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Romans 14:13–23, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Romans 14:13–23
Freedom Is Bounded by Love, Conscience, and Another Person's Good
Freedom is bounded by love, conscience, and another person's good.
Let us no longer judge one another, but rather decide not to put a stumbling block or snare in a brother's or sister's way. Paul knows and is persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean to the one who thinks it unclean. If your brother or sister is distressed because of food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with food one for whom Christ died, or tear down the work of God. The kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes a brother or sister stumble. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves; whoever doubts is condemned if they eat, because it is not from faith.
Love protects a vulnerable conscience without handing that conscience unlimited veto power over everyone. Freedom is real; so is the other person's faith. This is still not contempt for Jewish practice, and it is not a tool for controlling a whole community over taste.
How this should shape us
Use your freedom to keep a neighbor's faith intact, not to prove you are the strong one at dinner. Do not pressure someone into a bite, drink, or practice against conscience, and do not let one anxious person run the whole church as a veto.
Teach it back
Explain Romans 14:13–23 in your own words. Include its place in Romans, its movement, one material uncertainty, and one misuse the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Stumbling may mean moral fall rather than mere offense; destroy may be severe rhetorical warning; faith in verse 23 may mean personal conviction before God.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Romans 14:13–23, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, and base text for original-language discussion.
Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Rom.txt, 14:13–23
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, material variants, and interpretive alternatives.
NET Bible official Romans chapter print view, 14:13–23, translation and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Supports: Complete evangelical Protestant whole-letter exposition, historical setting, argument flow, and theological synthesis.
Mathis, 'Romans,' introduction and commentary section covering 14:13–23, with bibliography and endnotes
Supports: Catholic exegetical orientation, salvation-history frame, concise verse notes, and faith-new-life synthesis.
USCCB, Romans introduction and chapter notes covering 14:13–23
Supports: Jewish historical context, Paul-within-Judaism alternatives, diatribe restraint, and anti-supersessionist controls.
Nanos, Jewish Annotated New Testament, first edition print pp. 253-286, introduction and annotations on 14:13–23
Supports: Classic New Perspective proposal about works of law, covenant identity, boasting, and Romans 2-4 and 11.
Dunn, 'The New Perspective on Paul,' BJRL 65.2 (1983), journal pp. 95-122 plus later additional note
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Romans 14:13–23, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, and base text for original-language discussion.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Rom.txt, 14:13–23
Open the Romans Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible - Romans with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level syntax, KJV-era wording, material variants, and interpretive alternatives.
Exact location: NET Bible official Romans chapter print view, 14:13–23, translation and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open NET Romans 14 notesmodern open commentary
Romans
Donny Ray Mathis II
The Gospel Coalition Bible Commentary, 2023
Supports: Complete evangelical Protestant whole-letter exposition, historical setting, argument flow, and theological synthesis.
Exact location: Mathis, 'Romans,' introduction and commentary section covering 14:13–23, with bibliography and endnotes
Open source ↗modern catholic translation notes
The Letter to the Romans: introduction and chapter notes
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2010-2026 online edition
Supports: Catholic exegetical orientation, salvation-history frame, concise verse notes, and faith-new-life synthesis.
Exact location: USCCB, Romans introduction and chapter notes covering 14:13–23
Open source ↗modern jewish annotated new testament
Romans introduction and annotations in The Jewish Annotated New Testament
Mark D. Nanos; edited by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler
Oxford University Press, 2011
Supports: Jewish historical context, Paul-within-Judaism alternatives, diatribe restraint, and anti-supersessionist controls.
Exact location: Nanos, Jewish Annotated New Testament, first edition print pp. 253-286, introduction and annotations on 14:13–23
Open source ↗landmark peer reviewed lecture
The New Perspective on Paul
James D. G. Dunn
Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 65.2, 1983
Supports: Classic New Perspective proposal about works of law, covenant identity, boasting, and Romans 2-4 and 11.
Exact location: Dunn, 'The New Perspective on Paul,' BJRL 65.2 (1983), journal pp. 95-122 plus later additional note
Open source ↗