1 Corinthians 10:25 Commentary and Bible Study

Paul now sums up all the principles he has given about idols: their lack of reality, and the effect on the consciences of other believers, both weak and strong. He gives us a series of practical steps which allow those with knowledge to exercise their freedom, while at the same time safeguarding those whose knowledge is weak. First he considers the person who has knowledge, whose side he has taken throughout the discussion. This person is free to exercise their freedom based on knowledge. They know that an idol is nothing, because there is one God only, and idols are human creations to represent gods that do not exist. There is nothing to fear from them, and the dedication of meat to an idol is an act of superstition, to which the believer need attach no significance. God has given all things to enjoy, including meat, and no moral harm can result from eating any foodstuffs, for it is not what enters the mouth that makes a person unclean, but what comes out of it (Mark 7:19). No question need therefore be asked by those purchasing meat in the market place, meat which could well have been offered to an idol. It is not necessary for the purchaser to know this, because he has sufficient knowledge to be clear that it does not matter either way; he can eat it without offending the Lord whether it has or has not been offered to an idol. To ask would be to raise unnecessary scruples. It might suggest to the seller that the idol has real existence, when the buyer knows it has not. In the moral realm, God’s gift of all things to us has precedence over any human action to contaminate his creation gifts. Sinful human beings simply cannot undo what god has done.