Rom 14, 1Cor 8-10 | ESV | STEP | As for the one who is weak in faith , welcome him , but not to quarrel over opinions .

1 As for ^athe one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 ^bOne person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and ^clet not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 ^dWho are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master ^{▼▼Or lord} that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5 ^fOne person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. ^gEach one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since ^hhe gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For ⁱnone of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, ^jwhether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ ^kdied and lived again, that he might be Lord both ^lof the dead and of the living.

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For ^mwe will all stand before ⁿthe judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,

^o“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess ^{▼▼Or shall give praise} to God.”
12 So then ^qeach of us will give an account of himself to God.

Do Not Cause Another to Stumble

13 ^rTherefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide ^snever to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus ^tthat nothing is unclean in itself, ^ubut it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, ^vyou are no longer walking in love. ^wBy what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 ^xSo do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 ^yFor the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but ^zof righteousness and ^aapeace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is ^abacceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us ^acpursue what makes for peace and for ^admutual upbuilding.

20 ^aeDo not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. ^afEverything is indeed clean, but ^agit is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 ^ahIt is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add or be hindered or be weakened} 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. ^ajBlessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts insert here 16:25–27}

1 Corinthians 8

Food Offered to Idols

1 Now concerning ^{▼▼The expression Now concerning introduces a reply to a question in the Corinthians’ letter; see 7:1} ^amfood offered to idols: we know that ^an“all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” ^aopuffs up, ^apbut love builds up. 2 ^aqIf anyone imagines that he knows something, ^arhe does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, ^ashe is known by God. ^{▼▼Greek him}

4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ^au“an idol has no real existence,” and that ^av“there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be ^awso-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet ^axfor us there is one God, the Father, ^ayfrom whom are all things and for whom we exist, and ^azone Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and ^bathrough whom we exist.

7 However, not all possess this knowledge. But some, ^bbthrough former association with idols, eat food as really offered to an idol, and ^bctheir conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 ^bdFood will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. 9 But take care ^bethat this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block ^bfto the weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating ^{▼▼Greek reclining at table} in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, ^{▼▼Or fortified; Greek built up} if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? 11 And so by your knowledge this weak person is ^bidestroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. 12 Thus, sinning against your brothers ^{▼▼Or brothers and sisters} and ^bkwounding their conscience when it is weak, ^blyou sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, ^bmif food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

1 Corinthians 9

Paul Surrenders His Rights

1 ^bnAm I not free? ^boAm I not an apostle? ^bpHave I not seen Jesus our Lord? ^bqAre not you my workmanship in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are ^brthe seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 ^bsDo we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 ^btDo we not have the right to take along a believing wife, ^{▼▼Greek a sister as wife} as do the other apostles and ^bvthe brothers of the Lord and ^bwCephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 ^bxWho serves as a soldier at his own expense? ^byWho plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?

8 Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, ^bz“You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written ^cafor our sake, because ^cbthe plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 ^ccIf we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?

Nevertheless, ^cdwe have not made use of this right, but we endure anything ^cerather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that ^cfthose who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that ^cgthose who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

15 But ^chI have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone ^cideprive me of my ground for boasting. 16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For ^cjnecessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with ^cka stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching ^clI may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

19 For ^cmthough I am free from all, ^cnI have made myself a servant to all, that I might ^cowin more of them. 20 ^cpTo the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To ^cqthose outside the law I became ^cras one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but ^csunder the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 ^ctTo the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. ^cuI have become all things to all people, that ^cvby all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, ^cwthat I may share with them in its blessings.

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives ^cxthe prize? So ^cyrun that you may obtain it. 25 Every ^czathlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we ^daan imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I ^dbdo not box as one ^dcbeating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and ^ddkeep it under control, ^{▼▼Greek I pummel my body and make it a slave} lest after preaching to others ^dfI myself should be ^dgdisqualified.

1 Corinthians 10

Warning Against Idolatry

1 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, ^{▼▼Or brothers and sisters} that our fathers were all under ^dithe cloud, and all ^djpassed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and ^dkall ate the same ^dlspiritual food, 4 and ^dmall drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for ^dnthey were overthrown ^{▼▼Or were laid low} in the wilderness.

6 Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as ^dpthey did. 7 ^dqDo not be idolaters ^dras some of them were; as it is written, ^ds“The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 ^dtWe must not indulge in sexual immorality ^duas some of them did, and ^dvtwenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ ^{▼▼Some manuscripts the Lord} to the test, ^dxas some of them did and ^dywere destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, ^dzas some of them did and ^eawere destroyed by ^ebthe Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but ^ecthey were written down for our instruction, ^edon whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore ^eelet anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. ^efGod is faithful, and ^eghe will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

14 Therefore, my beloved, ^ehflee from idolatry. 15 I speak ^eias to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 ^ejThe cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? ^ekThe bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are ^elone body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider ^emthe people of Israel: ^{▼▼Greek Consider Israel according to the flesh} ^eoare not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that ^epan idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice ^eqthey offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 ^erYou cannot drink the cup of the Lord and ^esthe cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and ^etthe table of demons. 22 ^euShall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? ^evAre we stronger than he?

Do All to the Glory of God

23 ^ew“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 ^exLet no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 ^eyEat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For ^ez“the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, ^faeat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— 29 I do not mean ^fbyour conscience, but his. For ^fcwhy should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that ^fdfor which I give thanks?

31 So, whether you eat or drink, or ^fewhatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 ^ffGive no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to ^fgthe church of God, 33 just as ^fhI try to please everyone in everything I do, ^finot seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.