Do Not Criticize Other People

14 ·Accept into your group [^LWelcome; Receive] someone who is weak in ·faith [or convictions; ^Con debatable issues], and do not argue about ·opinions [doubtful/debatable issues]. ² One person believes it is right to eat all kinds of food. But another, who is weak, believes it is right to eat only vegetables [^Cpossibly the issue of whether to keep the OT dietary laws, and/or whether to avoid food sacrificed to idols (see 1 Cor. 8—10)]. ³ The one who ·knows that it is right to eat any kind of food [^Leats; v. 14; see Mark 7:18–19] must not ·reject [despise; look down on] the one who ·eats only vegetables [^Ldoes not eat]. And the person who ·eats only vegetables [^Ldoes not eat] must not ·think that the one who eats all foods is wrong [^Ljudge the one who eats], because God has accepted that person. ⁴ ·You cannot [^LWho are you to…?] judge another person’s servant. ·The master decides if the servant is doing well or not [^LBefore his own lord/master he stands or falls]. And the Lord’s servant will ·do well [stand] because the Lord ·helps him do well [^Lcan make him stand].

⁵ Some ·think [decide; judge] that one day is more ·important [sacred; holy] than another, and others think that every day is the same [^Cthe issue is whether to observe the Jewish Sabbath]. Let all be ·sure [fully convinced] ·in their own mind [according to their convictions/conscience]. ⁶ Those who ·think one day is more important than other days [^Lobserve the day] are doing that for the Lord. And those who ·eat all kinds of food [^Leat] are doing that for the Lord, ·and [since; for] they give thanks to God. Others who ·refuse to eat some foods [^Ldo not eat] do that for the Lord, and they give thanks to God. ⁷ [^LFor] We do not live for ourselves, and we do not die for ourselves. ⁸ If we live, we are living for the Lord, and if we die, we are dying for the Lord. So living or dying, we belong to the Lord.

⁹ The reason Christ died and ·rose from the dead to live again [^Llived] was so he would be Lord over both the dead and the living. ¹⁰ So why do you judge your brothers or sisters in Christ? And why do you ·think you are better than they are [^Ldespise/look down on your brother or sister]? [^LFor] We will all stand before ·God to be judged [the judgment seat of God], ¹¹ because it is written in the Scriptures:

¹² So each of us will ·have to answer [give an account of ourselves] to God.

Do Not Cause Others to Sin

¹³ For that reason ·we should [or let us] stop judging each other. We must make up our minds not to ·do anything that will make another Christian sin [^Lplace a stumbling block or obstacle before a brother or sister]. ¹⁴ ·I am in the Lord Jesus, and I know [^LI know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus] that there is ·no food that is wrong to eat [^Lnothing impure/unclean/defiling in itself]. But if a person ·believes [considers; regards] something is ·wrong [impure; unclean; defiling], that thing is ·wrong [impure; unclean; defiling] for him. ¹⁵ If ·you hurt your brother’s or sister’s faith [your brother or sister is distressed/grieved] because of something you eat, you are ·not really following the way of [^Lno longer walking/living in] love. ·Do not destroy someone’s faith by eating food he thinks is wrong, because Christ died for him [^LBy your eating do not destroy that one for whom Christ died!; ^Cso trivial a matter as food must not negate the tremendous sacrifice Christ made]. ¹⁶ Do not allow what you think is good to ·become what others say is evil [be criticized/regarded as evil; ^Lbe slandered/blasphemed]. ¹⁷ ·In the kingdom of God, eating and drinking are not important [^LFor the kingdom of God is not (about) eating and drinking]. The important things are ·living right with God [righteousness], peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. ¹⁸ Anyone who serves Christ by living this way is pleasing God and will be ·accepted [approved; respected] by other people.

¹⁹ So let us try to do what makes peace and ·helps [builds up; edifies] one another. ²⁰ Do not let the eating of food ·destroy [tear down] the work of God. All foods are ·all right to eat [clean; ritually undefiled], but it is wrong to eat food that causes someone else to ·sin [stumble; fall]. ²¹ It is ·better [good] not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that will cause your brother or sister to ·sin [stumble; fall].

²² Your beliefs about these things should be kept secret between you and God. ·People are happy [Blessed are those] ·if they can do what they think is right without feeling guilty [^Lwho do not condemn themselves concerning issues they have examined and approved]. ²³ But those who eat something ·without being sure it is right [while doubting; with misgivings] are ·wrong [condemned] because they did not believe it was right. Anything that ·is done without believing it is right [or does not come from faith] is sin.