Romans 14

New Matthew Bible

The weak ought not to be held in disdain. No person should occasion harm to another’s conscience. Again, no one should condemn another for outward things.

14 Him who is weak in the faith, receive to yourselves – not in disputing and troubling his conscience. ² One believes that he may eat all things; another, who is weak, eats vegetables. ³ Let not him who eats look down on him who does not. And let not him who abstains judge one who eats, for God has received him. ⁴ Who are you, to judge another man’s servant? Whether he stands or falls pertains to his master; yea, he will stand, because God is able to make him stand.

⁵ This man distinguishes between day and day, another counts all days alike. See to it that no one wavers in his own purpose: ⁶ he who observes one day over another does it for the Lord’s pleasure, and he who does not observe one day over another does it also to please the Lord. He who eats does it to please the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat abstains to please the Lord at the same time, and gives God thanks. ⁷ For none of us lives as his own servant, and neither does any of us die his own servant. ⁸ If we live, we live to be at the Lord’s will, and if we die, we die at the Lord’s will. Therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹ It is for this that Christ died and rose up and recovered life: to be Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰ But why do you then judge your brother? Or, why do you despise your brother? We shall all be brought before the judgment seat of Christ. ¹¹ For it is written: As surely as I live, says the Lord, all knees will bow to me, and all tongues will acknowledge God. ¹² So then, every one of us will give an account of himself to God. ¹³ Therefore let us not judge one another any more, but determine rather that no one shall put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. ¹⁴ For I know and am fully assured in the Lord Jesus that there is nothing common of itself. But for him who judges it to be common, to him it is common. ¹⁵ If your brother is grieved by your food, now you are not walking charitably. Do not destroy by your food a person for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Give no reason for your treasure to be ill spoken of. ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ For whosoever serves Christ in these things, pleases God well, and is commended by men. ¹⁹ Let us follow those things that make for peace, and things whereby one may support another.

²⁰ Do not undo the work of God for the sake of a little food. All these things are pure, but it is wrong for that person who eats with harm to his conscience. ²¹ It is good not to eat flesh, nor drink wine, nor do anything whereby your brother stumbles, or falls, or is made weak. ²² Do you have faith? Have it within yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself by what he allows. ²³ For he who makes conscience is guilty if he eats, because he does not do it of faith. For whatsoever is not of faith, that same is sin.