Romans 14
New King James Version
The Law of Liberty
14 Receive(A) one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he (B)may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and (C)let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. 4 (D)Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
5 (E)One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who (F)observes the day, observes it to the Lord; [a]and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for (G)he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7 For (H)none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8 For if we (I)live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For (J)to this end Christ died [b]and rose and lived again, that He might be (K)Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For (L)we shall all stand before the judgment seat of [c]Christ. 11 For it is written:
(M)“As I live, says the Lord,
Every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall confess to God.”
12 So then (N)each of us shall give account of himself to God. 13 Therefore let us not judge one another [d]anymore, but rather resolve this, (O)not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.
The Law of Love
14 I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus (P)that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. (Q)Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. 16 (R)Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; 17 (S)for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and (T)peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in [e]these things (U)is acceptable to God and approved by men.
19 (V)Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which (W)one may [f]edify another. 20 (X)Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. (Y)All things indeed are pure, (Z)but it is evil for the man who eats with [g]offense. 21 It is good neither to eat (AA)meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles [h]or is offended or is made weak. 22 [i]Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. (AB)Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for (AC)whatever is not from faith is [j]sin.
Footnotes
- Romans 14:6 NU omits the rest of this sentence.
- Romans 14:9 NU omits and rose
- Romans 14:10 NU God
- Romans 14:13 any longer
- Romans 14:18 NU this thing
- Romans 14:19 build up
- Romans 14:20 A feeling of giving offense
- Romans 14:21 NU omits the rest of v. 21.
- Romans 14:22 NU The faith which you have—have
- Romans 14:23 M puts Rom. 16:25–27 here.
Romans 14
Worldwide English (New Testament)
14 Be ready to take a person into the church even if he does not know and believe all you believe. Do not judge what he thinks about things.
2 One person believes he may eat anything. Another person, who does not believe that, eats only things that grow in the garden.
3 The one who eats anything must not despise the one who does not eat everything. And the one who does not eat must not judge the person who does. God has accepted him as he is.
4 Why do you judge another person's servant? He stands or he falls before his own master. But he will stand because the Lord can give him power to stand.
5 One man thinks, `This day is better than that day.' But another man thinks, `All days are alike.' Every man should be sure in his own mind what he believes.
6 One man honours the day to honour the Lord; another man does not honour the day to honour the Lord. The person who eats everything, eats it because he honours the Lord. And he thanks God. And the person who will not eat every kind of food also does so to honour the Lord. And he still gives thanks to God.
7 Not one of us lives for himself. And not one of us dies for himself.
8 If we live, we live for the Lord. And if we die, we die for the Lord. So then, if we live or if we die we belong to the Lord.
9 Christ wanted to be Lord, both of dead people and of living people. That is why he died and lived again.
10 Why do you judge your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? We shall all stand before God to be judged.
11 The holy writings say, `The Lord says, "As sure as I live, every knee will bow to me. Every tongue will praise God." '
12 So each of us will tell God about what he has done.
13 So we must not judge each other any longer. But it is better for us to judge this. Never put anything in a brother's way that will hurt him or that will make him fall down.
14 As a Christian, I know and believe that nothing in itself is not right to eat. But it is not right for anyone to eat who thinks it is not right to eat.
15 Does what you eat trouble your brother? If it does, you are no longer living in love. Do not destroy the faith of someone because of what you eat. Christ died for him.
16 What is good for you must not be something that other people say is wrong.
17 The kingdom of God is not about what a person eats and drinks. But it is about living in a way which is right with God. It is peace. It is joy because a person has the Holy Spirit.
18 A person who does the work of Christ in this way pleases God. And people like him.
19 But we must do the things that make peace and that help each other to do better.
20 Do not spoil what God has done because you want some food. Everything is right. But it is wrong for anyone to eat anything if that will make his brother fall.
21 The right thing is to eat no meat, and drink no wine, and not do anything that makes your brother fall.
22 Keep to yourself and God what you believe about these things. God blesses a man who does not feel he has done wrong when he did what he thought was right.
23 But a man who is not sure that he should eat something, does wrong if he eats it. That is because he does not believe the thing he is doing is right to do. And it is wrong to do what you do not believe is right.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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