4 Bible Verses about Meat

For the Kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and gladness through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Through my union with the Lord Jesus, I know and am persuaded that nothing is 'defiling in itself.' A thing is 'defiling' only to him who holds it to be so. If, for the sake of what you eat, you wound your Brother's feelings, your life has ceased to be ruled by love. Do not, by what you eat, ruin a man for whom Christ died! Do not let what is right for you become a matter of reproach. read more.
For the Kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and gladness through the presence of the Holy Spirit. He who serves the Christ in this way pleases God, and wins the approval of his fellow men. Therefore our efforts should be directed towards all that makes for peace and the mutual building up of character. Do not undo God's work for the sake of what you eat. Though everything is 'clean,' yet, if a man eats so as to put a stumbling- block in the way of others, he does wrong. The right course is to abstain from meat or wine or, indeed, anything that is a stumbling-block to your Brother. As for yourself--keep this faith of yours to yourself, as in the presence of God. Happy is he who never has to condemn himself in regard to the very thing which he thinks right! He, however, who has misgivings stands condemned if he still eats, because his doing so is not the result of faith. And anything not done as the result of faith is a sin.

With reference to food that has been offered in sacrifice to idols-We are aware that all of us have knowledge! Knowledge breeds conceit, while love builds up character. If a man thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet reached that knowledge which he ought to have reached. On the other hand, if a man loves God, he is known by God. read more.
With reference, then, to eating food that has been offered to idols-we are aware that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one. Even supposing that there are so-called 'gods' either in Heaven or on earth-and there are many such 'gods' and 'lords'- Yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom all things come (and for him we live), and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things come (and through him we live). Still, it is not every one that has this knowledge. Some people, because of their association with idols, continued down to the present time, eat the food as food offered to an idol; and their consciences, while still weak, are dulled. What we eat, however, will not bring us nearer to God. We lose nothing by not eating this food, and we gain nothing by eating it. But take care that this right of yours does not become in any way a stumbling-block to the weak. For if some one should see you who possess this knowledge, feasting in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is a weak man, become so hardened that he, too, will eat food offered to idols? And so, through this knowledge of yours, the weak man is ruined-your Brother for whose sake Christ died! In this way, by sinning against your Brothers and injuring their consciences, while still weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat makes my Brother fall, rather than make my Brother fall, I will never eat meat again.

Therefore, my dear friends, shun the worship of idols. I speak to you as man of discernment; form your own judgment about what I am saying. In the Cup of Blessing which we bless, is not there a sharing in the blood of the Christ? And in the Bread which we break, is not there a sharing in the Body of the Christ? read more.
The Bread is one, and we, though many, are one body; for we all partake of that one Bread. Look at the people of Israel. Do not those who eat the sacrifices share with the altar? What do I mean? you ask. Than an offering made to an idol, or the idol itself, is anything? No; what I say is that the sacrifices offered by the Gentiles 'are offered to demons and to a Being who is no God,' and I do not want you to share with demons. You cannot drink both the Cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake at the Table of the Lord and at the table of demons. Or 'are we to rouse the jealousy of the Lord'? Are we stronger than he? Everything is allowable! Yes, but everything is not profitable. Everything is allowable! Yes, but everything does not build up character. A man must not study his own interests, but the interests of others. Eat anything that is sold in the market, without making inquiries to satisfy your scruples; For 'the earth, with all that is in it, belongs to the Lord.' If an unbeliever invites you to his house and you consent to go, eat anything that is put before you, without making inquiries to satisfy your scruples. But, if any one should say to you 'This has been offered in sacrifice to an idol,' then, for the sake of the speaker and his scruples, do not eat it. I do not say 'your' scruples, but 'his.' For why should the freedom that I claim be condemned by the scruples of another? If, for my part, I take the food thankfully, why should I be abused for eating that for which I give thanks? Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything to the honor of God. Do not cause offence either to Jews or Greeks or to the Church of God; For I, also, try to please everybody in everything, not seeking my own advantage, but that of men in general, that they may be saved.

