Do Not Judge Another

14 Welcome those who are weak in faith^[a] but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.^{(A) 2} Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.^{(B) 3} Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat, for God has welcomed them. ⁴ Who are you to pass judgment on slaves of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord^[b] is able to make them stand.

⁵ Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. ⁶ Those who observe the day, observe it for the Lord. Also those who eat, eat for the Lord, since they give thanks to God, while those who abstain, abstain for the Lord and give thanks to God.^(C)

⁷ For we do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.^{(D) 8} If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹ For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.^(E)

¹⁰ Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.^{[c](F) 11} For it is written,

¹² So then, each one of us will be held accountable.^[e](H)

Do Not Make Another Stumble

¹³ Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother or sister.^{(I) 14} I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who considers it unclean.^{(J) 15} If your brother or sister is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ So do not let your good be slandered. ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.^{(K) 18} The one who serves Christ in this way is acceptable to God and has human approval.^{(L) 19} Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.^{(M) 20} Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong to make someone stumble by what you eat; ²¹ it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.^{[f](N) 22} Hold the conviction that you have as your own before God. Blessed are those who do not condemn themselves because of what they approve. ²³ But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat because they do not act from faith,^[g] for whatever does not proceed from faith^[h] is sin.^[i]

Food Offered to Idols

8 Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.^{(A) 2} Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge,^{(B) 3} but anyone who loves God is known by him.^(C)

⁴ Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists” and that “there is no God but one.”^{(D) 5} Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— ⁶ yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.^(E)

⁷ It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.^{(F) 8} “Food will not bring us close to God.”^[a] We are no worse off if we do not eat and no better off if we do.^{(G) 9} But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.^{(H) 10} For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? ¹¹ So by your knowledge the weak brother or sister for whom Christ died is destroyed.^{(I) 12} But when you thus sin against brothers and sisters and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never again eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.^(J)

The Rights of an Apostle

9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?^{(K) 2} If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.^(L)

³ This is my defense to those who would examine me. ⁴ Do we not have the right to our food and drink?^{(M) 5} Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife,^[b] as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?^{(N) 6} Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?^{(O) 7} Who at any time pays the expenses for doing military service? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock and does not get any of its milk?^(P)

⁸ Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law also say the same? ⁹ For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned?^{(Q) 10} Or does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was indeed written for our sake, for whoever plows should plow in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope of a share in the crop. ¹¹ If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we harvest material^[c] things?^{(R) 12} If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we still more?

Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.^{(S) 13} Do you not know that those who work in the temple service get their food from the temple and those who serve at the altar share in what is sacrificed on the altar?^{(T) 14} In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.^(U)

¹⁵ But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this so that they may be applied in my case. Indeed, I would rather die than that—no one will deprive me of my ground for boasting! ¹⁶ If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! ¹⁷ For if I do this of my own will, I have a wage, but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission.^{(V) 18} What then is my wage? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.

¹⁹ For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might gain all the more.^{(W) 20} To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to gain Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might gain those under the law. ²¹ To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not outside God’s law but am within Christ’s law) so that I might gain those outside the law.^{(X) 22} To the weak I became weak, so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. ²³ I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I might become a partner in it.

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it.^{(Y) 25} Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.^{(Z) 26} So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air, ²⁷ but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.^(AA)

Warnings from Israel’s History

10 I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea,^{(AB) 2} and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³ and all ate the same spiritual food,^{(AC) 4} and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.^{(AD) 5} Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness.^(AE)

⁶ Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did.^{(AF) 7} Do not become idolaters as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.”^{(AG) 8} We must not engage in sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.^{(AH) 9} We must not put Christ^[d] to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents.^{(AI) 10} And do not complain, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.^{(AJ) 11} These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.^{(AK) 12} So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. ¹³ No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.^(AL)

¹⁴ Therefore, my beloved, flee from the worship of idols.^{(AM) 15} I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.^{(AN) 18} Consider the people of Israel:^[e] Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar?^{(AO) 19} What do I imply, then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, I imply that what they^[f] sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons.^{(AP) 21} You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.^{(AQ) 22} Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?^(AR)

Do All to the Glory of God

²³ “All things are permitted,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are permitted,” but not all things build up. ²⁴ Do not seek your own advantage but that of the other.^{(AS) 25} Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience, ²⁶ for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.”^{(AT) 27} If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience— ²⁹ I mean the other’s conscience, not your own. For why should my freedom be subject to the judgment of someone else’s conscience?^{(AU) 30} If I partake with thankfulness, why should I be denounced because of that for which I give thanks?^(AV)

³¹ So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.^{(AW) 32} Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God,^{(AX) 33} just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage but that of many, so that they may be saved.^(AY)