1 Coríntios 8

ARC · Chapter 8/16

1Ora, no tocante ás coisas sacrificadas aos idolos, sabemos que todos temos sciencia. A sciencia incha, mas o amor edifica.

2E, se alguem cuida saber alguma coisa, ainda não sabe como convem saber.

3Mas, se alguem ama a Deus, esse é conhecido d'elle.

4Assim que, quanto ao comer das coisas sacrificadas aos idolos, sabemos que o idolo nada é no mundo, e que não ha algum outro Deus, senão um só

5Porque, ainda que haja tambem alguns que se chamem deuses, quer no céu quer na terra (como ha muitos deuses e muitos senhores),

6Todavia para nós ha um só Deus, o Pae, do qual são todas as coisas, e nós para elle; e um só Senhor, Jesus Christo, pelo qual são todas as coisas, e nós por elle.

7Mas nem em todos ha sciencia; porque alguns até agora comem com consciencia do idolo coisas sacrificadas aos idolos; e a sua consciencia, sendo fraca, fica contaminada.

8Ora o manjar não nos faz agradaveis a Deus, porque, se comemos, nada temos de mais, e, se não comemos, nada nos falta.

9Mas vêde que esse vosso poder não seja d'alguma maneira escandalo para os fracos.

10Porque, se alguem te vir a ti, que tens sciencia, assentado á mesa no templo dos idolos, não será a consciencia do que é fraco induzida a comer das coisas sacrificadas aos idolos?

11E pela tua sciencia perecerá o irmão fraco, pelo qual Christo morreu?

12Ora, peccando assim contra os irmãos, e ferindo a sua fraca consciencia, peccaes contra Christo.

13Pelo que, se o manjar escandalizar a meu irmão, nunca mais comerei carne, para que meu irmão se não escandalize.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Paul addresses the question of eating meat sacrificed to idols, a common practice in the markets of Corinth. He teaches that the knowledge that idols do not exist should not override love for a brother with a weaker conscience.

Explanation

In Corinth, much of the meat sold in the market came from pagan temple sacrifices. More 'knowledgeable' Christians knew idols had no real power and ate this meat without guilt, but others, coming from an idolatrous past, still associated the act with worshiping false gods and felt troubled or tempted to sin against their own conscience. Paul teaches an enduring principle: being theologically correct does not give license to act without considering the effect on another's faith. Love for the weaker brother must outweigh the full exercise of one's own freedom. Today this applies to any gray area of Christian conduct, where consideration for one's neighbor should moderate personal freedom.

Fun facts

  • Pagan temples in Corinth also functioned as social venues, where banquets and business deals took place, making it almost inevitable that Christians would encounter meat sacrificed to idols in daily life.
  • The same theme is taken up in more detail in 1 Corinthians 10, showing how this was a central and recurring pastoral concern for the church in that city.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Coríntios 8:1In Corinth, much of the meat sold at the market came from animals sacrificed in pagan temples, left over after the ceremony. “Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth” is Paul’s summary: knowing that idols are not really real does not give anyone the right to do whatever they want without considering the effect on others.
  2. 1 Coríntios 8:2Paul warns against intellectual pride: whoever thinks he already “knows” everything about a subject has, in reality, not yet grasped the right way to know it — a lack of humility on the question of sacrificed meat.
  3. 1 Coríntios 8:3The standard that matters is not how much knowledge someone has, but whether they love God — that is what makes a person “known” by Him, not the cleverest argument about idols.
  4. 1 Coríntios 8:4On the matter of sacrificed meat, Paul agrees with the correct knowledge held by the “strong” Corinthians: an idol represents nothing real, because there is only one true God.
  5. 1 Coríntios 8:5Even though there were many figures called “gods” in the Greco-Roman world, in heaven or on earth, that does not change the fact that, for those who believe, these “gods” and “lords” have no real power.
  6. 1 Coríntios 8:6He sums up the Christian faith in contrast to Corinth’s polytheism: one God the Father, the source of all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things exist — quite different from the city’s multitude of gods.
  7. 1 Coríntios 8:7For someone who still carried a trace of belief in idols, eating that sacrificed meat still felt like a religious act, even while knowing rationally that the idol “is nothing.” Paul calls this a “weak” conscience — not in the sense of being worse, but of being more prone to feeling guilty.
  8. 1 Coríntios 8:8Food does not bring anyone closer to God or take them further away — eating or not eating the sacrificed meat does not change a person’s spiritual condition, an argument the “strong” used in their own favor.
  9. 1 Coríntios 8:9But Paul warns: this correct knowledge (“liberty”) can become a stumbling block for those with a weaker conscience — the problem is not the food, it is the effect on the brother.
  10. 1 Coríntios 8:10It was common in Corinth to hold social meals right inside the idol temples themselves, in attached banquet halls. Paul warns that a “strong” Christian eating there might encourage a brother with a weak conscience to do the same, but against his own conscience, which wounds him spiritually.
  11. 1 Coríntios 8:11A pointed question: is it worth using this liberating “knowledge” if it causes a brother with a weak conscience to fall back into sin — a brother for whom Christ died?
  12. 1 Coríntios 8:12Wounding a brother’s weak conscience, even while being technically “right” about the food, is sinning against Christ Himself, not just against the person.
  13. 1 Coríntios 8:13Paul ends the chapter by taking the principle to its extreme: he would rather give up eating meat for the rest of his life than cause someone to stumble in the faith because of him. This is not a rule for everyone; it is his own personal commitment on the matter.

Chapters

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.