Romans 14
New American Standard Bible
Principles of Conscience
14 Now (A)accept the one who is (B)weak [a]in faith, but not [b]to have quarrels over opinions. 2 (C)One person has faith that he may eat all things, but the one who is (D)weak eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats is not to (E)regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to (F)judge the one who eats, for God has (G)accepted him. 4 (H)Who are you to judge the [c]servant of another? To his own [d]master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 (I)One person [e]values one day over another, another [f]values every day the same. Each person must be (J)fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and the one who eats, [g]does so with regard to the Lord, for he (K)gives thanks to God; and the one who does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat, and he gives thanks to God. 7 For not one of us (L)lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore (M)whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end (N)Christ died and lived again, that He might be (O)Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 But as for you, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or you as well, why do you (P)regard your brother or sister with contempt? For (Q)we will all appear before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written:
“(R)As I live, says the Lord, (S)to Me every knee will bow,
And every tongue will [h]give praise to God.”
12 So then (T)each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let’s not (U)judge one another anymore, but rather [i]determine this: (V)not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s or sister’s way. 14 I know and am convinced [j]in the Lord Jesus that (W)nothing is [k]unclean in itself; but to the one who (X)thinks something is [l]unclean, to that person it is [m]unclean. 15 For if because of food your brother or sister is hurt, you are no longer (Y)walking in accordance with love. (Z)Do not destroy with your choice of food that person for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore (AA)do not let what is for you a good thing be [n]spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God (AB)is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and (AC)peace and (AD)joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For the one who (AE)serves Christ in this way is (AF)acceptable to God and approved by other people. 19 So then we (AG)pursue the things [o]which make for peace and the (AH)building up of one another. 20 (AI)Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. (AJ)All things indeed are clean, but (AK)they are evil for the person who eats [p]and causes offense. 21 (AL)It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother or sister stumbles. 22 The faith which you have, have [q]as your own conviction before God. Happy is the one who (AM)does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But (AN)the one who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
Footnotes
- Romans 14:1 Or in the faith
- Romans 14:1 Lit for quarrels
- Romans 14:4 Or house servant
- Romans 14:4 Lit lord
- Romans 14:5 Lit judges
- Romans 14:5 Lit judges
- Romans 14:6 Lit eats
- Romans 14:11 Or confess
- Romans 14:13 Lit judge
- Romans 14:14 Lit through
- Romans 14:14 I.e., ceremonially unclean; lit common
- Romans 14:14 I.e., ceremonially unclean; lit common
- Romans 14:14 I.e., ceremonially unclean; lit common
- Romans 14:16 Lit blasphemed
- Romans 14:19 Lit of peace and the things of the building up
- Romans 14:20 Lit by offense
- Romans 14:22 Lit according to yourself
Romans 14
Disciples’ Literal New Testament
Accept Those Weak In The Faith
14 Now be accepting the one being weak in the faith[a]— [but] not for disputes[b] about opinions[c].
Don’t Judge The Opinions of Fellow Servants of Your Master
2 One has faith to eat all things, but the one being weak eats vegetables[d]. 3 Let not the one eating be treating-with-contempt[e] the one not eating. And let not the one not eating be judging[f] the one eating— for God accepted him. 4 Who are you, the one judging a household-servant belonging-to-another? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Live For The Lord As You Think Best, For Each of Us Will Give an Account To God
5 For one judges a day beyond a day[g], but another judges every day alike. Let each one be fully-convinced in his own mind[h]. 6 The one thinking[i] as to the day, is thinking for the Lord. And the one eating, is eating for the Lord— for he gives-thanks to God. And the one not eating, is not eating for the Lord— and he gives-thanks to God. 7 For[j] none of us lives for himself, and none dies for himself. 8 For if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore if we live and if we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For Christ died and came-to-life for this: that He might be-Lord both of dead and living ones. 10 But why are you judging your brother? Or why also are you treating your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment-seat of God. 11 For it has been written [in Isa 45:23]: “As I live”, says the Lord, “every knee will bow to Me. And every tongue will confess-out to God”. 12 So then, each of us will give an account for himself to God.
