The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is the one who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
Parallel translations
- WEB Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who doesn’t judge himself in that which he approves.
- KJV Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.
- BSB Keep your belief about such matters between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
- NKJV Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.
- NLT 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.
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
Keep your settled convictions about liberty between yourself and God; blessed is the one who has no self-condemnation in what he approves. A clear conscience before God is a gift to guard, not a banner to wave.
Overview
Paul counsels the strong to hold their faith-convictions privately before God rather than parading them in ways that wound others. The truly blessed person can act without self-reproach because his conduct aligns with his conscience and with God's approval. Liberty exercised before God in good conscience is to be cherished, but it need not be flaunted to be valid.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- 1 Jn 3:21Beloved, if our hearts don’t condemn us, we have boldness toward God;
- Rom 14:5One man esteems one day as more important. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind.
- Jas 3:13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.
- Gal 6:1Brothers, even if a man is caught in some fault, you who are spiritual must restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to yourself so that you also aren’t tempted.
- Rom 14:23But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because it isn’t of faith; and whatever is not of faith is sin.
- Rom 14:14I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean of itself; except that to him who considers anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.
- Rom 14:2One man has faith to eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.
- 2 Cor 1:12For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.
- Acts 24:16Herein I also practice always having a conscience void of offense toward God and men.
- Rom 7:24What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?
- Rom 7:15For I don’t know what I am doing. For I don’t practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 14:22 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.