Concerning food sacrificed to idols
1Now about food sacrificed to idols: we know that ‘We all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3But whoever loves God is known by God.8:2,3 An early manuscript and another ancient witness think they have knowledge do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves truly knows.
4So then, 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.’ 5For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), 6yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. 8But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
9Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling-block to the weak. 10For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
O hrani žrtvovanoj idolima
1Što se tiče mesa žrtvovanog idolima, o tomu svi posjedujemo znanje. Ali znanje čovjeka čini umišljenim, a ljubav izgrađuje. 2Misli li tko da mnogo zna, taj ne zna kako treba znati. 3A Bog poznaje čovjeka koji ga uistinu ljubi.
4Smijemo li, dakle, jesti meso žrtvovano idolima? Svi znamo da idol zapravo nije Bog i da postoji samo jedan Bog. 5Neki vjeruju da ima mnogo bogova na nebu i na zemlji—jer zaista ima mnogo takozvanih bogova i gospodara. 6Ali mi znamo da postoji samo jedan Bog Otac koji je sve stvorio i za kojega postojimo. I jedan je Isus Krist po kojemu je sve stvoreno i po kojemu imamo život.
7Ali to ne znaju svi. Neki ljudi toliko su naviknuti na idole da jedući žrtvovano meso o njemu razmišljaju kao o mesu žrtvovanom pravim bogovima te tako kaljaju svoju slabu savjest. 8Zapamtite da jelom nećemo steći Božju naklonost. Niti što gubimo ako takvo meso ne jedemo, niti što dobivamo jedemo li ga. 9Ali pazite da zbog te vaše slobode ne posrne slabiji brat ili sestra.
10Jer tko smatra da je grijeh jesti tu hranu, može te vidjeti kako jedeš u idolskome hramu. Ti znaš da u tome nema ničega lošega, ali on će jedući meso žrtvovano idolima naučiti da kalja svoju savjest čineći ono što smatra grijehom. 11Tako zbog tvojega znanja može propasti nejaki kršćanin8:11 U grčkome: brat. za kojega je Krist umro. 12Griješeći tako protiv braće i ranjavajući njihovu nejaku savjest, griješite protiv Krista. 13Ako će moje jelo navesti na grijeh mojeg brata, neću više jesti mesa dok živim da moj brat zbog mene ne posrne.
