Romans 14:14-20

¹⁴I am absolutely certain DOU because of my close relationship with (OR, my belonging to) the Lord Jesus that there is nothing that by itself is wrong to eat. But if people think it is wrong to eat something, then to them it is wrong to eat it. So you should not encourage them to eat it.

¹⁵If you eat food MET that anyone for whom Christ died thinks that it is wrong to eat, that person might be encouraged { you might be encouraging that person} to do something that he believes is wrong. As a result, you might cause that fellow believer to stop trusting in God. In that way he would be ruined spiritually just because you have stopped behaving as one who loves others should behave!

¹⁶Similarly, do not do something that you think is good if, as a result, your fellow believer would sin and then others would speak evil of you who say that you are Christians.

¹⁷Letting God rule our lives MET does not mean that we must obey regulations about eating or drinking something! Instead, it means we must live righteously, act peacefully towards others, and be joyful by the power of the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸Those who serve Christ by acting in such ways please God, and others will also respect them.

¹⁹So we should always eagerly try to live in a way that will cause peace among fellow Christians, and we should try to do what will help each other to mature spiritually.

²⁰Do not destroy what God has done in the life of any believer just because of your eating certain kinds of food MET which that person considers wrong to eat! God permits us to eat every kind of food. But if, by your eating certain kinds of food, you encourage another person to sin by doing what he believes is wrong, you are doing wrong.