Romans 14
1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.
We can't all be on the same level of understanding and we shouldn't force other Christians to see what we see. Babes start on milk because they can't handle meat yet.
2 For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.
3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
Adult Christians, those that have been studying, feeding on the meat of The Word should never reject those that nibble, but help them come to the point of truth. Don't argue, plant and pray!
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
You can't judge another person's salvation on what they eat. Christ Jesus is The ONLY Way and we grow in Him daily or we aren't growing at all. Some "churches" say "if you are divorced or haven't been baptized in their church you're not saved." This isn't a "church" you should be in.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Some see the day of worship as Sunday, others Saturday, for me it's everyday but we shouldn't judge anyone on what day they worship God. We decide on our own.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
Every day is a blessing for me, so I see every day as a gift from God. That goes for every blessing He provides for me in each day He gives me. This didn't happen overnight, it has grown as I've grown in understanding. Just because someone doesn't see this the same doesn't mean they're not going to. Plant and pray †
7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
God gives us life and when the time comes we will be face to face with Him. Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it.
8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
"We" = Christians † or you're living of self and satan.
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
You're not truly living until you acknowledge what Christ has done for you. You don't know how to live until you study His Word. When those who believe die of these flesh body's, they're with The Lord at that instant and forever. Repent and live†
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Don't judge someone for where they are in their Christian walk. As long as their going in the right direction, you should be helping them to continue.
11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.
This happens when the 7th trump sounds. God spoke it and it will happen.
Isaiah 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in
righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every
tongue shall swear.
12 So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Not one person will be held accountable for your actions. Only you will have to answer for what you have or haven't done.
13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
We can't tell anyone in The Christian faith they can't be Christian because of something they do or have done. Christ died that we may live. We all sin daily and we have Christ daily. Repent daily †
14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
It's our own understanding, our own decision with our own conclusions were we come to see those things God sees as clean or unclean. It's through study we grow in faith and knowledge of The truth. Don't judge someone by what they're physically eating. Look toward the spiritual food, The Word.
15 But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.
We shouldn't overload someone with a Word of God that they're not ready to handle. Babes can only take milk until their ready to handle meat. Don't destroy their growth in faith.
16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of:
When someone's not ready to hear something, they'll turn on you. See where they're at [with in The Word] before feeding them Truth.
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
The way to living with God isn't through what food we eat or drink, but Through His Word. It brings us peace of mind and Truth in a world of lies. Righteousness = follow His ways and peace = with those in your life, your Christian family, neighbors, co-workers, etc.
18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.
What these body's take in for physical food will help you live longer or kill you, but what you put into your mind will help your soul live forever or be not. Don't hold offense to what others put in their mouths but what they put in their minds. Correct when correction is due.
19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
Don't argue over little things such as what food you eat or what day you worship God, but lift one another up and build that spiritual relationship.
20 For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
Don't offended someone by what they eat or drink and don't let what you're eating or drinking offended others. Food can't kill the soul, but it can cause divisions. Don't force someone to go against their believes or conscience.
21 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
Don't rub the food laws in another person's face on either side of it. It's fine to eat those meats God made to partake of and drink wine, just don't argue over such things causing someone to fall.
22 Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
If you believe in something, stand in your faith and don't let anyone change you. satans always coming up with new way to draw people away from God so be careful and stay true to yourself in Christ.
23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Going against God and His laws is something each person answers for individually. Our conscience is God talking to us, so never go against it and never argue with someone because of their convictions. Don't fight because of what someone puts in their mouth, you may cause them to fall. Concentrate on what's going in the mind.
A bit more study on Chapter 14
Understanding 'Unclean' in Romans 14:
Paul's point is that the possible association of a particular food with idolatrous activity had no bearing on whether the food was suitable for eating.
Does Paul’s statement in Romans 14:14 —”I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself”—mean the early Church made no distinction between clean and unclean meats? An understanding of Greek terminology can help us here.
It is important to realize that the New Testament writers referred to two concepts of unclean, using different Greek words to convey the two ideas. Unclean could refer to animals God did not intend to be used as food (listed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14). Unclean could also refer to ceremonial uncleanness.
In Romans 14, Paul uses the word koinos, which means “common” (W.E. Vine, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, “Unclean,” ). In addition to the meanings of “common” and “ordinary,” as used in English (Acts 2:44; Acts 4:32; Titus 1:4; Hebrews 10:29; Jude 1:3), the word also applied to things considered polluted or defiled. This word, along with its verb form koinoo, is used in Mark 7:2-23, where it obviously refers to ceremonial uncleanness in the incident when the disciples ate without having first washed their hands.
Through a concordance or similar Bible, you can verify that koinos and koinoo appear throughout the New Testament to refer to this kind of ceremonial uncleanness. Something could be “common”—ceremonially unclean—even though it was otherwise considered a clean meat.
