Romans 14:1–23

The Law of Liberty

14Receive ^aone who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. ²For one believes he ^bmay eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. ³Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and ^clet not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. ^4dWho are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.

^5eOne person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. ⁶He who ^fobserves the day, observes it to the Lord; ¹and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for ^ghe gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. ⁷For ^hnone of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. ⁸For if we ⁱlive, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹For ^jto this end Christ died ²and rose and lived again, that He might be ^kLord of both the dead and the living. ¹⁰But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For ^lwe shall all stand before the judgment seat of ³Christ. ¹¹For it is written:

^m“As I live, says the Lord,

Every knee shall bow to Me,

And every tongue shall confess to God.”

¹²So then ⁿeach of us shall give account of himself to God. ¹³Therefore let us not judge one another ⁴anymore, but rather resolve this, ^onot to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.

The Law of Love

¹⁴I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus ^pthat there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. ¹⁵Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. ^qDo not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died. ^16rTherefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; ^17sfor the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and ^tpeace and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸For he who serves Christ in ⁵these things ^uis acceptable to God and approved by men.

^19vTherefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which ^wone may ⁶edify another. ^20xDo not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. ^yAll things indeed are pure, ^zbut it is evil for the man who eats with ⁷offense. ²¹It is good neither to eat ^ameat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles ⁸or is offended or is made weak. ²²⁹Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. ^bHappy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. ²³But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for ^cwhatever is not from faith is ¹sin.