Note 7 at 1 Cor. 8:4: In verses 4-6, Paul acknowledges that those who were arguing that it was "okay" to eat meat that had been sacrificed to idols were technically correct. The only power of an idol is in the heart of the person who is deceived by it. There is no virtue or power in the physical idol itself (see ref. c at this verse).

Yet there was an issue that was much more important than the purity of the food which these "all knowing" believers had failed to comprehend. Those who had been deceived by the devil into believing that an idol possessed divine powers would be destroyed if they followed the example of their knowledgeable brothers. It wasn't worth it.

Just as there was technically nothing wrong with this food, there was also nothing special about it. They wouldn't be missing anything if they didn't eat it (v. 8) but they would be helping their weak brothers and sisters by abstaining. The choice should be obvious to those who were really thinking straight.

The fact that Paul admits that there was nothing wrong with the food itself might lead some to believe that his admonition to abstain because of others consciences was optional. That was not the case at all. The counsel of Jerusalem that was recorded in Acts 15 gave a commandment to the believers to abstain from food which had been sacrificed to idols (Acts 15:20, 29). Paul had faithfully delivered this commandment to those with whom he shared the gospel so that the elders at Jerusalem commended him for his actions (Acts 21:25).

Paul picked up this same teaching again in chapter 10 of this same letter (see Parallel Scriptures) and there he gets even stronger in his condemnation of this practice. He allows that if someone unknowingly eats meat that has been sacrificed to idols, that there is no damage done. But if a believer knows that the food had been first sacrificed to an idol, they should abstain.

The final word on this subject is that Jesus Himself condemned this practice in Revelation 2:14. He spoke of bringing judgment on those in the Pergamos church who were teaching others to eat food sacrificed to idols.

So, Paul condemns a practice which he acknowledges is not wrong because of the action itself, but because of the detrimental effect it would have on others. Thereby, he establishes a precedent which Christians should follow today.

Note 8 at 1 Cor. 8:4: It is a well established fact in scripture that there is only one God (see ref. "d" at this verse). The belief in multiple gods was always condemmed by God. Yet Jesus and the Holy Spirit are referred to as well as God the Father (see note 1 at Jn. 1:1, p.32; see note 3 at Jn. 5:18, p.153; see note 8 at Jn. 5:23, p.155; see note 4 at Acts 5:4, p.594). Man's attempt to understand this mystery is called the doctrine of the Trinity (see note 2 at Mk. 1:10, p.73).