We live in a multicultural world and we all have friends and perhaps even family, who are from different religions and cultures. This brings into question whether or not Christians can eat food sacrificed to idols? This study will weave in and out of some Old Testament stories and letters from the Apostle Paul.
Many times in the Bible, it is stated that we must not eat food that has been sacrificed to idols. This can be found in the Old Testament:
Exodus 34:15 – Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.
Numbers 25:2 – These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, so the Israelites feasted with them and worshipped the gods of Moab.
Psalm 106:28 – Then our ancestors joined in the worship of Baal at Peor; they even ate sacrifices offered to the dead!
As we can see, these scriptures are focusing on being a part of the actual sacrificing of the food to false gods (idols), and then eating the food that was sacrificed. It does not include solely eating the food without participating in the sacrificial process to the false god (idol).
Exodus 22:20 – “Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed.
As we can see, we must never participate in a sacrifice to a false god, period. The New Testament also speaks of not eating food sacrificed to idols. The following scriptures from the book of Acts are the instructions from the apostles. It was written regarding the laws from the Old Testament that the Gentile believers must still follow. One of the laws that still carries on to the Gentiles is not to eat food sacrificed to idols.
Acts 21:25 – As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”
Acts 15:20 – Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.
Acts 15:29 – You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
The Apostle Paul goes on to explain the reason why we cannot eat food sacrificed to idols. He is not contradicting the commandment of God or the other Apostles. He is giving us a deeper understanding on the exact reason why we are commanded not to eat food sacrificed to idols. We should always seek a deeper understanding of the scriptures, so that we are not fooled into believing a lie.
Psalm 119:130 – The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
Proverbs 2:2-5 – turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—3 indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 3:13-18 – Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.
Proverbs 2:11-16 – discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, 12 delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech, 13 who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness, 14 who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, 15 men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways. 16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words,
Hosea 4:6 – my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.
Ephesians 4:18 – They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
Colossians 1:9-14&28-29 – For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
As Christians, we are meant to seek the deeper meanings of scripture. We are not meant to remain in the darkness. For those looking to understand the true meaning and intention of not eating food sacrificed to idols, let us examine Paul’s explanation. In this scripture, Paul is speaking in relation to a weak believer and a mature believer, with regards to eating food sacrificed to idols.
1 Corinthians 8:1-13 – Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. 2 Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. 3 But whoever loves God is known by God.
Paul is stating that even though we may know something more mature, we must use this knowledge out of love and regard for others. Love builds up others and does not cause them to stumble. If we do not understand how to use knowledge out of love, then we do not know as we ought to know. Thus, we are not known by God, meaning we are still sinning, even though the knowledge itself is correct. Paul goes on to explain further:
4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.”
This is the knowledge that Paul is referring to, that a mature believer would have. The knowledge that there is only one God, the God of Israel, and that there is no such thing as another god.
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),
People make things such as idols into their own god, as in they obey other teachings, as if it were a god. This is why Paul refers to them as “so-called gods”. In reality, there is really only one true living God, who is the God of Israel. Paul is acknowledging that the believers in Corinth understood that an idol is nothing of concern and neither is the eating of food sacrificed to idols. This is the ‘knowledge’ that he is referring to in this passage.
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
7 But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.
But Paul is stating that there are some believers that still believe there are such things as other gods. They also believe that the eating of sacrificial food is an acknowledgment of this god. Paul is referring to the Christian who believes such a concept, as a ‘weak’ believer.
8 But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.
A strong, mature believer would understand that no food, even if sacrificed to idols, can defile you as Jesus stated:
Mark 7:15-23 – There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man. 16 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!” 17 When He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable. 18 So He said to them, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” 20 And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”
Jesus is telling us to focus on the beliefs of our heart and that no food can defile us or result in a sin. This is the root of Paul’s explanation. Up until now, it seems Paul is stating that we can eat food sacrificed to idols because an idol is of no concern if you don’t believe in it.
9 Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.
Yet still, he is advising believers to use this ‘knowledge’ with love; meaning to take other people’s lack of knowledge, (weaker) faith and conscience into account.
