1 Corinthians 8 Now concerning foods that were offered in sacrifice to idols, we have seen and know that we all continue having insight and knowledge (gnosis) gained by personal experience. note: this may have been a quotation from their letter to Paul The (or: This) knowledge (gnosis) keeps on puffing you; us up, but The Love (agape: urge toward unambiguous, participating, accepting reunion) progressively edifies and builds up the house!

JMNT⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ Now concerning [foods] that were offered in sacrifice to idols, we have seen and know that we all continue having insight and knowledge (gnosis) gained by personal experience. [note: this may have been a quotation from their letter to Paul] The (or: This) knowledge (gnosis) keeps on puffing [you; us] up, but The Love (agape: urge toward unambiguous, participating, accepting reunion) progressively edifies and builds up the house! ² If anyone continues imagining (supposing; presuming) to have come to know anything through his experience, he not as yet knows according as it continues binding and necessary [for him] to personally know (or: he does not yet have insight to the level as he ought to have insight). ³ Yet if anyone is continuously or habitually loving God, this person has been personally and intimately known by God and continues under the experience of His knowledge (or: this One has been intimately known by him [i.e., by the one progressively loving God]). ⁴ Therefore, concerning the eating of the [foods] that were offered in sacrifice to idols, we have seen and know that an idol is nothing (or: = meaningless) within [the] System (in the world of [our] culture or religion, or within the midst of the created universe), and that [there is] no other God, except One. ⁵ For even though certainly there are ones being habitually termed or called "gods" – whether within heaven or upon earth (or: in sky and atmosphere, or on land) – just as there are many "gods" and many "lords," ⁶ to the contrary, to us (or: for us; with us) [there is] one God, the Father, from out of the midst of Whom [is] the whole (or: [are] all things) – and we [directed and proceeding] into Him – even one Lord (or: as well as one Owner and Master), Jesus Christ: through Whom [is] the whole (or: [are] all things) – and we through means of and through the midst of Him! ⁷ Nevertheless, the intimate, experiential knowledge, insight and awareness (gnosis) [of this is] not within everyone (or: all folks). Now some – by joint custom and mutual habit pertaining to the idol, until right now – are continually eating [food] as something sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience being weak is repeatedly being stained (polluted; defiled). ⁸ Yet food (something eaten) will not proceed placing us beside, nor continue causing us to stand in the presence of, God. Neither if we should not eat are we continually behind time or being in the rear (also = falling short or failing to attain, thus being inferior), nor if we should eat are we constantly attaining superabundance (surrounding ourselves with more than enough; exceeding; = spiritually or morally advancing ourselves). ⁹ So continue to be on watch and take notice lest somehow this "right" (privilege and authority from out of existence; = liberty) of yours should come to be a tripping-effect to, or an obstacle that results in, stumbling for or in the weak folks. ¹⁰ For if anyone should see you – the one presently having (continuing in holding and in possession of) experiential, intimate knowledge or insight (gnosis) – repeatedly lying down (habitually reclining at a meal during a sacrificial banquet) within an idol's temple dining room, will not his conscience – he being a weak person – be progressively "built up" unto the [rationalizations for him] to be habitually eating [foods] having been offered in sacrifice to idols? ¹¹ You see, [thus] the one being habitually weak is being progressively loosed away and ruined (or: is destroying himself) by (with; in; for) your "knowledge" (gnosis) – the brother (= fellow believer; member of the family) because of whom Christ died! ¹² Now by continually doing error (repeatedly failing and missing the goal; habitually sinning or acting amiss) unto the brothers (or: So while from time to time [casting this] mistake into the [hearts] of [your] fellow believers) in this way, and repeatedly beating or striking and thus wounding their weak conscience, you folks are constantly doing error (failing; sinning; acting amiss) unto Christ! ¹³ Because of this very reason, if food is habitually being a snare-stick to entrap my brother (= fellow believer; family member) or cause him to stumble, I should under no circumstances eat meat (flesh [i.e., referring to what was offered to idols]) – on into the Age! – so that I should not be a snare-stick to entrap my brother (or: group member) or cause him to stumble.