother. If this happens, the apostle does then call our act a "sin", not because we violated our own conscience, or because we led a brother to violate his conscience, but because we appear to approve of the weaker one's conscience that would see nothing wrong in actually offering food to idols. -- 1 Corinthians 8:7,12.

In 1 Corinthians 10:28 in many translations, there is the phrase added which does not belong there: "for the earth is Lord's, and the fullness thereof." This is an interpolation, and was copied from verse 26, where it does belong. However, in verse 28 it is added and does not belong in the context being spoken of, and gives a wrong impression by its presence there.

But we don't see people in our neighbors offering food sacrifices to idols, do we? Idolatry is often cloaked so that it is deceptive. The heathen offer their food or other presents all dressed up before their idols -- they may say that they know that the image does actually receive the food or presents, for they later eat the food or the presents are given to people. But they say that the spirit of love and labor of the offering is received by the god or goddess whom the idol represents. Isn't this basically the same thing that is said about putting presents under the Christmas tree or gifts before the image of Mary, etc.?

In a broad sense, the principles obtained from these verses could be applied, not just to food, but any kind of gift that is offered to an idol. If we are being given a gift that would embolden someone else to approve of idolatry in their conscience, as demonstrated by what they say or do, should we accept such a gift in such a way so that they might conclude we approve of their carnal worship of an idol?

Additionally, "We do not feel such a restraint that we would fear to enter a nominal church building to hear a service there; but would not seem to give our assent to their errors by regular attendance and participation." (ZWT Reprints 3146:4) In other words, if we continue in regular attendance at meetings of a church that indulges in teaching gross error, it might appear to those in attendance at these meetings that we condone their errors. This applies the same principle that the apostle is speaking of here.

Some have pointed to 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 in a effort to prove that Paul would partake of idolatrous ritual when with the heathen, that he might win them for Christ. No, this is not his meaning, as can be seen from the context. (1 Corinthians 8:10; 10:6-11,14) Principles may never be abandoned for any consideration, but liberties and personal rights may be ignored in the interest of others, frequently and to divine pleasing. Thus we understand the apostle to mean that he was refraining from exercising lawful liberties which would detract from the message he was preaching.

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RRD - Updated May 30, 2003

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