Verse 30
Paul brought his own conduct in similar situations into the picture. He had eaten non-kosher food with Gentiles, but in the argument preceding this verse he advocated abstaining from such food when eating with pagans. The key, of course, is that sacrificial meat was only off limits for Paul when it offended the moral consciousness of the pagans he was with, not all the time.
"The blessing offered at one’s meal, predicated on God’s prior ownership of all things, means that no fellow Christian may condemn another on this question." [Note: Fee, The First . . ., p. 488.]
The Christian can give thanks to God for whatever he or she eats, but we should limit our own liberty out of consideration for what other people think is proper. We do not need to alter our convictions for the sake of others even though they speak evil of us, as the Corinthians did of Paul (cf. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Nevertheless we should be willing to change our behavior for the sake of unbelievers.
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