For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t overthrow God’s work for food’s sake. All things indeed are clean, however it is evil for that man who creates a stumbling block by eating.
- BSB Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to let his eating be a stumbling block.
- NKJV Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense.
- NASB Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the person who eats and causes offense.
- NLT 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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Do not tear down God's work for the sake of food; all foods are clean, but it is wrong to eat in a way that makes a brother stumble. People matter infinitely more than the freedom to eat.
Overview
God's 'work' is the believer or the church He is building, which must not be wrecked over something as trivial as food. Paul reaffirms that all foods are clean, yet insists that exercising that liberty so as to cause a brother to sin is evil. The principle is consistent: objective freedom yields to the higher law of love and the preservation of God's people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Rom 14:14–15I 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.
- Matt 18:6But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
- Titus 1:15Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
- Acts 10:15And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.
- 1 Cor 10:31–33Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
- 1 Cor 6:12–13All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
- Rom 14:21It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.
- 1 Tim 4:3–5Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
- Matt 15:11Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
- Eph 2:10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
- 1 Cor 8:8–13But meat commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.
- Phil 1:6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 14:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.