Romans 14

New Life Version

14 If there is someone whose faith is weak, be kind and receive him. Do not argue about what he thinks. ² One man believes he may eat everything. Another man with weak faith eats only vegetables. ³ The man who eats everything should not think he is better than the one who eats only vegetables. The man who eats only vegetables should not say the other man is wrong, because God has received him. ⁴ Who are you to tell another person’s servant if he is right or wrong? It is to his owner that he does good or bad. The Lord is able to help him.

⁵ One man thinks one day is more important than another. Another man thinks every day is the same. Every man must be sure in his own mind. ⁶ The man who worships on a special day does it to honor the Lord. The man who eats meat does it to honor the Lord. He gives thanks to God for what he eats. The other man does not eat meat. In this way, he honors the Lord. He gives thanks to God also.

⁷ No one lives for himself alone. No one dies for himself alone. ⁸ If we live, it is for the Lord. If we die, it is for the Lord. If we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ Christ died and lived again. This is why He is the Lord of the living and of the dead. ¹⁰ Why do you try to say your Christian brother is right or wrong? Why do you hate your Christian brother? We will all stand before God to be judged by Him. ¹¹ The Holy Writings say, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me. And every tongue will say that I am God.” ¹² Everyone of us will give an answer to God about himself.

¹³ So you should stop saying that you think other people are wrong. Instead, decide to live so that your Christian brother will not have a reason to trip or fall into sin because of you. ¹⁴ Christ has made me know that everything in itself is clean. But if a person thinks something is not clean, then to him it is not clean. ¹⁵ If your Christian brother is hurt because of some foods you eat, then you are no longer living by love. Do not destroy the man for whom Christ died by the food you eat. ¹⁶ Do not let what is good for you be talked about as bad. ¹⁷ For the holy nation of God is not food and drink. It is being right with God. It is peace and joy given by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ If you follow Christ in these things, God will be happy with you. Men will think well of you also.

¹⁹ Work for the things that make peace and help each other become stronger Christians. ²⁰ Do not destroy what God has done just because of some food. All food is good to eat. But it is wrong to eat anything that will make someone fall into sin. ²¹ Do not eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it would make your Christian brother fall into sin. ²² Keep the faith you have between yourself and God. A man is happy if he knows he is doing right. ²³ But if he has doubts about the food he eats, God says he is guilty when he eats it. It is because he is eating without faith. Anything that is not done in faith is sin.