Through our actions, according to our (true and mature) knowledge, we can cause others who lack this knowledge, to fall into sin and be destroyed, and this is not love.
12 When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
Now we can see the complete point that Paul is making. Although the actual eating of food sacrificed to idols is not a sin, the wounding of a weak brother or sister in Christ, is a sin. We cause them to stumble and fall into sin. They believe that the mature Christian is acknowledging the idol by eating the food, even after being informed that it has been sacrificed to an idol/false god. For the sake of our weaker brothers and sisters in Christ, we should never eat food sacrificed to an idol, if we have been informed by a believer or unbeliever, that the food has been sacrificed to idols. A weaker Christian being one who believes there is such a thing as other gods.
So Paul is stating not to harm a person with a weak conscience by your knowledge that an idol is nothing of concern. Paul states it is not the actual eating of the food that is any concern. The concern lies in believing that there is such a god and that you are consciously eating the food in memory and honor of the idol/false god. The sin in eating food sacrificed to idols in front of a weak believer, is that they are being misled by your example. This is only because they do not have the same knowledge and understanding of a mature Christian on this subject. The mature understanding being that an idol is nothing, since there is no other god but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
In the next scripture, Paul is speaking in relation to an unbeliever and a believer in regards to eating food sacrificed to idols.
1 Corinthians 10:14-33 – Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.
By ‘sensible’, Paul means mature Christians/believers.
16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.
18 Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? 19 Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?
Once again, Paul is stating that food and idols are nothing of concern. However, taking part in the sacrificial process and having a mindset of worship towards it is of concern. Paul is stating that we must never participate in any sacrificial process to idols/false gods, as per God’s ordinance.
Exodus 22:20 – Anyone who sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed.
This is a commandment we must never break. We would be truly playing with the fire of God’s jealousy if we dabbled in sacrificing to other gods.
Deuteronomy 4:23-24 – Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
This is what Paul is confirming in the next verses:
20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
Again, Paul states that we are never to participate in an actual sacrificial ceremony or process of a false god or idol. This would arouse the Lord’s jealousy. Paul is teaching us not to believe in what is falsely called other god(s), or what the sacrificial process stands for. Just as it is in regards to communion. Communion is not just bread and wine for Christians. It stands for something deeper, which is the teachings and philosophies of Jesus. In the same way, people who sacrifice food to idols attribute a deeper meaning to their offering. It is an acknowledgment of their god and the philosophies they attribute to it. This is their sin, not the eating of the actual food.
Just like if an unbeliever unknowingly ate and drank the Communion, would he suddenly become saved and a Christian? Of course not. Communion would only apply if he understood, acknowledged and accepted what the symbolic food stood for.
In theory, just like an unbeliever who partakes in Communion, this does not assure his salvation in any way. His beliefs would determine his salvation. But who knows what the unbeliever is thinking during the communion process? We do not know whether his mind is being changed in some way and what seed is being planted in regards to the acceptance and acknowledgment of Jesus and the God of Israel. In the same way, we are risking arousing the Lord’s jealousy if we ever participate in a sacrificial process to idols. Actually attending an idol sacrifice does not assure our destruction but who knows what may be in our heart and mind during a time like this? Does any part of us begin to believe that there is such a thing as another god in any way, shape or form? This would arouse the jealousy of God and be our destruction. So to be safe, Paul is advising that we never attend such gatherings ever. For who can believe in Jesus and idols at the same time and what would be the purpose of attending such an event? It certainly does not glorify God. It only becomes an opportunity for us to stumble or to be a stumbling block for people (believers and unbelievers alike) as they speculate and question our beliefs and motives about the existence of other gods.
I must repeat that Paul is not in any way, stating that we can attend the sacrificial process to a false god. This would arouse the Lord’s jealousy. God has commanded us against this many times.
Leviticus 26:1 – “‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.
Exodus 34:14 – Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
Exodus 20:3-5 – “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
Deuteronomy 6:14-15 – Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.
Deuteronomy 5:9 – You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
Deuteronomy 32:16 – They made him jealous with their foreign gods and angered him with their detestable idols.
