Romans 14

1. Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about their opinions.

Give them time to grow in the same way that someone gave you time to grow.

2. For example, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.

God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 1 Corinthians 1:27

3. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who do not. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them.

God accepts weak people.

4. Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own Master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive His approval.

We think we are helping others to become more spiritual when we say things like, "Do you not think you should do things my way? I would not those things you are doing.”

What other people do is none of your business. We are here to share the Gospel not our favorite opinions.

Do not speak against a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you be held guilty. Proverbs 30:10

5. In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced that whichever day you choose is acceptable.

Paul is not talking about the basic teachings of the faith. If somone says that the Bible is not the word of God or Jesus is not the Son of God then he is not a Christian. Paul is talking about things that are not specifically forbidden.

6. Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor Him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God.
Some Christians say we can use the holidays to worship God in our culture and others say that these are evil days and should not be celebrated. We can worship God and change the meaning of any day so that no day is different than another day.

7. For we do not live for ourselves or die for ourselves.

We do influence and affect each other In more ways than we think.

8 – 9

If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.

We can honor or not honor the Lord by the way we treat each other.

10. So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

You must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. Matthew 12:36

11 – 12

For the Scriptures say, ‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, every knee will bend to Me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.” Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.

Remembering the White Throne is the cure for the way we treat each other.

But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. 1 Corinthians 3:13

I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. Revelation 20:12

13. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.

Remember that when some people fall, they become wounded. It is none of our business to talk someone into doing something that he has a conviction against

There were many different kinds of Christians in Rome. Some came from worshiping idols and others were former Jews. They were surrounded by evil and every day they had questions about things that they were not sure that a Christian should do. God did not send them a list of things to eat. Matthew 23:4

There was a mixture of vegetarians and others were Jews who could not eat pork in Rome. There was also the question of whether you should eat meat that had been offered to idols because it was sold at the best price, and it was the best meat because they picked best to offer to the idol.

If someone really believes that eating certain foods is wrong and we talk them into doing it, the devil will tell them that God is angry at them or that they are no longer a Christian and they may decide, “Why try anymore?”

Some are used to thinking of idols as being real, so when they eat food that has been offered to idols, they think of it as the worship of real gods, and their weak consciences are destroyed. 1 Corinthians 8:7, Acts 10:15

15. And if another believer is offended by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Do not let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.

Some people say you are the weaker brother if you disagree with their rules. Other people say you are the weaker brother because you think that they should not be allowed to do certain things.

When you sin against other believers by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong, you are sinning against Christ. 1 Corinthians 8:12

16. Then you will not be criticized for doing something you believe is good.

Some might say this person could not be a Christian and eat that meat.

17. For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Some people like to make these things the main issues of the Christian life and they are not!

18 –19

If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you also. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up!

Disagreements are a chance to show Christian love to each other.
20 – 21

Don’t tear apart the work of God over what you eat. Remember, all foods are acceptable, but it is wrong to eat something if it makes another person stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.

God has been building things in a person's life and you can tear these things down.

22. You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.

Let it be a personal thing, do not do it openly so it can make problems for someone else.
Do not expect victory if you are weak in small things such as limiting yourself to show love for your brother.

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are not honest in little things, you will not be honest with bigger things. Luke 16:10

23. But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

So if what I eat causes another believer to sin, I will never eat meat again as long as I live—for I don’t want to cause another believer to stumble. 1 Corinthians 8:13

For if others see you—with your “superior knowledge”—eating in the temple of an idol, won’t they be encouraged to violate their conscience by eating food that has been offered to an idol? 1 Corinthians 8:10