1 As for the one who is ^oweak in faith, welcome him, but not to ^pquarrel over opinions. 2 ^qOne person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. 3 Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and ^rlet not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. 4 ^sWho are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master¹ that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

5 ^tOne person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, ^usince he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For ^vnone of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, ^wwe live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord ^xboth of the dead and of the living.

10 ^yWhy do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the ^zjudgment seat of God; 11 for it is written,

12 So then each of us will ^bgive an account of himself to God.

13 Therefore ^clet us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a ^dstumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that ^enothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean ^ffor anyone who thinks it unclean. 15 For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are ^gno longer walking in love. ^hBy what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. 16 So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. 17 For ⁱthe kingdom of God is ^jnot a matter of eating and drinking ^kbut of righteousness and ^lpeace and ^mjoy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is ⁿacceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then let us ^opursue what makes for peace and for mutual ^pupbuilding.

20 Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. ^qEverything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble.³ 22 The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. 23 But ^rwhoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. ^sFor whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.⁴