Romans 14
14
1 AS FOR the man who is a weak believer, welcome him [into your fellowship], but not to criticize his opinions or pass judgment on his scruples or perplex him with discussions.
2 One [man's faith permits him to] believe he may eat anything, while a weaker one [limits his] eating to vegetables.
3 Let not him who eats look down on or despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains criticize and pass judgment on him who eats; for God has accepted and welcomed him.
4 Who are you to pass judgment on and censure another's household servant? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he shall stand and be upheld, for the Master (the Lord) is mighty to support him and make him stand.
5 One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike [sacred]. Let everyone be fully convinced (satisfied) in his own mind.
6 He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. He also who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7 None of us lives to himself [but to the Lord], and none of us dies to himself [but to the Lord, for]
8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord.
9 For Christ died and lived again for this very purpose, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 Why do you criticize and pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you look down upon or despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God.
11 For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God [acknowledge Him to His honor and to His praise]. [Isa. 45:23.]
12 And so each of us shall give an account of himself [give an answer in reference to judgment] to God.
13 Then let us no more criticize and blame and pass judgment on one another, but rather decide and endeavor never to put a stumbling block or an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother.
14 I know and am convinced (persuaded) as one in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is [forbidden as] essentially unclean (defiled and unholy in itself). But [none the less] it is unclean (defiled and unholy) to anyone who thinks it is unclean.
15 But if your brother is being pained or his feelings hurt or if he is being injured by what you eat, [then] you are no longer walking in love. [You have ceased to be living and conducting yourself by the standard of love toward him.] Do not let what you eat hurt or cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died!
16 Do not therefore let what seems good to you be considered an evil thing [by someone else]. [In other words, do not give occasion for others to criticize that which is justifiable for you.]
17 [After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
18 He who serves Christ in this way is acceptable and pleasing to God and is approved by men.
19 So let us then definitely aim for and eagerly pursue what makes for harmony and for mutual upbuilding (edification and development) of one another.
20 You must not, for the sake of food, undo and break down and destroy the work of God! Everything is indeed [ceremonially] clean and pure, but it is wrong for anyone to hurt the conscience of others or to make them fall by what he eats.
21 The right thing is to eat no meat or drink no wine [at all], or [do anything else] if it makes your brother stumble or hurts his conscience or offends or weakens him.
22 Your personal convictions [on such matters]–exercise [them] as in God's presence, keeping them to yourself [striving only to know the truth and obey His will]. Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves [who does not convict himself by what he chooses to do].
23 But the man who has doubts (misgivings, an uneasy conscience) about eating, and then eats [perhaps because of you], stands condemned [before God], because he is not true to his convictions and he does not act from faith. For whatever does not originate and proceed from faith is sin [whatever is done without a conviction of its approval by God is sinful].
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Romans 14: AMPC
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1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Romans 14
14
Unity in the Midst of Diversity
1Offer an open hand of fellowship to welcome every true believer, even though their faith may be weak and immature. And refuse to engage in debates with them concerning nothing more than opinions.
2For example, one believer has no problem with eating all kinds of food, but another with weaker faith will eat only vegetables. # 14:2 It is possible that the one with “weaker faith” refused to eat meat because it was offered to idols or was considered unclean. 3The one who eats freely shouldn’t judge and look down on the one who eats only vegetables. And the vegetarian must not judge and look down on the one who eats everything. Remember, God has welcomed him and taken him as his partner.
4Who do you think you are to sit in judgment of someone else’s household servant? # 14:4 We are all “household servants” in the body of Christ, for we each belong to him. When believers begin to judge other believers over our opinions or preferences, we are taking the role that belongs only to Jesus. His own master is the one to evaluate whether he succeeds or fails. And God’s servants will succeed, for God’s power # 14:4 Some Greek manuscripts have “the Lord.” supports them and enables them to stand.
5In the same way, one person regards a certain day as more sacred than another, and another person regards them all alike. There is nothing wrong with having different personal convictions about such matters. # 14:5 Or “Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind.” The Aramaic can be translated “Every human being justifies himself through his own perspective.” 6For the person who observes one day as especially sacred does it to honor the Lord. And the same is true regarding what a person eats. The one who eats everything eats to honor the Lord, because he gives thanks to God, and the one who has a special diet does it to honor the Lord, and he also gives thanks to God.
