1 Corinthians 10:30 Meaning and Explanation
“For if I by grace be a partaker, why am I evil spoken of for that for which I give thanks?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Paul asks why he should be spoken against for food he receives with thanksgiving by God's grace.
What Does 1 Corinthians 10:30 Mean?
Paul continues defending the reality of his freedom. If he eats 'by grace,' receiving the food with thanksgiving, why should he be 'evil spoken of' for what he gratefully enjoys? Food received with thanks to God is a clean and blessed thing. He affirms that his liberty is good in itself.
Yet this affirmation sits inside his larger call to love. Paul is not abandoning the deference he just urged; he is showing that yielding a right is a free and gracious choice, not the surrender of a guilty conscience. The believer may give thanks over every good gift, knowing it comes by grace. And precisely because the freedom is real, choosing to forgo it for another's sake becomes an act of love rather than a grudging concession.
1 Corinthians 10:30 in the Original Language
charis (χάρις), 'grace' -- favor freely given; here the thankful spirit in which the gift is received.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Corinthians 10:30
What does 1 Corinthians 10:30 mean?
Paul asks why he should be spoken against for food he receives with thanksgiving by God's grace.