1Now concerning things sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2But if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he doesn’t yet know as he ought to know. 3But anyone who loves God is known by him.
4Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that no idol is anything in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5For though there are things that are called “gods”, whether in the heavens or on earth—as there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and we live through him.
7However, that knowledge isn’t in all men. But some, with consciousness of an idol until now, eat as of a thing sacrificed to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8But food will not commend us to God. For neither, if we don’t eat are we the worse, nor if we eat are we the better. 9But be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak. 10For if a man sees you who have knowledge sitting in an idol’s temple, won’t his conscience, if he is weak, be emboldened to eat things sacrificed to idols? 11And through your knowledge, he who is weak perishes, the brother for whose sake Christ died. 12Thus, sinning against the brothers, and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. 13Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forever more, that I don’t cause my brother to stumble.
Sin (Gk. ἁμαρτάνω, hamartano). (5:14; Matt 18:15; Acts 25:8; Rom 3:23; Heb 10:26; 1 John 5:16) Strong’s 264
This word for sin means to miss the mark, that is, to fail to hit what one is or should be aiming at. It is a failure to perform to an expected standard. In one ancient text it is used to describe missing or failing to turn on the correct road. In relationship to God’s requirements, to sin is to fall short of the creators reasonable expectation of one created in His image. It is to fall short of His glory as expressed though the human, who is meant to be the highest reflection of the nature and personality of God (Rom 3:23). To sin is to disobey God, whether or not deliberately. One may sin by commission (doing what one should not) or omission (not doing what one should). Either misses the mark.