Paul now returns to the subject of idols. Although he doesn’t see a problem with eating meat sacrificed to idols, he does view idol worship as a big problem. Since, in Paul’s day, Jews would have had nothing to do with idols, he wisely reminds people of a story when the Jews did worship idols. He is making sure the Jews don’t end up feeling superior to their former idol-worshiping friends. He says it is best not to ask too many questions about what you are being served so you don’t have to feel guilty about it. What we do is important, but being motivated by love for God and others is even more important.
If you could look back on your day and honestly say everything you did was for God, that would be a great day! Obviously, the things we did wrong would not fit that category. We would also need to eliminate the good things we did for the wrong reasons. Doing the right thing in order for others to notice is good, but it’s not the best. Avoiding bad behavior to avoid punishment is good, but also not the best.