7No one lives to himself and no one dies to himself. 8While we live, we must live for our Master, and in death we must bring honor to him. So dead or alive we belong to our Master. # 14:8 The Aramaic twice uses “our Master” (Lord), while the Greek is “the Lord.” 9For this very reason the Anointed One died and was brought back to life again, so that he would become the Lord God # 14:9 Or “Yahweh” (Aramaic). The Greek is kurios (“Lord”). over both the dead and the living. # 14:9 That is, he exercises lordship over all believers: those living in faith and those who die in faith.
10Why would you judge your brothers or sisters because of their diet, despising them for what they eat or don’t eat? For we each will have our turn to stand before God’s judgment seat. # 14:10 The Aramaic can be translated “We are all destined to stand before the podium of the Messiah.” 11Just as it is written:
“As surely as I am the Living God, I tell you:
‘Every knee will bow before me
and every tongue will confess the truth # 14:11 Or “will fully agree” (or “speak from the same source”).
and glorify me!’ ” # 14:11 See Isa. 45:23; 49:18; Phil. 2:10–12.
12Therefore, each one must answer for himself and give a personal account of his own life before God.
Walking in Love
13So stop being critical and condemning of other believers, but instead determine to never deliberately cause a brother or sister to stumble # 14:13 Or “set before them an obstacle or trap to make them stumble.” and fall because of your actions.
14I know and am convinced by personal revelation from the Lord Jesus that there is nothing wrong with eating any food. But to the one who considers it to be unclean, it is unacceptable. 15If your brother or sister is offended because you insist on eating what you want, it is no longer love that rules your conduct. Why would you wound someone for whom the Messiah gave his life, just so you can eat what you want? 16So don’t give people the opportunity to slander what you know to be good. # 14:16 Even today in many cultures of the world, there are two things that cause division and spark debates among religious people. The observance of “special days” (fasts, feasts, Sabbaths, days of prayer, etc.) and dietary restrictions (kosher versus non-kosher). Paul addresses both of these cultural issues as examples of things that can divide us. In every culture there are religious traditions that are observed in varying degrees. As believers, our one tradition must be to love and not offend by deliberate actions that demonstrate insensitivity to others. The overarching message Paul brings in Rom. 14 is that we are obligated to walk in love and not put our preferences above love’s calling to honor others. These principles are to be applied in every cultural distinction in the body of Christ. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of rules about food and drink, but is in the realm of the Holy Spirit, # 14:17 The kingdom of God is entered into by the Holy Spirit, and not by observing feasts and ritual meals. We must be born of the Spirit in order to enter into God’s kingdom realm. To have the Holy Spirit is to have the realities of God’s kingdom. filled with righteousness, # 14:17 Righteousness means, both in the context and in the Hebraic mind-set, kindness in our relationships. Paul is speaking of putting others first and expressing goodness in having right relationships with others as well as right living. peace, and joy. 18Serving the Anointed One by walking in these kingdom realities pleases God # 14:18 The Aramaic can be translated “beautiful to God.” and earns the respect of others.
19So then, make it your top priority to live a life of peace with harmony in your relationships, # 14:19 See Ps. 34:15; Heb. 12:14. eagerly seeking to strengthen and encourage one another. 20Stop ruining the work of God by insisting on your own opinions about food. You can eat anything you want, # 14:20 Or “All [food] is [ceremonially] clean [acceptable to eat].” but it is wrong to deliberately cause someone to be offended over what you eat. 21Consider it an act of love # 14:21 Implied in the context of Rom. 14–15, and is meant to clarify the motivation to limit our liberties among believers. to refrain from eating meat or drinking wine or doing anything else that would cause a fellow believer to be offended or tempted to be weakened in his faith. # 14:21 A few manuscripts do not have the last phrase, or “to be weakened in his faith.” 22Keep the convictions you have about these matters between yourself and God, and don’t impose them upon others. You’ll be happy when you don’t judge yourself in doing what your conscience approves. 23But the one who has misgivings feels miserable if he eats meat, because he doubts and doesn’t eat in faith. For anything we do that doesn’t spring from faith is, by definition, sinful.
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