Do Not Judge Yoʋr Brother

1Receive anyone who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of disputing about opinions.

2One person believes that he may eat anything, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.

3The one who eats must not despise the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat must not judge the one who eats, for God has received him.

4Who are yoʋ to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will be made to stand, for ⁷¹God is able to make him stand.

5One person considers one day to be more important than another, while another person considers every day to be alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

6He who observes a particular day, observes it in honor of the ⁷²Lord, while he who abstains from observing a particular day, abstains in honor of the Lord. He who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, for he gives thanks to God, while he who abstains from eating, abstains in honor of the Lord, and he gives thanks to God.

7For none of us lives for himself, and none of us dies for himself.

8If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

9For this reason Christ ⁷³died and then rose and lived again, so that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living.

10Yoʋ, then, why do yoʋ judge yoʋr brother? Or yoʋ, why do yoʋ despise yoʋr brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of ⁷⁴Christ.

11For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me,
and every tongue will give praise to God.”

12So then, each of us will give an account of himself ⁷⁵to God.

Do Not Cause Yoʋr Brother to Stumble

13Therefore let us no longer judge one another. Instead, resolve not to put any stumbling block or snare before your brother.

14I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it is unclean for anyone who considers it to be unclean.

15If yoʋr brother is distressed by what yoʋ eat, yoʋ are no longer walking in love. Do not let what yoʋ eat destroy someone for whom Christ died.

16And do not let what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.

17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

18Anyone who serves Christ in ⁷⁶these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

19So then, let us pursue what brings about peace and mutual edification.

20Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes another to stumble.

21It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything by which yoʋr brother ⁷⁷stumbles or is offended or made weak.

22⁷⁸Do yoʋ have a firm belief about these things? Have it privately before God. Blessed is he who does not condemn himself by what he approves.

23But whoever doubts is condemned if he eats, because his action is not based on faith; and anything that is not based on faith is sin.

Doxology

24⁷⁹Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that has been kept silent since the world began

25but has now been revealed, and through the prophetic Scriptures has been made known to all the Gentiles, according to the commandment of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—

26to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ. Amen.