Isaiah 42:8 – “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.
Deuteronomy 32:21 – They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols…
Although it may be true. To attend an idol sacrifice, with the knowledge that there is no other god but the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in theory is not a sin. We would still be playing with fire by attending a sacrifice to idols. By doing so, we may arouse God’s jealousy against us. Secondly, attending an idol sacrifice would most assuredly cause unbelievers who saw us to get the wrong idea. Furthermore, believers whether weak or strong, may also get the wrong idea that we actually believe in another god, or its mere existence. This would be a sin because we would become a stumbling block. Thirdly, God has directly commanded us not to participate in such ceremonies and we must obey the commandments of God.
23 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.
Paul is expressing the believer’s thought process. He is stating that although we have the right to eat food sacrificed to idols as long as we have the knowledge of there being no other gods, is it constructive and beneficial to do so? Meaning, does it help others? Again, Paul is explaining that although some mature believers may have the knowledge that an idol is nothing and the food sacrificed to it is nothing and of no consequence, we should still care about what our actions say to people who lack this knowledge. Not to become a stumbling block to others, which is a sin.
25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
Up until this moment, Paul is speaking to people who have sure knowledge (meaning they have been informed) of the food being sacrificed to idols. His answer is not to eat it for the sake of others’ conscience.
Now, Paul is speaking about food that we have not been informed of whether it has been sacrificed to false gods or idols. The only way we can obtain concrete knowledge is by someone informing us. As Christians, we are told not to ask about the origins of the food we are given. If we merely have a suspicion, it is not concrete knowledge. In this case, we are permitted to eat food that we have no actual knowledge of having been sacrificed to an idol. This is in no way a sin, nor does it defile us in any way. Food does not pollute the strong believer or interfere in any way with their salvation. But not if someone informs us of this fact (whether they are a believer or unbeliever).
If the believer (whether strong or weak) has no knowledge that the food was sacrificed to idols, then the eating of this food, although sacrificed to idols, is not a sin. How could you believe in the sacrificial process or an idol/false god, if you had no prior knowledge of this fact? It is all about the prior knowledge of whether the food was sacrificed to an idol. Especially since the unbeliever or weak believer would have no cause to think the mature Christian believes in the idol, if they witnessed this because the mature Christian had no prior knowledge of this before eating the food.
Paul goes on to explain that it is all about the conscience of the person who informed you that the food has been sacrificed to idols. This person may falsely think that by eating this food, you in turn believe in the existence of the god/idol. Which is what Paul refers to as damaging to the conscience of an unbeliever or immature Christian. We may be reinforcing their beliefs in a false god, through our action of eating sacrificial food.
In the next scripture, Paul is also releasing us from the burden of proof. We do not have to investigate or seek out information about whether food has been sacrificed to idols. We are only to act accordingly if we are informed, regardless of who it is that informs us (believer or unbeliever).
27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.
At this point, I would like to elaborate. Up until this statement, it would seem that Paul is advocating not to eat at an unbeliever’s house such as a Hindu or Buddhist family. However, this is not the case. Paul states that if an unbeliever invites you, go and eat anything they offer you. We have no obligation to ask any questions about whether the food has been sacrificed to idols. Even if we have a suspicion that the food has been sacrificed to a false god (based on their religion or ethnicity) without being actually informed by anyone (believer or unbeliever), we are permitted to eat.
We must understand that religions such as Hinduism or Buddhism do not sacrifice their food to idols all the time. So there is no way to know whether they have done so or not, unless they inform us. Or if we have personally witnessed it (which should not happen since we are prohibited by God’s commandments not to attend such a ceremony), or have concrete knowledge (by someone informing us and not just a suspicion) that this food was sacrificed to a false god/idol. Then we should not eat it. The importance is not whether the food has been sacrificed or not, but rather on the state of mind of the person telling us. It is not important for us to ask questions about the food. It is more important to consider the conscience of the person telling us. They want to see our reaction to this knowledge to see if we accept the false god or not. They achieve this by informing us of this fact. What would they achieve by not informing us and by us eating the food? Nothing. Their purpose is to see our reaction to their assertion of their so-called ‘gods’.