Don’t Let Your Good Choices Cause Spiritual Harm To Others; Walk In Love
13 Therefore let us no longer be judging one another. But rather judge[k] this: not to be placing an opportunity-for-stumbling[l] or a cause-of-falling[m] for the brother (14 I know[n] and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing[o] is defiled[p] in itself [q], except to the one considering anything to be defiled— to that[r] one it is defiled). 15 For if your brother is grieved[s] because of food, you are no longer walking according-to love. Do not be destroying with[t] your food that one for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not be letting your good thing be blasphemed[u]. 17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness[v] and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For the one serving[w] Christ in this is pleasing to God and approved by people.
Let Us Be Pursuing Peace And Things That Build Up, Not Things That Tear Down
19 So then, let us be pursuing the things of [x] peace and the things of edification for one another. 20 Do not be tearing-down the work of God for the sake of food. All things are clean— but it is evil for the person eating with an opportunity-for-stumbling. 21 It is good not to eat meats, nor to drink wine, nor to do anything by which your brother stumbles.
Hold To Your Convictions, But Carry The Weak. Don’t Just Please Yourselves
22 The faith which you have, be having for[y] yourself in the sight of God. Blessed is the one not judging himself in what he is approving. 23 But the one doubting has been condemned if he eats, because it was not from faith— and everything which is not from faith is sin.
Footnotes
- Romans 14:1 Or, weak in faith. Their faith does not allow them to live in the full freedom of Christ. They are bound by customs and traditions from their former life. The weak sometimes judge a person who does not do as they do. The strong sometimes treat the weak with contempt because of their opinions.
- Romans 14:1 This word means ‘discernments, judgments’, and then the ‘disputes, quarrels’ that result from this behavior.
- Romans 14:1 Or, reasonings, thoughts.
- Romans 14:2 The weak one’s faith leads him to conclude that the meat has a negative spiritual significance and must be avoided.
- Romans 14:3 Or, despising, disregarding.
- Romans 14:3 Or, passing judgment on.
- Romans 14:5 That is, one day as spiritually more significant than another.
- Romans 14:5 Each should follow the course proceeding from their own faith in Christ.
- Romans 14:6 That is, thinking of it in a special way out of a desire to honor the Lord.
- Romans 14:7 Paul generalizes from these cases to the broad view. In all of life and death, we live for the Lord.
- Romans 14:13 That is, determine, decide, resolve.
- Romans 14:13 Or, an occasion to take offense or stumble into sin.
- Romans 14:13 The former case causes an unintended stumble; the cause of falling is a consciously chosen thing. The person deliberately proceeds with behavior known to be objectionable to the weak, perhaps even in defiance of them.
- Romans 14:14 As to knowledge, the strong are correct. But there is another way to view the matter besides ‘in itself’.
- Romans 14:14 That is, nothing in the category of things being discussed here.
- Romans 14:14 Or, unclean, impure.
- Romans 14:14 That is, by means of being what it is. Even in the OT, pig was not unclean because it was pig. All God’s creation is good. It was defined as unclean to Israel by God’s Law.
- Romans 14:14 Regardless of what it is in itself or to God, it is defiled to the conscience of the one thinking it such.
- Romans 14:15 Or, distressed, caused pain, caused sorrow.
- Romans 14:15 Or, for.
- Romans 14:16 Or spoken against.
- Romans 14:17 It is the subjective experience of these three things that the strong can take from the weak.
- Romans 14:18 That is, serving-as-slave to Christ.
- Romans 14:19 That is, belonging to; or, leading to.
- Romans 14:22 That is, in the interest of, in relation to.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Disciples' Literal New Testament: Serving Modern Disciples by More Fully Reflecting the Writing Style of the Ancient Disciples, Copyright © 2011 Michael J. Magill. All Rights Reserved. Published by Reyma Publishing
