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.
Romans 14
Evangelical Heritage Version
Strong and Weak Christians Both Belong to the Lord
14 Accept a person who is weak in faith, and do not pass judgment on things that are just a difference of opinion. 2 One person believes it is right to eat anything. Another person who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything should not look down on the person who does not do so, and the one who does not eat everything should not judge the person who does, because God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on someone else’s servant? It is up to his master to decide whether that servant stands or falls. And he will stand, because God[a] is able to make him stand.
5 One person values one day above another. Another person values every day the same. Let each person be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The person who honors a certain day does this for the Lord, and the person who eats does this for the Lord, because he gives thanks to God. And the person who does not eat does this for the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7 In fact, not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself. 8 Indeed, if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this reason he died, rose,[b] and lived, to be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Do Not Cause a Weak Christian to Stumble in Faith
10 But you, why do you pass judgment on your brother? And you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s[c] judgment seat. 11 Indeed, it is written:
As I live, says the Lord,
every knee will bow to me,
and every tongue will acknowledge God.[d]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, resolve never to put an obstacle or a snare in the path of your brother. 14 I know, and I am convinced in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it becomes unclean for the one who considers it to be unclean. 15 For example, if your brother is offended because of the food you eat, you are no longer walking in line with love. Do not destroy that person for whom Christ died by the food you eat! 16 So do not give others a reason to speak evil about what you consider good.
17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Certainly a person who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and has the approval of people. 19 Consequently, let us pursue those things that lead to peace and building up one another.
20 Do not tear down God’s work for the sake of food. Everything is pure, but it is wrong for a person to eat if it causes anyone to stumble. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything if it causes your brother to stumble.
22 Keep the conviction that you have in these matters between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because it does not proceed from faith.[e] Everything that does not proceed from faith[f] is sin.
Footnotes
- Romans 14:4 Some witnesses to the text read the Lord.
- Romans 14:9 Some witnesses to the text omit rose.
- Romans 14:10 Some witnesses to the text read Christ’s.
- Romans 14:11 Isaiah 45:23
- Romans 14:23 Or confidence, or conviction
- Romans 14:23 Or confidence, or conviction
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
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.