Do Not Pass Judgement on One Another
14 As for (A)the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 2 (B)One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and (C)let not the one who abstains pass judgement on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 (D)Who are you to pass judgement on the servant of another? It is before his own master[a] that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 (E)One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. (F)Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honour of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honour of the Lord, since (G)he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honour of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For (H)none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, (I)whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 9 For to this end Christ (J)died and lived again, that he might be Lord both (K)of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you pass judgement on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For (L)we will all stand before (M)the judgement seat of God; 11 for it is written,
(N)“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess[b] to God.”
12 So then (O)each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Do Not Cause Another to Stumble
13 (P)Therefore let us not pass judgement on one another any longer, but rather decide (Q)never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus (R)that nothing is unclean in itself, (S)but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, (T)you are no longer walking in love. (U)By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 (V)So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 (W)For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but (X)of righteousness and (Y)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is (Z)acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us (AA)pursue what makes for peace and for (AB)mutual upbuilding.
20 (AC)Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. (AD)Everything is indeed clean, but (AE)it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 (AF)It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.[c] 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. (AG)Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgement on himself for what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.[d]
Footnotes
- Romans 14:4 Or lord
- Romans 14:11 Or shall give praise
- Romans 14:21 Some manuscripts add or be hindered or be weakened
- Romans 14:23 Some manuscripts insert here 16:25-27
Cross references
- Romans 14:1 : ch. 15:1; 1 Cor. 8:9-11; 9:22
- Romans 14:2 : ver. 14
- Romans 14:3 : Col. 2:16
- Romans 14:4 : James 4:12
- Romans 14:5 : Gal. 4:10; [Zech. 7:5, 6]
- Romans 14:5 : ver. 23
- Romans 14:6 : 1 Cor. 10:30, 31; 1 Tim. 4:3, 4; See Matt. 15:36
- Romans 14:7 : 2 Cor. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; 1 Pet. 4:2; [1 Cor. 6:19; 1 Thess. 5:10]
- Romans 14:8 : Phil. 1:20
- Romans 14:9 : Rev. 1:18; 2:8
- Romans 14:9 : See Acts 10:42; Rev. 20:12
- Romans 14:10 : [See ver. 9 above]; See Acts 10:42; Rev. 20:12
- Romans 14:10 : 2 Cor. 5:10
- Romans 14:11 : Phil. 2:10, 11; Cited from Isa. 45:23
- Romans 14:12 : Matt. 12:36; 16:27; 1 Pet. 4:5; [Gal. 6:5]
- Romans 14:13 : See Matt. 7:1
- Romans 14:13 : [1 Cor. 8:13]
- Romans 14:14 : ver. 2, 20; See Acts 10:15
- Romans 14:14 : [1 Cor. 8:7, 10]
- Romans 14:15 : Eph. 5:2
- Romans 14:15 : 1 Cor. 8:11; [ver. 20]
- Romans 14:16 : [ch. 12:17; 1 Cor. 10:29, 30]
- Romans 14:17 : 1 Cor. 8:8
- Romans 14:17 : [1 Cor. 6:9]
- Romans 14:17 : Gal. 5:22; [ch. 15:13]
- Romans 14:18 : [2 Cor. 8:21]
- Romans 14:19 : Ps. 34:14; 1 Cor. 7:15; 2 Tim. 2:22
- Romans 14:19 : ch. 15:2; 1 Cor. 14:12
- Romans 14:20 : ver. 15
- Romans 14:20 : Titus 1:15; See ver. 14
- Romans 14:20 : 1 Cor. 8:9-12
- Romans 14:21 : 1 Cor. 8:13
- Romans 14:22 : 1 John 3:21