Accustomed Believers Conscience Consciences Conscious Consciousness Defiled Eat Facts Faith Force Habit Hitherto Hour Howbeit However Idol Idols Image Isn't Minds Offered Polluted Possess Really Recognize Relation Sacrificed Sacrifices Strong Taking Till Troubled Weak
8:7 {3} Howbeit [there is] not in every man that knowledge: for {4} some with {k} conscience of the idol unto this hour eat [it] as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
(3) The reason why that does not follow, is this: because there are many men who do not know that which you know. Now the judgment of outward things depend not only upon your conscience, but upon the conscience of those that behold you, and therefore your actions must be applied not only to your knowledge, but also to the ignorance of your brethren.
(4) An applying of the reason: there are many who cannot eat of things offered to idols, except with a wavering conscience, because they think them to be unclean. Therefore if by your example they wish to do that which inwardly they think displeases God, their conscience is defiled with this eating, and you have been the occasion of this mischief.
(k) By conscience of the idol, he means the secret judgment that they had within themselves, by which they thought all things unclean that were offered to idols, and therefore they could not use them with good conscience. For conscience has this power, that if it is good, it makes indifferent things good, and if it is evil, it makes them evil.
8:7 [There is] not in every man that knowledge. While we, the better informed, know better, still there were some in the church who had not entirely outgrown their former superstitions. They could not realize that an idol was nothing (1Co 8:4).
Their conscience being weak is defiled. Meat that came from idol sacrifice was to them the meat of the idol. They could not eat it without their conscience being defiled.
8:7 Some eat, with consciousness of the idol - That is, fancying it is something, and that it makes the meat unlawful to be eaten. And their conscience, being weak - Not rightly informed. Is defiled - contracts guilt by doing it.
8:7-13 Eating one kind of food, and abstaining from another, have nothing in them to recommend a person to God. But the apostle cautions against putting a stumbling-block in the way of the weak; lest they be made bold to eat what was offered to the idol, not as common food, but as a sacrifice, and thereby be guilty of idolatry. He who has the Spirit of Christ in him, will love those whom Christ loved so as to die for them. Injuries done to Christians, are done to Christ; but most of all, the entangling them in guilt: wounding their consciences, is wounding him. We should be very tender of doing any thing that may occasion stumbling to others, though it may be innocent in itself. And if we must not endanger other men's souls, how much should we take care not to destroy our own! Let Christians beware of approaching the brink of evil, or the appearance of it, though many do this in public matters, for which perhaps they plead plausibly. Men cannot thus sin against their brethren, without offending Christ, and endangering their own souls.
Believers Conscience Conscious Consciousness Defiled Eat Facts Faith Food Force Habit Hitherto Hour Howbeit However Idol Idols Image Minds Offered Possess Recognize Relation Sacrificed Sacrifices Strong Think Troubled Weak
Believers Conscience Conscious Consciousness Defiled Eat Facts Faith Food Force Habit Hitherto Hour Howbeit However Idol Idols Image Minds Offered Possess Recognize Relation Sacrificed Sacrifices Strong Think Troubled Weak