An entirely different word, akathartos, is used in the New Testament for animals Scripture specifies as unclean. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament in wide use in Paul’s day), akathartos is used to designate the unclean meats listed in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14.
Both words, koinos and akathartos, are used in Acts 10 in describing Peter’s vision of the sheet filled with “all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air” (Acts 10:12), both clean and unclean. Peter himself distinguished between the two concepts of uncleanness by using both words in Acts 10:14. After a voice told Peter to “kill and eat,” he replied, “I have never eaten anything common [ koinos ] or unclean [ akathartos ].” Most Bible translations distinguish between the meanings of the two words used here. Peter used the same terminology in Acts 10:28 and Acts 11:8 in discussing this vision.
When Paul said in Romans 14:14 that “there is nothing unclean [ koinos, or ‘common’] of itself,” he was making the same point he had made earlier to the Corinthians, as explained in the next chapter of this booklet: Just because meat that was otherwise lawful to eat may have been associated with idol worship does not mean it is intrinsically unfit for human consumption. As seen from the context, Paul wasn’t discussing biblical dietary restrictions at all.
Paul goes on to state in Romans 14:20 that “all food is clean” (New International Version). The word translated “clean” is katharos, “free from impure admixture, without blemish, spotless” Vine, “Clean, Cleanness, Cleanse, Cleansing,” Clean meats as such aren’t addressed in the New Testament, so there isn’t a specific word to describe them. Katharos is used to describe all kinds of cleanliness and purity, including clean dishes (Matthew 23:26), people (John 13:10) and clothing (Revelation 15:6; Revelation 19:8-14), “pure” religion (James 1:27), gold and glass (Revelation 21:18).
Realize also that, in both Romans 14:14 and Romans 14:20, the word food or meat isn’t in the original wording. No specific object is mentioned relative to cleanness or uncleanness. The sense of these verses is merely that “nothing [is] unclean [ koinos: common or ceremonially defiled] of itself,” and “all is clean [ katharos: free from impure admixture, without blemish, spotless].”
Paul’s point is that the possible
association of a particular food with idolatrous activity had no bearing on
whether the food was suitable for eating.
Which Animals Does the Bible Designate as 'Clean' and 'Unclean'?
God reveals which animals - including fish and birds - are suitable and unsuitable for human consumption in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. Although the lists aren't exhaustive, He reveals guidelines for recognizing animals that are acceptable for food.
Raw oysters are considered a delicacy in many places but the Bible says water creatures without fins and scales should not be eaten.
God states that cud-chewing animals with split hooves can be eaten (Leviticus 11:3; Deuteronomy 14:6). These specifically include the cattle, sheep, goat, deer and gazelle families (Deuteronomy 14:4-5). He also lists such animals as camels, rabbits and pigs as being unclean, or unfit to eat (Leviticus 11:4-8). He later lists such “creeping things” as moles, mice and lizards as unfit to eat (Leviticus 11:29-31), as well as four-footed animals with paws (cats, dogs, bears, lions, tigers, etc.) as unclean (Leviticus 11:27).
He tells us that salt and freshwater fish with fins and scales may be eaten (Leviticus 11:9-12), but water creatures without those characteristics (catfish, lobsters, crabs, shrimp, mussels, clams, oysters, squid, octopi, etc.) should not be eaten.
God also lists birds and other flying creatures that are unclean for consumption (Leviticus 11:13-19). He identifies carrion eaters and birds of prey as unclean, plus ostriches, storks, herons and bats.
Birds such as chickens, turkeys and pheasants are not on the unclean list and therefore can be eaten. Insects, with the exception of locusts, crickets and grasshoppers, are listed as unclean (Leviticus 11:20-23).
Why does God identify some animals as suitable for human consumption and others as unsuitable? God didn’t give laws to arbitrarily assert control over people. He gave His laws (including those of which meats are clean or unclean) “that it might be well” with those who seek to obey Him (Deuteronomy 5:29).
Although God did not reveal the specific reasons some animals may be eaten and others must be avoided, we can make generalized conclusions based on the animals included in the two categories.
In listing the animals that should not be eaten, God forbids the consumption of scavengers and carrion eaters, which devour other animals for their food.
Animals such as pigs, bears, vultures and raptors can eat (and thrive) on decaying flesh. Predatory animals such as wolves, lions, leopards and cheetahs most often prey on the weakest (and at times the diseased) in animal herds.
When it comes to sea creatures, bottom dwellers such as lobsters and crabs scavenge for dead animals on the sea floor. Shellfish such as oysters, clams and mussels similarly consume decaying organic matter that sinks to the sea floor, including sewage.
A common denominator of many of the animals God designates as unclean is that they routinely eat flesh that would sicken or kill human beings. When we eat such animals we partake of a food chain that includes things harmful to people.
