¹⁴I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself.^d But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean.^e ¹⁵If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love.^f Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.^g ¹⁶Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil.^h ¹⁷For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,ⁱ but of righteousness, peace^j and joy in the Holy Spirit,^k ¹⁸because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.^l

¹⁹Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace^m and to mutual edification.ⁿ ²⁰Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.^o All food is clean,^p but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.^q ²¹It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.^r

²²So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn^s himself by what he approves. ²³But whoever has doubts^t is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.^c

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Footnotes

cSome manuscripts place 16:25–27 here; others after 15:33.

Cross references

dver 20; See Ac 10:15
e 1 Co 8:7
f Eph 5:2
gver 20; 1 Co 8:11
h 1 Co 10:30
i 1 Co 8:8
j Isa 32:17
k Ro 15:13; Gal 5:22
l Lk 2:52; Ac 24:16; 2 Co 8:21
m Ps 34:14; Ro 12:18; 1 Co 7:15; 2 Ti 2:22; Heb 12:14
n Ro 15:2; 1 Co 14:3–5, 12, 17, 26; 2 Co 12:19; Eph 4:12, 29
over 15
pver 14; See Ac 10:15
qver 13; 1 Co 8:9–12
rSee Mt 5:29
s 1 Jn 3:21
tver 5