[Paul wrote,] I know and am convinced by the Lord Jesus that there is nothing unclean of itself; but to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.

   And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Be careful, however, and do not let your freedom of action make those who are weak in the faith fall into sin . . . for in this way you will be sinning against Christ by sinning against your brothers and wounding their weak conscience.

   Am I not a free man? Am I not an apostle? Haven't I seen Jesus our Lord? And aren't you the result of my work for the Lord? I am a free man, nobody's slave; but I make myself everybody's slave in order to win as many as possible. While working with the Jews, I live like a Jew in order to win them; and even though I myself am not subject to the Law of Moses, I live as though I were, when working with those who are, in order to win them. In the same way, when with Gentiles I live like a Gentile, outside the Jewish Law, in order to win Gentiles.

   This does not mean that I don't obey God's law; I am really under Christ's law. Among the weak in faith I become weak like one of them, in order to win them. So I become all things to all men, that I may save some of them by any means possible.

   "Well, then," someone asks, "why should my freedom to act be limited by another person's conscience?" Live in such a way as to cause no trouble either to Jews, or Gentiles, or to the church of God. Just do as I do; I try to please everyone in all that I do, with no thought of my own good, but for the good of all, so that they might be saved. Imitate me, then, just as I imitate Christ.

Taken from Rom. 14, Col. 3, I Cor. 8, 9, 10, The New King James and
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