If we do not understand this concept, we will become prejudiced against unbelievers. We will prevent ourselves from having any sort of relationship or friendship with people of other ethnic backgrounds, cultures, traditions, beliefs and religions. How can we spread the gospel unto all creation without having friendships with people of other religions? Each Apostle went to different countries to preach the gospel there and establish relationships. Each country they visited had different beliefs and cultures. Paul went to Greece and Rome. Andrew went to the Soviet Union, Turkey and Greece. Thomas went to Syria and India. Philip went to North Africa. Matthew went to Persia and Ethiopia. Bartholomew went to India, Ethiopia, Armenia and Arabia. Matthias went to Syria. All the Apostles obeyed the great commission from Jesus.
Matthew 28:18-20 – Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Mark 16:15 – He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.
The Apostles had to mix with all kinds of people with different cultures, traditions, backgrounds, beliefs and religions. This commission is for us also. We must continue spreading the gospel to all creation/to all the world. This cannot be achieved without mixing with people of other cultures and religions. By ‘mixing’, I am not referring to combining the teachings of Jesus with theirs! I am referring to associating with unbelievers, having discussions and establishing a relationship with them, which most assuredly will involve sharing meals together. If we are invited, we must go, eat and enjoy. The only time we are not permitted to share a meal prepared by an unbeliever, is if someone (whether a believer or unbeliever) informs us that the actual food we are about to eat has been sacrificed to an idol or false god. Then for the sake of the conscience of the person who informed us, we are not to eat the food. This is done to show that we do not acknowledge the existence of such a god. It would take the host to inform of this fact (that the food has been sacrificed to idols) for them to believe that you acknowledge their god by eating the food.
28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. 29 I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours.
However, if someone, even an unbeliever, raises a concern and brings to your attention that said food has been sacrificed to idols, then for the conscience of the unbeliever, do not eat the food. No food can ever pollute your soul since there is no other god but the God of Israel. The question remains:
For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? 30 If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
Once again, Paul is expressing the mature believer’s thought process, who may question why they are limited in their rights due to another’s conscience.
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33 even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Paul explains this clearly. We are to think of others’ conscience and faith, even when it comes to eating and drinking. We must not cause anyone to stumble in thinking there is such a thing as another god. Our duty is to think of saving others, even in our actions of eating and drinking.
1 Corinthians 8:13 – Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.
As a recap, the Apostle Paul is not stating we can eat food sacrificed to idols but rather the reason why we should not eat food sacrificed to idols. Paul is stating not to become a stumbling block which is a sin, not the actual eating of food sacrificed to idols.
Neither the actual food nor the false god/idol holds any power over our salvation. It is a mature Christian’s belief, a weak believer’s belief or an unbeliever’s belief (by our acknowledgment, perceived or not) of the idol as an actual god, that harms us. Once again, the apostle Paul is stating that the sin in eating food sacrificed to idols for the weaker, immature Christian, would be the belief that there is such a thing as another god. For a mature Christian, the sin would be causing an immature Christian to stumble in their belief that there is another god through the mature Christian’s actions and greater knowledge. And for an unbeliever, the believer’s acknowledgment of his idol/false god by our actions of still eating the food, after being informed of this false belief. That is the sin, that through our actions, we push an unbeliever further into a lie. The lie that their god has been acknowledged as real. This is the sin, it has nothing to do with the actual eating of food sacrificed to idols.
If somehow, we do unknowingly eat food sacrificed to idols or foods that we have a suspicion were sacrificed to idols, this is of no consequence and is not a sin. We are not obligated to question whether food is sacrificed to idols. Only if we are informed by someone (whether the person telling you is a weak Christian or an unbeliever makes no difference), then we cannot eat it due to that person’s conscience.
Although other religions do practice sacrificing food to idols, not all their food is sacrificed to an idol. So we should not use this as an excuse to stay away from non-believers and not to share meals with them.
READ NEXT:
The Hidden Danger of Denominational Beliefs
