Open English Translation ROM Chapter 14

14 [ref]Accept others who are faltering in their faith without highlighting their wrong ideas. 2 Some people think it’s ok to eat anything, while others who’re faltering will only eat vegetables. 3 The one who eats anything shouldn’t despise the other, and the one who doesn’t eat meat shouldn’t condemn the other, because both are accepted by God. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s house servants? Their own master will judge if they stand or fall, and they’ll stand because the master is able to help them.

5 Similarly, some people consider one day to be more important than some other day, yet others consider all the days to be alike. Each one of them should be fully convinced in their own minds. 6 Anyone who considers a certain day to be special is thinking about the master. Likewise, anyone who’s eating meat is eating to serve the master and gives thanks to God. The person who doesn’t eat meat is declining to serve the master and gives thanks to God. 7 Yes, we don’t live for ourselves and we don’t die for ourselves. 8 If we keep living then we’re living for the master, and if we die, then we’re dying for the master, so whether we live or die we belong to the master 9 because Messiah died and came back to life in order to be master of both the dead and the living. 10 [ref]So why are you judging fellow believers and why are you also scorning them, because all of us will end up standing in God’s court of judgement. 11 As it’s been written:[ref]

“The master is telling me, ‘I am alive

and every person will bow to me,

and each one will confess to God.’ ”

12 So consequently, each of us will need to give an account of ourselves to God.

13 So we shouldn’t be judging each other, but rather be judging ourselves that we’re not causing another believer to stumble or fall into temptation. 14 I know (and I’m totally persuaded) that in master Yeshua there’s no object that’s ‘immoral’[fn] in itself, but it only becomes ‘immoral’ to the person who evaluates it as such. 15 If a fellow believer is upset because of the food you eat, then you’re no longer acting in love. Don’t destroy the faith of someone that Messiah died for, just for the sake of food. 16 Don’t let anyone slander the good that you do. 17 God’s kingdom doesn’t consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and happiness in the holy spirit. 18 so anyone serving the messiah in those ways pleases God and is approved by the people.

19 So then, we should be pursuing actions that lead to peace and things that build each other up—20 don’t be tearing down God’s work just on account of food. Indeed, all foods are ‘clean’[fn] but it’s wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 It’s good to avoid eating meat or drinking wine or doing anything else that might cause your fellow believer to stumble or be offended or fall. 22 That way you keep the faith that you have privately before God. God will bless anyone who doesn’t bring guilt on themselves by doing something that they’ve determined to be right. 23 But anyone who doubts that it’s ok, if they eat it then they’ve condemned themselves because they’re not acting in faith, and everything that’s not done in faith is sin.