1 Do not put on one side him who is feeble in faith, and do not put him in doubt by your reasonings. 2 One man has faith to take all things as food: another who is feeble in faith takes only green food. 3 Let not him who takes food have a low opinion of him who does not: and let not him who does not take food be a judge of him who does; for he has God's approval. 4 Who are you to make yourself a judge of another man's servant? it is to his master that he is responsible for good or bad. Yes, his place will be safe, because the Lord is able to keep him from falling. 5 This man puts one day before another: to that man they are the same. Let every man be certain in his mind. 6 He who keeps the day, keeps it to the Lord; and he who takes food, takes it as to the Lord, for he gives praise to God; and he who does not take food, to the Lord he takes it not, and gives praise to God. 7 For every man's life and every man's death has a relation to others as well as to himself. 8 As long as we have life we are living to the Lord; or if we give up our life it is to the Lord; so if we are living, or if our life comes to an end, we are the Lord's. 9 And for this purpose Christ went into death and came back again, that he might be the Lord of the dead and of the living. 10 But you, why do you make yourself your brother's judge? or again, why have you no respect for your brother? because we will all have to take our place before God as our judge. 11 For it is said in the holy Writings, By my life, says the Lord, to me every knee will be bent, and every tongue will give worship to God. 12 So every one of us will have to give an account of himself to God. 13 Then let us not be judges of one another any longer: but keep this in mind, that no man is to make it hard for his brother, or give him cause for doubting. 14 I am conscious of this, and am certain in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself; but for the man in whose opinion it is unclean, for him it is unclean. 15 And if because of food your brother is troubled, then you are no longer going on in the way of love. Do not let your food be destruction to him for whom Christ went into death. 16 Let it not be possible for men to say evil about your good: 17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 And he who in these things is Christ's servant, is pleasing to God and has the approval of men. 19 So then, let us go after the things which make peace, and the things by which we may be a help to one another. 20 Do not let the work of God come to nothing on account of food. All things are certainly clean; but it is evil for that man who by taking food makes it hard for another. 21 It is better not to take meat or wine or to do anything which might be a cause of trouble to your brother. 22 The faith which you have, have it to yourself before God. Happy is the man who is not judged by that to which he gives approval. 23 But he who is in doubt is judged if he takes food, because he does it not in faith; and whatever is not of faith is sin.
Romans · Bible in Basic English
Romans 14 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (23)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Romans 15:1; 1 Corinthians 8:7–13; 1 Corinthians 9:22; Romans 15:7; Romans 14:21
- 2 1 Timothy 4:4; Proverbs 15:17; Romans 14:14; Galatians 2:12; Romans 14:22–23
- 3 Romans 14:10; Colossians 2:16–17; Luke 18:9; Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 10:29–30
- 4 James 4:11–12; Romans 9:20; Romans 8:31–39; Jude 24; 1 Corinthians 4:4–5
- 5 Colossians 2:16–17; Galatians 4:9–10; Romans 14:23; 1 Corinthians 8:7; 1 John 3:19–21
- 6 1 Corinthians 10:30–31; 1 Timothy 4:3–5; John 6:28; Matthew 14:19; Isaiah 58:5
- 7 1 Peter 4:2; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; Titus 2:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:10
- 8 Philippians 1:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:10; Acts 21:13; 1 Corinthians 15:23; Revelation 14:13
- 9 Revelation 1:18; Luke 24:26; Hebrews 12:2; John 5:22–23; Ephesians 1:20–23
- 10 2 Corinthians 5:10; Ecclesiastes 12:14; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Romans 2:16; Romans 14:3–4
- 11 Isaiah 45:22–25; Philippians 2:10–11; Psalm 72:11; Romans 10:9; Matthew 10:32
- 12 Matthew 12:36; 1 Peter 4:5; Matthew 16:27; Galatians 6:5; Ecclesiastes 11:9
- 13 2 Corinthians 6:3; 1 Corinthians 8:9–13; James 4:11; Luke 17:2; Romans 16:17
- 14 Titus 1:15; 1 Timothy 4:4; Romans 14:2; 1 Corinthians 8:7; Acts 10:14–15
- 15 1 Corinthians 8:11–12; Galatians 5:13; Philippians 2:2–4; Romans 14:20; 1 Corinthians 8:1
- 16 1 Corinthians 10:29–30; Romans 12:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:22; 2 Corinthians 8:20–21
- 17 Matthew 6:33; Romans 15:13; 1 Corinthians 4:20; 1 Corinthians 8:8; Galatians 5:22
- 18 2 Corinthians 8:21; 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Thessalonians 1:3–4
- 19 Romans 12:18; Ephesians 4:29; Psalm 34:14; Romans 15:2; Hebrews 12:14
- 20 Romans 14:14–15; Matthew 18:6; Titus 1:15; Acts 10:15; 1 Corinthians 10:31–33
- 21 1 Corinthians 8:13; Romans 14:13; Romans 15:1–2; Luke 17:1–2; Matthew 16:23
- 22 1 John 3:21; Romans 14:5; James 3:13; Galatians 6:1; Romans 14:23
- 23 Hebrews 11:6; Titus 1:15; 1 Corinthians 8:7; 1 Corinthians 11:29–31; Romans 14:5
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
I Am aware that to most what is here said is a difficulty. And therefore I must first give the subject of the whole of this passage, and what he wishes to correct in writing this. What does he wish to correct then?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)
If then we entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also ourselves to forgive; for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and "we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ, and must every one give an account of himself." Let us then serve Him in fear, and with all reverence, even as He Himself …
… hath raised Him from the dead, thou shall be saved." And he renders the reason why the Son of God did these things, saying, "For to this end Christ both lived, and died, and revived, that He might rule over the living and the dead." And again, writing to the Corinthians, he declares, "But we preach Christ Jesus crucified;" and …
This it was, verily, "Him that is weak in the faith, receive ye;" which he applied to himself, and discovered to me.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
Because Paul also saith this selfsame thing: or rather, there too it is Christ, speaking by Paul, and saying, "Why dost thou judge thy brother?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)