The Weak and the Strong
1Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. 3The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
5One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister14:10 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family; also in verses 13, 15 and 21.? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11It is written:
“ ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’ ”14:11 Isaiah 45:23
12So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.14:23 Some manuscripts place 16:25-27 here; others after 15:33.
體恤軟弱者
1你們要接納信心軟弱的弟兄姊妹，不要因為看法不同便彼此爭辯。 2有人相信什麼都可以吃，但信心軟弱的人只吃素菜。 3吃的人不可輕看不吃的人，不吃的人也不可論斷吃的人，因為兩者上帝都接納。 4你是誰，竟然論斷別人的僕人？他做得是否合宜，自然有他的主人負責。他必能做得合宜，因為主能使他做得合宜。
5有人認為這日比那日好，有人認為天天都一樣，各人應該照著自己的信念拿定主意。 6守日子的人是為主而守，吃的人是為主而吃，因為他感謝上帝；不吃的人是為主不吃，他也同樣感謝上帝。 7因為我們沒有人為自己活，也沒有人為自己死。 8我們活是為主而活，死是為主而死。因此，我們無論生死都是屬主的人。 9正是為這個緣故，基督死了，又復活了，好做死人和活人的主。
10那麼，你為什麼論斷弟兄姊妹呢？為什麼輕視弟兄姊妹呢？將來我們都要一同站在上帝的審判臺前。 11聖經上說：「主說，『我憑我的永恆起誓，萬膝必向我跪拜，萬口必稱頌上帝。』14·11 以賽亞書45·23。」 12這樣看來，我們各人都要向上帝交賬。
不要使人犯罪
13所以，我們不可再互相論斷，要下定決心不絆倒弟兄姊妹。 14我知道並靠著主耶穌深信，沒有什麼是不潔淨的，但若有人以為某物不潔淨，那對他來說就不潔淨。 15你若因為吃的令弟兄姊妹傷心，就不是憑愛心行事。你不可因為食物而毀了基督捨命救贖的人。 16所以，不要讓你們認為好的事被別人詬病。 17因為上帝的國不是關乎吃什麼喝什麼，而是關乎公義、平安和聖靈所賜的喜樂。 18以這樣的態度事奉基督的人，才會得到上帝的喜悅和大家的稱讚。
19所以，我們要努力追求使人和睦及彼此造就的事。 20不可因食物問題而破壞上帝的工作。所有的食物固然都是潔淨的，但因所吃的食物絆倒別人就不對了。 21無論是吃肉、喝酒還是做任何別的事，如果會絆倒弟兄姊妹，就應該一概不做。 22你有信心認為可以做的，只要你和上帝知道就可以了。人如果在自己認為可以做的事上問心無愧，就有福了。 23人如果心裡疑惑，卻仍然吃，就有罪了，因為他不是憑信心吃。凡不憑信心去做的，就是犯罪。
