Romans 14:1-13

¹Accept those who are not sure whether God will permit them to do certain things some people think are wrong. But when you accept them, do not argue with them about what they think/their opinions.

²Some people believe that they may eat all kinds of food. Others believe that God does not want them to eat certain things, so they believe that they may not eat meat.

³Anyone who thinks that it is all right to eat all kinds of food must not despise those who think it is not all right to eat all kinds of food. Anyone who thinks it is not all right to eat all kinds of food must not ◄condemn/say that God will punish► those who think that it is all right to eat all kinds of food, because God himself has accepted those people.

⁴God is the master of us all, so ◄ he is the one who will decide whether those people have done wrong!/who are you to decide whether they have done wrong?► RHQ Therefore, you have no right RHQ to condemn those who eat everything, because they are also God's servants! And just like it is the servants' own master who accepts or condemns MTY his servants, it is God who accepts or condemns us. And believers will be accepted by the Lord { the Lord will accept believers} regardless of whether they eat meat or not, because he is able to keep them trusting in him.

⁵Some people regard certain days as holy and think that the other days are not holy. Other people regard all days as equally suitable for worshipping God. Each person should be fully convinced about such matters, thinking and deciding for himself and not for others.

⁶As for those who believe that they should worship on a certain day of the week, it is to honor the Lord that they worship on that day. And as for those who think that it is all right to eat all kinds of food, it is to honor the Lord that they eat those foods, as is clear from their thanking God for the food that they eat. As for those who abstain from eating certain kinds of food, it is to honor the Lord that they do not eat those foods, and they also thank God for the food that they do eat. So doing either of those things is not wrong in itself.

⁷None of us should live merely to please ourselves, and none of us should choose when or how we will die, merely to please ourselves.

⁸While we live, it is the Lord whom we belong to and should be trying to please, and not just ourselves. And when we die, it is the Lord whom we should be trying to please. So, while we live and also when we die, we should be trying to please the Lord to whom we belong, not just ourselves,

⁹because the very purpose for which Christ died and became alive again is that he might be Lord whom all people should try to please, both of those who have already died and of those who are still living.

¹⁰◄It is disgraceful that you who practice certain religious regulations say that God will punish your fellow believers who do not practice those regulations!/Why do you who practice certain religious regulations say God will punish your fellow believers who do not practice such regulations?► RHQ I say this because the time will come when all of us will stand before God in order that he will say whether or not he approves MTY of what we have done. So you who do not practice such regulations, ◄should not despise your fellow believers who practice them!/why do you despise your fellow believers who practice them?► RHQ

¹¹We know this because it is written { a prophet/Isaiah wrote} what God has said: Everyone will bow down before me! That is as certain as the fact that I live IDM! Everyone SYN will acknowledge that because I am God, I have the right to judge and punish people.

¹²So it is clear that it is God who will decide whether or not he approves of what each of us has done.

¹³Since it is God who will judge everyone, we must stop saying that God should punish some of our fellow believers! Instead, you/we should decide that you/we will not do anything that would be an example that might cause fellow believers to stop trusting in God DOU.