1 Corinthians 10:26

26 "The earth," after all, "is God's, and everything in it." That "everything" certainly includes the leg of lamb in the butcher shop.

1 Corinthians 10:26 Meaning and Commentary

1 Corinthians 10:26

For the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof
Which words are taken out of ( Psalms 24:1 ) and to be understood of Christ, who by creation and preservation is Lord of the whole earth, and as Mediator has all in his possession; and having broken down the middle wall of partition, gives his people the free use of all creatures, of the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, the fishes of the sea, and the trees, fruits, and plants of the earth, which are the fulness thereof; and therefore as the saints have a full right from Christ, to make use of all the creatures in a moderate way, and with thankfulness, they need not fear being defiled by any of them; provided they do not act contrary to the honour of God, and in favour of an idol, or against their own conscience, and the peace of weak believers.

1 Corinthians 10:26 In-Context

25 With that as a base to work from, common sense can take you the rest of the way. Eat anything sold at the butcher shop, for instance; you don't have to run an "idolatry test" on every item.

26 "The earth," after all, "is God's, and everything in it." That "everything" certainly includes the leg of lamb in the butcher shop.

27 If a nonbeliever invites you to dinner and you feel like going, go ahead and enjoy yourself; eat everything placed before you. It would be both bad manners and bad spirituality to cross-examine your host on the ethical purity of each course as it is served.

28 On the other hand, if he goes out of his way to tell you that this or that was sacrificed to god or goddess so-and-so, you should pass. Even though you may be indifferent as to where it came from, he isn't, and you don't want to send mixed messages to him about who you are worshiping.