No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, 
and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. 
For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined

what God has prepared for those who love him.

I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, 
made holy by the Holy Spirit. 

I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, 
that you are full of goodness. 
You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.

I pray that God, the source of hope, 
will fill you completely with joy and peace 
because you trust in him. 
Then you will overflow with confident hope 
through the power of the Holy Spirit.

And yet again, “Praise the lord, all you Gentiles. 

Praise him, all you people of the earth.”

And in another place it is written, “Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles.”

He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God 

for his mercies to them. 

That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:

“For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles;

I will sing praises to your name.”

Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews 
to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors.

 Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you 
 so that God will be given glory.

Then all of you can join together with one voice, 

giving praise and glory to God, 

the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, 
help you live in complete harmony with each other, 
as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus.

And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement 

as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord. 
For even Christ didn’t live to please himself.

We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. 
We must not just please ourselves. 

But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something,

you are sinning if you go ahead and do it. 

For you are not following your convictions.

If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing,
 but keep it between yourself and God.

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. 
It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else if it might cause another believer to stumble.

[Some manuscripts read to stumble or be offended or be weakened]

If you will please God and others will approve of you, too. 
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, 
but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, 
you are not acting in love if you eat it. 
Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.

I know and am convinced on the authority of the Lord Jesus 
that no food, in and of itself, is wrong to eat. 
But if someone believes it is wrong, 
then for that person it is wrong.

Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. 
So let’s stop condemning each other. 
Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not 
cause another believer to stumble and fall.

 For the Scriptures say,

“As surely as I live, says the Lord,
every knee will bend to me,
and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.”

So why do you condemn another believer? 
Why do you look down on another believer? 
Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 
If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. 
And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. 
So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 
Christ died and rose again for this very purpose
to be Lord both of the living and of the dead.