Now I’d like to talk about food that has been sacrificed to statues of gods. We know that “We all have knowledge.” But knowledge makes people proud, while love builds them up.
Let the message about Christ live among you richly as you teach and correct one another with great wisdom. Sing psalms and hymns and songs from the Spirit to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Suppose that you, with all of your knowledge, are eating in a temple of one of those gods. And suppose someone whose conscience is weak sees you. Won’t that person think it’s okay to eat food sacrificed to honor “gods” and be encouraged to do so?
But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food, they think of it as having been sacrificed to real gods. And because their conscience is weak, they feel guilty.
And we urge you, brothers and sisters, to warn certain people who don’t want to work and who are being disruptive. Encourage those who have lost hope, help those who are weak, and be patient with everyone.
By this time, you should be teachers, but instead you need someone to teach you the basic truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food.
I’m reminded of your sincere faith, which was alive first in your grandmother Lois and then in your mother Eunice. I’m certain that it’s also in you now.
It’s right for me to feel this way about all of you. You have a special place in my heart. Whether I’m being held in chains or standing up for the truth of the good news, either way, all of you share together in God’s grace with me.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all the secret things of God and know everything about him, and if I have enough faith to move mountains, but I don’t have love, I’m nothing at all.
Since you do so well in everything else—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in eagerness, and in the love we taught you—make sure that you also do well in the grace of giving to others.
Keeping this in mind, we pray for you constantly. We pray that God will make you worthy of his calling and, by his power, make every good thing you want to do come true. We pray that he will make perfect everything you’ve done by faith.