1 I f there is someone whose faith is weak, be kind and receive him. Do not argue about what he thinks.

Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.

2 O ne man believes he may eat everything. Another man with weak faith eats only vegetables.

One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only.

3 T he man who eats everything should not think he is better than the one who eats only vegetables. The man who eats only vegetables should not say the other man is wrong, because God has received him.

The one who eats is not to regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him.

4 W ho are you to tell another person’s servant if he is right or wrong? It is to his owner that he does good or bad. The Lord is able to help him.

Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5 O ne man thinks one day is more important than another. Another man thinks every day is the same. Every man must be sure in his own mind.

One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind.

6 T he man who worships on a special day does it to honor the Lord. The man who eats meat does it to honor the Lord. He gives thanks to God for what he eats. The other man does not eat meat. In this way, he honors the Lord. He gives thanks to God also.

He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God.

7 N o one lives for himself alone. No one dies for himself alone.

For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;

8 I f we live, it is for the Lord. If we die, it is for the Lord. If we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

9 C hrist died and lived again. This is why He is the Lord of the living and of the dead.

For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

10 W hy do you try to say your Christian brother is right or wrong? Why do you hate your Christian brother? We will all stand before God to be judged by Him.

But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

11 T he Holy Writings say, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me. And every tongue will say that I am God.”

For it is written, “ As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

12 E veryone of us will give an answer to God about himself.

So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.

13 S o you should stop saying that you think other people are wrong. Instead, decide to live so that your Christian brother will not have a reason to trip or fall into sin because of you.

Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this— not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.

14 C hrist has made me know that everything in itself is clean. But if a person thinks something is not clean, then to him it is not clean.

I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.

15 I f your Christian brother is hurt because of some foods you eat, then you are no longer living by love. Do not destroy the man for whom Christ died by the food you eat.

For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died.

16 D o not let what is good for you be talked about as bad.

Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;

17 F or the holy nation of God is not food and drink. It is being right with God. It is peace and joy given by the Holy Spirit.

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

18 I f you follow Christ in these things, God will be happy with you. Men will think well of you also.

For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.

19 W ork for the things that make peace and help each other become stronger Christians.

So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

20 D o not destroy what God has done just because of some food. All food is good to eat. But it is wrong to eat anything that will make someone fall into sin.

Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.

21 D o not eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it would make your Christian brother fall into sin.

It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles.

22 K eep the faith you have between yourself and God. A man is happy if he knows he is doing right.

The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.

23 B ut if he has doubts about the food he eats, God says he is guilty when he eats it. It is because he is eating without faith. Anything that is not done in faith is sin.

But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.