As nutritionist David Meinz observes: “Could it be that God, in His wisdom, created certain creatures whose sole purpose is to clean up after the others? Their entire ‘calling’ may be to act exclusively as the sanitation workers of our ecology. God may simply be telling us that it’s better for us believers not to consume the meat of these trash collectors”. Eating by the Book , 1999, p. 225
The following list, based on Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, identifies many of the animals God designates as clean and unclean. The list uses their common names.
Clean Animals
Mammals That Chew the Cud and Part the Hoof: Antelope, Bison (buffalo), Caribou, Cattle (beef, veal), Deer (venison), Elk, Gazelle, Giraffe, Goat, Hart, Ibex, Moose, Ox, Reindeer, Sheep (lamb, mutton)
Fish With Fins and Scales: Anchovy, Barracuda, Bass, Black pomfret (or monchong), Bluefish, Bluegill, Carp, Cod, Crappie, Drum, Flounder, Grouper, Grunt, Haddock, Hake, Halibut, Hardhead, Herring (or alewife), Kingfish, Mackerel (or corbia), Mahimahi (or dorado, dolphinfish [not to be confused with the mammal dolphin]), Minnow, Mullet, Perch (or bream), Pike (or pickerel or jack), Pollack (or pollock or Boston bluefish), Rockfish, Salmon, Sardine (or pilchard), Shad, Silver hake (or whiting), Smelt (or frost fish or ice fish), Snapper (or ebu, jobfish, lehi, onaga, opakapaka or uku), Sole, Steelhead, Sucker, Sunfish, Tarpon, Trout (or weakfish), Tuna (or ahi, aku, albacore, bonito, or tombo), Turbot (except European turbot), Whitefish
Birds With Clean Characteristics: Chicken, Dove, Duck, Goose, Grouse, Guinea fowl, Partridge, Peafowl, Pheasant, Pigeon, Prairie chicken, Ptarmigan, Quail, Sagehen, Sparrow (and other songbirds), Swan*, Teal, Turkey
* In the King James Version, Leviticus 11:18 and Deuteronomy 14:16 list “swan” among unclean birds. However, this seems to be a mistranslation. The original word apparently refers to a kind of owl and is so translated in most modern Bible versions.
Insects: Types of locusts that may include crickets and grasshoppers
Unclean Animals
Animals With Unclean Characteristics: Swine-Boar, Peccary, Pig (hog, bacon, ham, lard, pork, most sausage and pepperoni) Canines-Coyote, Dog, Fox, Hyena, Jackal, Wolf Felines-Cat, Cheetah, Leopard, Lion, Panther, Tiger Equines-Donkey (ass), Horse, Mule, Onager, Zebra (quagga) Other Animals-Armadillo, Badger, Bat, Bear, Beaver, Camel, Elephant, Gorilla Groundhog, Hippopotamus, Kangaroo, Llama (alpaca, vicuña), Mole, Monkey, Mouse, Muskrat, Opossum, Porcupine, Rabbit (hare), Raccoon, Rat, Rhinoceros, Skunk, Slug, Snail (escargot), Squirrel, Wallaby, Weasel, Wolverine, Worm, All insects except some in the locust family
Marine Animals Without Fins and Scales: Fish-Bullhead, Catfish, Eel, European Turbot, Marlin, Paddlefish, Shark, Stickleback, Squid, Sturgeon (includes most caviar), Swordfish Shellfish-Abalone, Clam, Conch, Crab, Crayfish (crawfish, crawdad), Lobster, Mussel, Oyster, Scallop, Shrimp (prawn) Soft body-Cuttlefish, Jellyfish, Limpet, Octopus, Squid (calamari) Sea mammals-Dolphin, Otter, Porpoise, Seal, Walrus, Whale
Birds of Prey, Scavengers and Others: Albatross, Bittern, Buzzard, Condor, Coot, Cormorant, Crane, Crow, Cuckoo, Eagle, Flamingo Grebe, Grosbeak, Gull, Hawk, Heron, Kite, Lapwing, Loon, Magpie, Osprey, Ostrich, Owl, Parrot, Pelican, Penguin, Plover, Rail, Raven, Roadrunner, Sandpiper, Seagull, Stork, Swallow, Swift, Vulture, Water hen, Woodpecker
Reptiles: Alligator, Caiman, Crocodile, Lizard, Snake, Turtle
Amphibians: Blindworm, Frog, Newt, Salamander, Toad.
What we do with this information is the same as anything we put in. We can grow or throw. I'm just an usher for God. I can only show you to the table that I myself wish to sit at, where we can sit together in same mind, growing in Christ. To not eat the correct things can harm the body, not the soul, but what good are we if were not here to help others to that table. Do your best to stay healthy in body and mind. Feed the body those things we are to partake of andthe mind The Word of God.