Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:
Parallel translations
- WEB Give no occasion for stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God;
- BSB Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—
- NKJV Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,
- NASB Do not offend Jews or Greeks, or the church of God;
- NLT Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Believers should avoid putting stumbling blocks before Jews, Greeks, or the church. Consideration for others' faith shapes Christian conduct.
Overview
Paul calls for behavior that does not needlessly hinder anyone, whether unbelieving Jews, Gentiles, or fellow believers, from coming to or growing in faith. Love seeks the spiritual welfare of all groups. This concern for not causing offense in the gospel sense reflects a missionary heart that subordinates personal freedom to the salvation of others.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Acts 20:28Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
- 1 Cor 10:33Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
- Rom 14:13Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.
- 2 Cor 6:3Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:
- 1 Cor 8:13Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
- Acts 24:16And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.
- 1 Cor 11:22What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.
- 1 Tim 3:15But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
- 1 Tim 3:5(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)
- Phil 1:10That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 10:32 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.