Romans 14

¹We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

⁷But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.

⁸But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

⁷Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring glory to God.

²¹It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything to cause your brother to stumble.

¹Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.

²I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready,

⁴For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,

¹⁷Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.

¹⁴I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

¹²For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.

²²Keep your belief about such matters between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

²³But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin.

³Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things.

¹⁰Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

¹⁶Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath.

¹⁷These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.

⁹To some who trusted in their own righteousness and viewed others with contempt, He also told this parable:

¹³Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

²⁹the other one’s conscience, I mean, not your own. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience?

³⁰If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

³⁴Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism,

¹¹Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.

¹²There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

²⁰But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to Him who formed it, “Why did You make me like this?”

³¹What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

³²He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?

²⁴Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—

⁴My conscience is clear, but that does not vindicate me. It is the Lord who judges me.

⁵Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.

²⁹My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.

¹⁶Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath.

¹⁷These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.

⁹But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?

¹⁰You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!

²³But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin.

⁷But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.

¹⁹And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:

²⁰Even if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.

¹⁴I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

³⁰If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

³¹So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.

³They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

⁴For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,

²⁸Then they inquired, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”

¹⁹And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

⁵Is this the fast I have chosen: a day for a man to deny himself, to bow his head like a reed, and to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast and a day acceptable to the Lord?

⁴²Because the Lord kept a vigil that night to bring them out of the land of Egypt, this same night is to be a vigil to the Lord, to be observed by all the Israelites for the generations to come.

²Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God.

¹⁵And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

¹⁹Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

²⁰you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

¹⁴He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

²⁰I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

²¹For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

²⁰I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

¹⁰He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.

¹³Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

²³But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him.

¹³And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”

¹⁷But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

¹⁸the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.

²⁶Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?”

²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

²²Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son,

²³so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

²⁰which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms,

²¹far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

⁵But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.

¹⁴For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

⁵Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

¹⁶on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Christ Jesus, as proclaimed by my gospel.

³The one who eats everything must not belittle the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted him.

⁴Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

²²Furthermore, the Father judges no one, but has assigned all judgment to the Son,

²²Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

²³By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.

¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹¹May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.

⁹that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

³²Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven.

¹⁵If anyone confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

³⁶But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

⁵But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

²⁷For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.

⁵For each one should carry his own load.

⁹Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.

²So he called him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’

³We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no one can discredit our ministry.

⁹Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

¹⁰For if someone with a weak conscience sees you who are well informed eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged to eat food sacrificed to idols?

¹¹Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.

²It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

¹⁷Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.

¹⁰Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.

¹⁵To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

⁴For every creation of God is good, and nothing that is received with thanksgiving should be rejected,

²For one person has faith to eat all things, while another, who is weak, eats only vegetables.

⁷But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.

¹⁴“No, Lord!” Peter answered. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

¹⁵The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

⁸‘No, Lord,’ I said, ‘for nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

⁹But the voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’

¹¹So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge.

¹²By sinning against your brothers in this way and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

¹³For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.

²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose.

³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.

²⁰Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stumbling block.

¹Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

⁴Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs.

²⁹the other one’s conscience, I mean, not your own. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience?

³⁰If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.

²²Abstain from every form of evil.

²⁰We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift.

²¹For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.

³³But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

¹³Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

²⁰For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

⁸But food does not bring us closer to God: We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

⁶The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,

²¹For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.

⁵you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

²⁰How is it to your credit if you are beaten for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

¹¹Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well.

³and continually recalling before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴Brothers who are beloved by God, we know that He has chosen you,

⁴But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to show godliness to their own family and repay their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

¹⁸If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.

²⁹Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

¹⁴Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

²Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

¹⁴Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.

¹²Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

¹³Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

¹⁴I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

¹⁵If your brother is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died.

⁶But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

¹⁵To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

¹⁵The voice spoke to him a second time: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

³¹So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.

³²Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—

¹²“Everything is permissible for me,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything.

¹³“Food for the stomach and the stomach for food,” but God will destroy them both. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

¹³Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to stumble.

¹³Therefore let us stop judging one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

¹We who are strong ought to bear with the shortcomings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

²Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

¹Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that stumbling blocks will come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

²It would be better for him to have a millstone hung around his neck and to be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

²³But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

⁷Woe to the world for the causes of sin. These stumbling blocks must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!

⁸If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.

²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God,

⁵One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

¹³Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

¹Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

²³But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that is not from faith is sin.

¹⁴I am convinced and fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.

⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

¹⁵To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

⁷But not everyone has this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that they eat such food as if it were sacrificed to an idol. And since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.

²⁹For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

³⁰That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.

⁵One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

²Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.