Through my union with the Lord Jesus, I know and am persuaded that nothing is 'defiling in itself.' A thing is 'defiling' only to him who holds it to be so. If, for the sake of what you eat, you wound your Brother's feelings, your life has ceased to be ruled by love. Do not, by what you eat, ruin a man for whom Christ died! Do not let what is right for you become a matter of reproach. read more.
For the Kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and gladness through the presence of the Holy Spirit. He who serves the Christ in this way pleases God, and wins the approval of his fellow men. Therefore our efforts should be directed towards all that makes for peace and the mutual building up of character. Do not undo God's work for the sake of what you eat. Though everything is 'clean,' yet, if a man eats so as to put a stumbling- block in the way of others, he does wrong. The right course is to abstain from meat or wine or, indeed, anything that is a stumbling-block to your Brother. As for yourself--keep this faith of yours to yourself, as in the presence of God. Happy is he who never has to condemn himself in regard to the very thing which he thinks right! He, however, who has misgivings stands condemned if he still eats, because his doing so is not the result of faith. And anything not done as the result of faith is a sin.

With reference to food that has been offered in sacrifice to idols-We are aware that all of us have knowledge! Knowledge breeds conceit, while love builds up character. If a man thinks that he knows anything, he has not yet reached that knowledge which he ought to have reached. On the other hand, if a man loves God, he is known by God. read more.
With reference, then, to eating food that has been offered to idols-we are aware that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one. Even supposing that there are so-called 'gods' either in Heaven or on earth-and there are many such 'gods' and 'lords'- Yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom all things come (and for him we live), and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things come (and through him we live). Still, it is not every one that has this knowledge. Some people, because of their association with idols, continued down to the present time, eat the food as food offered to an idol; and their consciences, while still weak, are dulled. What we eat, however, will not bring us nearer to God. We lose nothing by not eating this food, and we gain nothing by eating it. But take care that this right of yours does not become in any way a stumbling-block to the weak. For if some one should see you who possess this knowledge, feasting in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is a weak man, become so hardened that he, too, will eat food offered to idols? And so, through this knowledge of yours, the weak man is ruined-your Brother for whose sake Christ died! In this way, by sinning against your Brothers and injuring their consciences, while still weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat makes my Brother fall, rather than make my Brother fall, I will never eat meat again.

Therefore, my dear friends, shun the worship of idols. I speak to you as man of discernment; form your own judgment about what I am saying. In the Cup of Blessing which we bless, is not there a sharing in the blood of the Christ? And in the Bread which we break, is not there a sharing in the Body of the Christ? read more.
The Bread is one, and we, though many, are one body; for we all partake of that one Bread. Look at the people of Israel. Do not those who eat the sacrifices share with the altar? What do I mean? you ask. Than an offering made to an idol, or the idol itself, is anything? No; what I say is that the sacrifices offered by the Gentiles 'are offered to demons and to a Being who is no God,' and I do not want you to share with demons. You cannot drink both the Cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake at the Table of the Lord and at the table of demons. Or 'are we to rouse the jealousy of the Lord'? Are we stronger than he? Everything is allowable! Yes, but everything is not profitable. Everything is allowable! Yes, but everything does not build up character. A man must not study his own interests, but the interests of others. Eat anything that is sold in the market, without making inquiries to satisfy your scruples; For 'the earth, with all that is in it, belongs to the Lord.' If an unbeliever invites you to his house and you consent to go, eat anything that is put before you, without making inquiries to satisfy your scruples. But, if any one should say to you 'This has been offered in sacrifice to an idol,' then, for the sake of the speaker and his scruples, do not eat it. I do not say 'your' scruples, but 'his.' For why should the freedom that I claim be condemned by the scruples of another? If, for my part, I take the food thankfully, why should I be abused for eating that for which I give thanks? Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything to the honor of God. Do not cause offence either to Jews or Greeks or to the Church of God; For I, also, try to please everybody in everything, not seeking my own advantage, but that of men in general, that they may be saved.