To people who are pure, all things are pure. But to those who have twisted minds and don’t believe, nothing is pure. Their minds and consciences are corrupted.
I’m convinced, because the Lord Jesus has convinced me of this, that nothing is unclean in itself. But someone may consider a thing to be unclean. If they do, it is unclean for them.
You say, “I have the right to do anything,” but not everything is helpful. “I have the right to do anything,” you say, but not everything builds us up.
But whoever has doubts about something they might eat is guilty if they do eat it. That’s because they don’t believe that they should be eating it, and if you do something even though you don’t believe you should, that’s sin.
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.
So let’s draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings. Our hearts have been sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.
It causes trouble all the time between people whose minds are twisted by sin. They once knew the truth, but it has been taken away from them. They think they can get rich by being godly.
So how much cleaner will the blood of Christ make us! He offered himself to God without any flaw through the power of the eternal Holy Spirit. His blood washes away our feelings of guilt for committing sin. Sin always leads to death. But now we can serve the living God.
Make sure that no one misses out on God’s grace and that no bitter plant grows up, because if it does, it will cause trouble and make many people impure.